When they log on, they’ll find that they already have IM set up, they’re already in their proper grouping on the contacts list, they already have everyone in the company on the list, and they even have non-company people like clients and partners on their contact list if those people have registered with the company on Remindo. And since Remindo is web-based, they didn’t have to load anything on their computer.

One of the biggest fears associated with having a virtual office seems to be distrust in its security.

“The concern that most internal IT organizations raise when it comes to cloud computing services is that they can not be sure how secure data will be as its moves from their internal systems out to a public cloud service,” says Michael Vizard at eWEEK (Source: http://tr.im/gClQ).

We often get asked about our security at Remindo. Businesses are very concerned, and rightfully so, about the risks of their data being online, but while it’s a common fear, I would contend that having a tool like Remindo.com in your workplace actually makes your data much safer!

Look at your security today, what do you have? Passwords, virus detectors, firewalls, and hopefully a back up. All of these functions are good and you will still need most off them if you take your office online.

But how safe is your information today?

If you store all your information on your laptop, you don’t have any back up if the system crashes, and that means you will lose all your work. Hopefully you are better equipped than that!

Look at it this way: if you don’t have a shared, common place to store and manage projects, people throw things everywhere. It’s like your keys. f you have a place to keep them at home, you generally know where they are. If you don’t, you constantly have to search for it.  Knowledge is the same thing. A simple tool that helps you organize and store your data will keep you from spreading it around – making it safer. 

So let’s say you store all your files in a common server in the office. What happens if that crashes? Your IT guy might be able to fix it in a couple of hours, IF the data was not erased.

To be safe you need to have an extra server with another round of hardware and software, maintenance, etc. and keep that as a back up. This is the ideal solution for private servers, but it is very expensive and also doubles your storage cost.

Neither of these solutions seems cost effective, so let’s look at how a virtual server operates.

The most important thing to understand is that you don’t need any particular computer when you use a virtual office. You can access it from everywhere, and it will store your information safely regardless of what computer you are working from. Your information is stored in gigantic servers that offer a lot more security and service than smaller ones. Thus, if something goes wrong, you information is instantly backed up.

Convenient, right?

Now let me tell you about how Remindo security works.

At Remindo, we want to keep your files safe. That’s why we selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our hosting and data storage partner. AWS is widely regarded as the Platinum Standard when it comes to hosting and data storage.

This partnership represents Remindo’s use of Amazon’s EC2 servers. For you as a user this means that your information such as your profile is stored on these servers. When you upload files, they are stored on Amazon’s S3 data storage systems.

Both Amazon EC2 servers and Amazon S3 data storage systems are highly available, secure and backed up. Another great feature is that the EC2 servers are scalable, which means that it can scale in terms of storage, request rate and users to support an unlimited number of Web-scale applications. The reliability is also great since it has a store data durably with 99.99 percent availability. They promise no single point of failure and that all failures must be tolerated or repaired by the system without any downtime. 

After all, says AWS, “Ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of customer’s systems and data is of the utmost importance to AWS, as is maintaining trust and confidence.” (Source: http://aws.amazon.com)

Impressive, right?

So give me one good reason to keep your old, time-consuming and expensive system, when you can get access to Remindo secure servers FREE?

Social media platforms offer new ways to create a productive and organized office. The platforms, like Remindo.com, can be used to share files, delegate assignments, share milestones and keep track of teammates via a joined calendar. This helps eliminate time spent searching for people or material, and it keeps everyone connected through a shared community.

Krishna De, Founder and CEO at Biz Growth News, says “I’ve found deploying social media platforms in my own business and with organizations I work with has enhanced productivity.”

Using social media platforms are also a way for employees to get to know one other better. Even though they may share the office and talk over coffee, they do not necessarily know each other. But add in a platform where employees can communicate instantly, and they are now more free to build closer relationships. A tight organization where everyone knows one another will work better together and feel comfortable around each other.

When you are organized it is also easier to let your work force grow. New employees can easily catch up by logging on to the platform where they gain access to all the shared material, reducing the need for introductions and educations. And they can also access and read about previous project and gain understanding about company. They know whom they represent before starting their first assignment.

Another benefit with social media platforms is that they can be accessed from anywhere. Even if you go on a business trip, you can still access the company network and files. Maybe that will help close a few sales that you otherwise would not have gotten. Or, if you are using contract employees, you can engage them in conversations and groups that they would otherwise have a hard time joining.

So, if social productivity platforms bring all these advantages, why haven’t they been adopted more?

Many companies use the excuse that it will take too much time exporting all their work from current storage. This is not a very legitimate excuse, however, since there is no real need to move all storage at once. It is best to transfer the files gradually anyway.

Another reason seems to be that they are afraid of the security – or lack thereof. Most people do all their banking online and aren’t worried, so your files should be as safe. If you trust you dollars online, why not your intellectual property?

Finally, there’s cost. Platforms cost money, right? Well, in the modern SAAS and cloud-computing environment, this isn’t always the case. Platforms like Remindo.com are actually free for most users and uses, so there’s really no excuse to use budget as a deciding factor. 

Listen: Now is the time. And you have a choice. Either quit making excuses and let your company evolve, or don’t take action and let your employees continue to chat around the water cooler.

Fortune favors the bold, someone once said. Are you bold? 

Here at Remindo.com, we’ve recently launched a bunch of new features that we think really help businesses be more productive and organized.  Check it out now it’s FREE @ http://www.remindo.com/

In 2013, 20 percent of enterprise IT work will be done trough cloud computing, and experts predict an acceleration from small and medium-sized businesses. According to William S. McNee, president and CEO of Saugatuck Technology, time has come for software to be widely accepted as a service.

The main reason supporting the increasing acceptance for software as a service (SAAS) is that companies want to decrease operating costs and reduce IT staff. Since Internet is universal, it creates an economy of scale, making it possible to provide services as cheap as possible.

However, less obvious factors support cloud computing as well. For example, it is easier to update and integrate services online. Improvements accumulate without staff, along with the fact that it is easy to mange and use since it does not require installation. There are indications that the benefits of cloud computing are so many that on-premise solutions might decrease significantly. 

Cloud computing has been very hot the two previous years, and the trend will continue to accelerate. A survey by Saugatuck show that the amount of companies saying that they would use SAAS in their finance and accounting operations has doubled. In a previous survey, 18.3 percent expected to use SAAS by the end of 2008; two years later the number was up to 39.3 percent. McNee believes that the adaption is even larger and estimates that by the end of 2010, 70 percent of companies will have installed at least one cloud computing application.

Companies that does not adapt to the new circumstances will have a hard time staying competitive. If competitors grasp the trend they decrease their expenses and attain more money to either lower prices or enhance marketing, pushing others out of the market. In the modern fast-paced market, you need to adapt today, to stay ahead in your field. 

Welcome!!!!

You’ve heard the saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same?

That doesn’t fly here at Remindo.  When we change Remindo, we constantly add new features and functions to help you work better.  If you haven’t been here before, this will all be new to you.  GREAT!  If you’ve been to Remindo before, you may notice that some of your feedback has been included in the site.  Once again, GREAT!

To show you all the cool new features, we need you to login.  BE SURE to use your corporate email address when you login.  If you don’t, you won’t be able to take advantage of some of the stuff we’ve added.

1. Corporate Network. Using your email address, we AUTOMATICALLY create a corporate network for you.  No one has to go in and figure out how to set it up because we do it for you.  If there’s a network already, we add you to it.
2. All the Project Management features you need, and none you don’t want. We’ll help you track everything the company’s doing with our corporate-wide Milestones and To-do lists.  Share documents with free storage.  Everyone can see and download the latest on the new corporate initiative, the next product release, and the upcoming party.   How?  Start by clicking the “Milestones,” “To-do,” and “Documents” links to plan the next happening.
3. Tweeting. You want to know what’s going on in the office.  Your coworkers want to know what you’re up to.  Sometimes you just want people to know what’s on your mind.  Use the Talk function to tweet to your team.  That will keep you and your friends up to date.
4. Groups focused on what you are really doing. We provide an easy way set up groups according to your organization’s hierarchy.  That way you can make the structure in your corporate network reflect your reality.   When you login, click on the “Navigate Groups” tab to see if your teammates have set up groups.  You can join a group, or create your own by clicking the “create group” button.   This creates online workspaces around as many specific teams and projects as you want. There’s no limit!
5. Group Project Management.  Did you think that the cool features are only available for the corporate network.  Each group can have its own individual Milestones, To-dos, and Documents.  Go into the group you just created (use the “NAVIGATE GROUPS” button) and start creating some To-dos for your team and then Tweet a message telling them what you’ve done.
6. Expand your team. We all know that there’s more to your team than those sitting within the office’s 4 walls.  Click on invite to invite partners, customers, and clients to your corporate network, or go to People to invite people to each group.
7. Become more intelligent. Ok, we can’t make you smart, but we can sure give you the feeds to help you along.  The User Dashboard provides customizable RSS feeds for news, sports, competitor information, and industry happenings.  So now you don’t have to go searching for all this stuff, it comes right to your Dashboard.  Click on the “DASHBOARD” to customize your news.
8. Create online productivity. Now you’re logged in, you’ve created groups, you have your teams, and you know what’s going on in the industry and the world.  Now is the time get productive.  Set your milestones and track them on the calendar.  Share files and store them in the massive amounts of online storage we give you.  Send messages to your friends, and we’ll keep the message thread for your teammate.
   And remember to have some fun!

BTW, don’t see something you want?  Let us know.  This version of Remindo is based on customer feedback, and we think it’s much improved, so keep it coming!

Thanks!

William

We’re super excited to be adding some new features that we really think changes the game.

As you all know, Remindo has always been about being social in the office.  It started with external information–ways to manage your contacts, ways to share competitive and market intelligence, and now, it’s about social productivity!

What’s social productivity? Simply put, it’s a better way to get projects done at the office.  And in the latest release, we’ve added a bunch of social productivity features like:

• Shared calendars, todos, and milestones. Now, you can manage your projects from a shared location on the web.  No more passing spreadsheets around via email.  It’s truly a great feature we’ve been using a ton inside Remindo for a while. You should find it super easy to get organized and keep everyone aware of what’s happening and what needs to get done.
• Message threads. Now, you can discuss topics, respond, and organize your project, and it’s all in organized and in the right place.  Message threads are great for sorting, organizing information, brainstorming, tracking comments, really just about anything that involves messages. We use it to track versions of documents and to brainstorm mostly. But, you can use it for virtually anything.
• Shared file storage. All the files you use for the project can now be stored in 1 place.  No more searching around for the right file.  It’s always up and available on Remindo.
• Unlimited projects. When you check out Remindo, you’ll realize just how powerful this feature is.  You can have unlimited projects!  Organize your team, the retreat, an event you’re managing, even project manage your products!  You can organize your team any way you want.

There are a ton of other features under the hood (like inviting people from other companies onto your projects). So, check it out, dig around, and let us know what you think!

We have a bunch more features planned.  This is a taste of things to come.  Thanks everyone for your patience, and as always, we are looking forward to your comments, both good and “constructive.”

William

Here in DC the city is abuzz with the “change” that’s coming to Washington. A new administration and a new hope…we hope.

When comparing the current state of government to the current state of private enterprise, the dichotomy is visible: Government people are up, excited, and feeling productive, while regular people are feeling down, stressed, and unproductive. And, that’s got me wondering…

Are our problems all mental?

Read the rest of this entry »

Status Updates are great for keeping track of what your colleagues are doing at any point in your day. When you login to Remindo, you’ll find the Updates link at the top of the page.  Clicking on it will popup a window that lets you see everyone’s last status.  

You can update everyone with your status just as easily.  To add your update, just type it in the box.  Your colleagues will instantly get updated.  

This is just the beginning of a HUGE upgrade of Remindo.  Stay tuned for more powerful features over the next few weeks.  It’s about to get even more interesting and helpful having Remindo as a tool to use with your colleagues to get things done.  

Enterprises these days cannot afford to be technophobic. Most of them realize and recognize the importance of a common platform that provides social networking within the office that increases communication and collaboration and thereby enhances productivity in daily activities and projects.

The space, however, is divided into two camps:

Beyond the firewall: Companies opening their firewalls to available networking tools like Facebook, LinkedIn.

Behind the firewall: Companies wary of a “social” networking site being adopted for intra-office communication purposes.

Know thy cubicle neighbour

For the first camp, we can look at Serena Software Inc., a Silicon Valley company, and their “Facebook Fridays”. Serena recognized the latent potential that lay in social networking sites like Facebook and announced a policy last year urging its employees to join Facebook and increase interaction and strengthen its 800 employee-strong team.

As Mary Heen Waldo, Serena’s vice-president of global HR puts it - “From a cultural standpoint, bringing together a lot of disparate corporate cultures can be a challenge, and we see Facebook as helping that effort. How do you communicate when people never see each other or, if they do, it is just once or twice a year? It has been borne out in my years in HR that when you know each other as people — what makes you tick, how you make decisions — you can work together more effectively.”

Burton, Waldo’s boss, says Facebook can be a virtual water cooler.

Make work simpler

Moving a little away from mere water cooler conversations, to the work desk; companies are increasingly using employee-generated applications like blogs and wikis to map categories of information and enabling easy and a more wide-spread information access culture for everyone in the organization.

Eric Miller, president of knowledge management company Zepheira and a former head of Semantic Web Initiative for the World Wide Web Consortium at Massachusetts Insititue of Technology had this to say about an intra-office communication/collaboration tool portal – “… (An intra-office communication network) transforms the way enterprises share, collaborate and exchange knowledge, providing a huge competitive advantage. It will be a differentiator among businesses in the next three or four years.”

Simpler -> Easier to abuse?

While intra-office networking tools are a great way to increase employee interaction, bring the team together and up the productivity levels, skeptics (Those belonging to the second camp mentioned above) are also concerned about security and regulatory compliance issues as the communication most often occurs outside the firewall, where an employer has no control over what’s said.

The common sentiment frequently brought to debate is “Networking tools available online are social tools and do not guarantee any security for my company’s confidential data.”



Whether or not this fear is justified is debatable and subjective.

However, where the fear of proprietary information leaking takes priority over a strongly connected and communicative team of workers, commercial tools like SharePoint Server 2007 step in to provide similar functions within the protection of the corporate firewall.

Microsoft, which claims to have around 300,000 internal blogs and wikis, forayed into the space with SharePoint Server 2007. The service, however, has a substantial installation and maintenance cost attached to it and is fit for enterprises with significantly large employee strength.

Using Web 2.0 to your organization’s advantage, smartly

Other organizations like TMP Worldwide Advertising & Communications LLC, a recruitment advertising agency in New York City, are still choosing to stick to utilizing the latent potential of the Web 2.0 space. They recently launched an application that its clients’ employees can use to promote job openings from their Facebook profiles.

While tasks such as job postings (TMP) and team building (Serena) can be accomplished through sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and even MySpace, there is still a need gap that exists for a network that fulfills not only the intra-office networking needs but also gives the users a secure online portal to collaborate on tasks.

An online space that not only helps you collaborate on projects but also keeps you connected with your friends at work. So, how do you stay connected with your colleagues?

Sources:
Businessweek
CIO-Today
BNet