Software For Virtual Teams
Written by Alex Iskold and edited by Richard MacManus
It's 2007 and no longer do startup employees, or even those of medium-size and large companies, need to be located in the same place. Instead, more and more companies are going virtual. The answer to long commutes, inner city traffic, tapping into creative minds in other geographies and combating global warming is: a 'work from home' policy.
But in order for working from home to be effective, certain things need to be in place. The most critical is technology - a set of tools, along with the infrastructure, that can replace the traditional office. Using these tools it is possible for team members to connect, communicate and execute as effectively as a traditional company. So in this post, we look at software that makes virtual companies possible.
Communication Tools
Pick: Skype; cost: free. Alternatives: Gizmo, Jajah, Google Talk, more...
The first tool for a virtual company has to be one that
replaces face-to-face communication. This is not an easy task, but Skype gets close. This popular software bundles the
phone, traditional chat, conferencing and video conferenecing and works on Windows, Mac
and Linux. It is powerful to be able to chat and, when necessary, call a team mate. All
Skype PC-to-PC calls are free and there are options such as SkypeOut (calling normal
telephone numbers) and SkypeIn (gives you a phone number for anywhere in the world).
The next useful feature is the ability to transfer files. If you need to send a document or a screenshot, Skype can be faster than email and it is right there. Skype can also be used to conduct meetings. Typically, it would be used in conjunction with screen sharing software (more on that below). Finally, Skype supports video and works with any camera attached to your computer. This is neat, but think twice about what you are wearing before flipping that switch :-)
Presentation
Pick: GotoMeeting; $49 per month, Alternatives: WebEx, BudgetConferencing
Skype facilitates communication, but it does not allow sharing
of screens. It is helpful to complement meetings with real-time screens, particularly if
you are brainstorming, talking about design (for example) or simply want to get on the
same page faster.
Our recommendation is a simple desktop sharing solution like GotoMeeting, because the features of the higher end services are rarely used and tend to be buggy. GoToMeeting has been around for a while and offers instant desktop sharing which 'just works'. It is written in Java and can run on many platforms. It takes a few minutes to learn the UI, but after that starting new meetings and inviting people is straightforward.
There are quite a few other companies that enable online meetings. One of the 'high end' solutions is WebEx, which has three core offerings - a meeting center, MeetMeNow plan, and pay per use. The meeting center is a comprehensive solution that supports various forms of sharing and interaction between participants. You can share presentations or a full screen, draw on a scratch pad, and chat with the meeting participants. The plans depend on the number of concurrent meeting participants and start at $75. Another alternative is MeetMeNow, which facilitates instant desktop sharing. The cost is $49 per month or $39 if you commit to a full year. Finally the pay per use solution offers exactly that, for 33c per minute per user. However in my experience, WebEx has not been as reliable as GoToMeeting.
Project Management
Pick: Basecamp; $29 per month. Alternatives: CentralDesktop, ActiveCollab (free, but you need to host it), TeamWorkLive, QuickBase
Project management is essential to the success of any project,
let alone a virtual one. Execution requires planning, scheduling, division of tasks and
tracking. Basecamp from 37signals is an excellent tool that encapsulates the
essential elements of project management.
The Basecamp main screen presents a dashboard view of the upcoming milestones and latest activity. Each person can also get a view of his/her milestones and tasks. The tasks are modeled as todo lists and can be attached to the milestones, which are tied to a date. This is basically it in terms of tracking, but no one familiar with Microsoft Project is going to miss the Gantt charts here.
In addition, Basecamp offers storage of files (unfortunately there is no way to tag files, which would be a great addition) and an interesting variation of a scratch pad called writeboard. The writeboard allows people to create text documents using very basic markup. You can bold things, create links and include images - without needing to learn HTML. The writeboards can be versioned, which is handy, but not essential.
There are a number of monthly plans, with various tradeoffs in the number of projects and storage space. For $24 per month you can create 15 projects and store 400MB of files. The maximum plan allows you to have unlimited number of projects and store 20GB of stuff for $149 per month. There are also a number of plans in between, for all tastes and needs.
Calendar
Pick: Google Calendar; Free. Alternatives: Yahoo! Calendar, 30Boxes, Kiko
Noticibly missing from
Basecamp is the calendaring feature. Personally, I would like to see that as part of the
project management solution - particularly a view of events and milestones. Fortunately,
there are quite a few calendaring solutions that do a good job. The one that stands out
from the crowd is Google Calendar.
The product has an intuitive Ajax-based UI that does a very good job of managing events. Two features that are essential for teams are shared calendars and support for multiple calendars. Multiple people can see and book events into the same calendar. Also, the user is able to maintain a set of calendars that is then merged into a single, aggregated view. So it is easy to combine business and personal events. Google calendar also integrates nicely with GMail and sends out email alerts for upcoming events.
Code Repository
Pick: CVSDude; $22 per month. Alternatives: SourceHosting, Version Host
If you are running a software development business, you need
to have a source code version control system. While you could run such repository on your
corporate computers or have your web hosting do it for you, it is even better to use one
of the specialist online services - to make sure that things are done right.
Typically, you would use either CVS or Subversion version control systems. Each offer powerful ways to manage your code in a concurrent development environment. Hosting companies provide the turn key solutions which, in addition to the code management server, include a dashboard for managing developer accounts, and bug tracking systems. The setup is easy, particularly because most modern IDE have support for version control. The pricing varies based on the storage space and number of concurrent users.
Backup
Pick: ElephantDrive; $34.95 per month per person - discount. Alternatives: JungleDisk, Mozy
Whether it's our personal data or corporate
information, it is always better to be safe than sorry. In our day and age no one can
afford to waste even a single day due to data loss. Luckily there are now online backup
solutions that can be deployed quickly and on a budget. ElephantDrive is one of the newcomers that offers
a backup solution based on Amazon S3 storage. It comes with an intuitive user interface,
that allows you to specify files and directories that you want to backup. After that it
just works, quietly backing up your files to S3.
Since in a virtual company, computers are not likely to be networked - backup solutions need to be implemented for each computer. To support this use case, ElephantDrive offers special corporate discounts which can be obtained via email. There is however no common corporate directory view, something we are all used to. It would be nice to see this feature in the future, as it would be great for virtual teams.
Accounting / Payroll
Pick: QuickBooks; Cost Varies, $50 per month+, extra per employee. Alternatives: IntAcct, Keep More
Last, but certainly not least, is the category of accounting
and payroll software. The problem is that financial matters are rather complicated. In
addition to complex federal laws and regulations, there are state (and country!) specific
nuances that can drive you crazy for hours. This is one area where getting a specialist -
a bookkeeper - is definitely a good idea. The good news is that online services like QuickBooks are working hard to make things
easier.
The packages range in price and functionality, depending on your needs. The basic package does not include payroll and direct deposit, which most people want. The full package has everything for around $90 per month, plus additional costs per employee. QuickBooks is complex, but it's comprehensive software. The online version seems to be easier to use then the offline one. It allows you to easily connect to all your bank and credit card accounts, issue invoices, make payments and keep track of consultants and employees.
Conclusion
It is truly amazing how far and how quickly virtual team technology has evolved. Just a few years ago virtual companies were very difficult to run, because of logistics and costs. However the tools that we have covered in this post, collectively, have opened the door to a new breed of companies - small, agile, virtual businesses. These companies exist because of this new wave of communication tools and substantially lower infrastructural costs.
In addition, virtual companies consist of happier employees. These are people who do not need to spend time in traffic, people who save money on gas, people who conserve resources and, perhaps most significantly, people who spend more time with their family. So perhaps this simple, yet very profound, application of technology is the beginning of a new trend and the way we will mostly work and communicate in the future. Let us know what you think and please tell us what virtual office tools you use - and indeed whether you work from home or in a corporate environment.
3 TrackBacks
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.readwriteweb.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2001
FOLLOW RWW ON TWITTER
RECENT JOBS
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
Nice list, but I miss nice financial alternatives in accounting section like http://moneytrackin.com, wich allows budget sharing and easy accounting
Posted by: Victor | February 28, 2007 3:49 AM
Sorry, the above URL not works, here is the valid one: http://moneytrackin.com
Posted by: Victor | February 28, 2007 3:50 AM
I totally agree with your pick of BaseCamp. I have been using it to manage a project I am working on with my business partner, who lives in Shanghai.
It's well designed, the user interface is great and all the useful tools are in there. The ability to attach files to writeborad messages is a great feature. The milestones system too is excellent.
A really great tool. I love it.
Posted by: Laurent | February 28, 2007 4:41 AM
Yugma.com is a free gotomeeting alternative also done in java and supported in part by ibm.
Posted by: Winston Ford | February 28, 2007 5:02 AM
With employees in Australia, the U.S. and Canada, we live on Skype, and always on the look for new tools. I'll have to check CVCDude and ElephantDesktop.
Posted by: Mark Evans | February 28, 2007 5:24 AM
Nice write-up, Alex. I think you need to upgrade your Skype, though (unless that's just a classic skin on a new version, or something). ;)
Also, other Basecamp alternatives, check our Fred Oliviera's GoPlan (still in beta, but really slick), and CleverTools (which I haven't used but have seen screen shots of). :)
Posted by: Josh | February 28, 2007 6:05 AM
In the accounting realm you should list Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007. It is free, is of high quality, and has "on line" features.
Posted by: Mike Cullina | February 28, 2007 6:07 AM
I love skype. For me it's "the tool" of tools. In my line of work, i cannot pass withou skype anymore.
Posted by: Jonix Konios | February 28, 2007 6:20 AM
I'm completely happy with AmeriVault for online backups. It may be overkill for what virtual teams are doing, but it's online, easy to set up, and I don't have a thing to worry about due to the redundancy that they build in.
http://www.amerivault.com
Posted by: CynicalGeek | February 28, 2007 8:47 AM
I'm working too hard. You're talking about online storage with Elephant Drive, not online backups.
OOPS.
Posted by: CynicalGeek | February 28, 2007 8:52 AM
@9: ElephantDrive is actually online backups.
Alex
Posted by: Alex Iskold | February 28, 2007 9:08 AM
Although software is great, my personal experience has been that the context in which they are used make a lot of difference, virtual team within London is one thing but as soon as things get transnational, spanning language, culture, geography these tools are just tools.
Posted by: Rahul Dighe | February 28, 2007 9:10 AM
In the Code Repository section you missed devjavu. They do trac/svn hosting. We have been using them for both userscripts.org (the site is open source) and greasemonkey.
Posted by: Jesse Andrews | February 28, 2007 9:16 AM
The most important thing is certainly NOT the technology. It is the collaborative practices you employ, which the technology augments.
Posted by: Ross Mayfield | February 28, 2007 9:27 AM
Great list! I'd love to see another version of this, though: "FREE Software For Virtual Teams".
Posted by: Patrick | February 28, 2007 11:17 AM
Alex:
Very nice work. As a startup, we use 6 of the 7. Since we are a software company, one of the most important services you left off was www.bugzilla.com.
But the key point comes from Ross Mayfield (comment 14), virtual collaboration is not a "build it and they will come" proposition. It is a carefully orchestrated effort by ALL the community(team) members to make it work.
Posted by: Tom | February 28, 2007 11:30 AM
@16 good note about bugzilla. CVSDude and other CVS hosting services have it for free.
Alex
Posted by: Alex Iskold | February 28, 2007 11:40 AM
@14, Ross - of course! Great people who know how to communicate and collaborate is really #1.
Alex
Posted by: Alex Iskold | February 28, 2007 11:42 AM
I would like to see more posts on this topic.
Vyew.com is also nice for getting together.
Posted by: Josh | February 28, 2007 12:44 PM
One particular nice feature for skype is the public chat (http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2006/11/public_chats_and_chat_improvem.html). It functions essentially like campfire in that it offers a persistent group chat environment, although in this case it is in the skype interface. Once it is supported in the mac version (here's hoping) it could be a nice team collaboration tool - particularly if skype is already getting heavy use and you don't need screen sharing.
Posted by: Matthew Hockenberry | February 28, 2007 1:18 PM
I have three comments. (1)My particular work-at-home solution includes Backup software by Symantec...Norton Ghost. (2)Skype audio duplex connections consume too much bandwidth. And so you still need the good ol' telephone for voice communicatins while you are colaborating online. That is what GoToMeeting does. (3)Also, you need to be able to remotely share a knowledge base like General Knowledge Base With client/server technology, everybody can look at the same knowledge objects and contribute equally without asking permission.
Posted by: Vincent Clark | February 28, 2007 1:44 PM
We use unyte (www.unyte.com) skype plug-in and it works great for desktop sharing. Also we use DevGuard for SVN hosting. Both have been good.
Posted by: Jitendra | February 28, 2007 1:47 PM
I am a big fan of Zoho and Gizmo Project, as well as Vyew and TeamSlide. More good stuff like this at VerusNova Small Business Technology
Collaboration: http://verusnova.com/blog/index.php?s=collaboration
Free Skype Alternatives:
http://verusnova.com/blog/index.php/2007/01/09/skype-alternatives/
Web Conferencing:
http://verusnova.com/blog/index.php/category/opensource/?s=webex
Open Source:
http://verusnova.com/blog/index.php/category/opensource/
Posted by: Mike M | February 28, 2007 2:12 PM
The most critical is technology - a set of tools, along with the infrastructure, that can replace the traditional office. - as someone that's "helping" my current organisation move to a similar environment I would have to strongly disagree with that statement.
The technology is always the easiest part (I have to say it's just not quite there yet ... yet). The hard part for "virtual" teams is that we, people, the fleshy bits on the end of the computers are social animals and we find it difficult to work outside of that 'here and now' contact. We like to be a "part of it".
Now, I'm not saying it can't be done - any open source project could be seen as a classic example of "virtual" teams work well together using technology - but I am saying that for non-technology type work* we like being with people.
This can change, and probably will over time and is a differing stages around the world. But right now it's not the technology that's the real issue (that's getting there as Richard will continue to comment upon) it's understanding that people like to work with people (for those not working on technology-only deliverables).
More than happy to share my ongoing experiences if people are happy. Also, love to hear from people that are trying something similar. Drop me a line miramar.mike@gmail.com
* don't forget that 99.9% (or something) of us don't work on technology-only deliverables - it's selling something, providing a service, making something tangible. And even in ICT the majority of people aren't providing technology-deliverables, think PM's, BA's, EA's and all the other IT/but not-IT type roles - people based.
Posted by: Mike Riversdale | February 28, 2007 3:45 PM
Oh, and maybe the "technology" slant comes from the fact that this is a technology biased (and proudly so) site attracting equally proud technology-biased readers :-)
Dilbert - The Right Approach
Posted by: Mike Riversdale | February 28, 2007 4:05 PM
My assistant, my associate consultant, and I all work virtually. We use a hosted Microsoft Exchange Server by http://www.mailstreet.com
This way, we can share calendars, contacts, and assign tasks back and forth. I can set the permissions where I want, for instance allowing my associate to add contacts, but not delete or export my list.
It's pretty inexpensive and wirelessly synchs with my Blackberry too. We've used it for 1.5 years, and mostly very smooth sailing.
We're tempted by Skype, but we still like Yahoo IM. Being girlies, we have fun with the avatar cartoons. You can change their hairdoos and outfits as you please. Business needs to be a little fun, too!
Posted by: Jaya Schillinger | February 28, 2007 4:09 PM
Hey! You totally forgot WebEx AIM Pro BE! This is such a cool package. Not only can you use it for chats / IM(individual, groups, etc.), you've got desktop sharing (with a single button), file sharing, VoIP, video *and* really tight integration with Outlook. It's up on my desktop all the time.
WebEx may call it an IM package but really, there's a whole lot more going for it than that especially with desktop sharing and VoIP integrated and the ability to instantly kick off a MeetMeNow or WebEx meeting from your familiar Outlook screens. Check it out: http://www.webex.com/solutions/secure-instant-messaging.html
Posted by: Linda | February 28, 2007 4:33 PM
I've been using Yugma.com for web meetings for a couple of months now, together with Skype. Works great!!! Can't beat the price (free). Google apps also nice.
Posted by: Mark Johnson | February 28, 2007 8:00 PM
What about Google Docs and Spreadsheets? That's become one of our most commonly used collaboration tools.
Posted by: Richard Clark | February 28, 2007 8:30 PM
Carbonite would be my choice for backup. Great post anyway!
Posted by: Ebrahim | February 28, 2007 8:55 PM
There's a skype addin called unyte from WebDialogs (http://www.webdialogs.com) which allows webconferencing and sharing of a desktop.
This is free for single user use, for more there's a charge.
For code hosting I use dreamhost, $100 a year allows me to host multiple web applications on a shared host. It also allows subversion repositories.
I'm using it to host my subversion repository and trac application (http://trac.edgewall.org) to manage the development process.
Posted by: John Ward | March 1, 2007 1:21 AM
Ah, for shared SCM you forgot Unfuddle -- it also includes bug tracking & a project dashboard (basecamp lite thing).
My $0.02, I use often Skype for calls, google docs for collaboration, Mozy for backups, Dreamhost for SVN, UltraVNC for screensharing, and a bunch of other stuff.
Posted by: Ben Strackany | March 1, 2007 10:05 AM
Wow great post, as for CVS/subversion hosting, I think Google may integrate Google Code Hosting to their online Office suite and create a special package for software development houses. That would be great. And it's a fact that trust becomes the primary factor when you choose a code hosting service.
Posted by: Emre Sokullu | March 1, 2007 4:13 PM
Freshbooks is a great alternative to Quickbooks if you do not need robust accounting features. They just announced their integration into Basecamp today for a great 1-2 punch!
Posted by: Chuck Longanecker | March 1, 2007 6:55 PM
I have been working in a virtual office since I started having children (6 years now). Skype has been an excellent tool for me to communicate with my coworkers. I have worked with quite a few people that I have never met but just spoken to with Skype. I find I can be much more efficient and there is no travel time. The flexible working hours are fantastic...especially with children.
I also use MPMM project management methodology http://www.mpmm.com software....it is fantastic!
Posted by: Eve Sheridan | March 1, 2007 8:02 PM
We got a demo of Rod Drury's new web based financial mgmt app for SMEs, Xero, at Kiwi FOO. It hasn't launched yet, but from what I saw it is seriously impressive.
http://www.xero.com
Posted by: Charles | March 3, 2007 11:59 AM
Very useful post. Thanks
But it is a pity you did not review Quiknets.com, which is a web-based "instant network", where each member has his "seat" in cyberspace, remotely controlled from any PC with IE.(Firefox is coming..)He has onboard "email", one click-to-setup "WorkSpaces" for any topic or sub-group, chat, forums, onboard document storage and file management, incl a private filing system, "create document online" and, most importantly for professional applications of Web 2.0, it has onboard encryption of files and messages, so that the data is always controlled exclusively by its owners, and not even accessible to the Quiknets administrator.(And a lot more).
Posted by: Brian O'Doherty | March 4, 2007 3:23 AM
In our small organization (started with 3 remote people and now has 6) that the "task" was the central unit or our work and that many packages imposed structures that we were not willing to live with.
The solution we chose:Best Practical RT:Request Tracker http://bestpractical.com/rt
It very scales, it works great with very small groups and can easily be configured to reflect how one is currently doing their business.
Mike Blumenthal
Posted by: Mike Blumenthal | March 4, 2007 6:04 AM
Why do I keep seeing these long lists of unintegrated beta tools being recommended as a new and brilliant way to manage your disparate workers?
Also - these types of articles seem to stay quiet when it comes to anything except the basics... Where are the shipping management tools? The supply chain management systems? The integrated business intelligence tools?
IP-telephony software and calendars with excitingly shiny buttons do not constitute a replacement for a real business management system.
We reviewed a lot of different combinations, and eventually realised how much better it is if your systems co-operate with each other - now we're using Panthius.com, which gives us everything we need, with just one interface, fully integrated.
Posted by: Ted Carter | March 5, 2007 6:39 AM
I can't believe no one mentioned FolderShare (http://www.foldershare.com). We use it to share files between team members instead of clogging emails with multi-MB emails. We couldn't live without it.
Posted by: Arlyn Asch | March 6, 2007 7:53 AM
We also use Yugma for presentation, it's browser based (java) so multiplatform and works very well.
Posted by: Leandro Ardissone | March 9, 2007 8:28 PM