Keep your company’s documents and processes secure. Share, work live and collaborate with structure and simplicity using the best collaboration tools in the market. Learn how you can make use of structured data to your advantage and build your document workflows in smarter ways.
Don’t just share, organize! Collaborating with your team is easier than you think with build-in document versioning and permissions. Keep all of your documents and processes organized and secure.
Microsoft 365
Share and edit documents, now with messaging
TODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Familiar software+Collaborative editing+Teams provides UC+Cost-effective bundling
Microsoft Office may not be the first platform you think of when it comes to collaboration, but this now runs at the heart of the Microsoft 365 cloud-based office suite.
This is important because Microsoft Office remains the most used and therefore important office suite out there, and while there are competitors such as OpenOffice and Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) they still haven’t caught up to the same level of functionality and ease of use.
Therefore as Microsoft Office is likely to be at the heart of many businesses, the move to Microsoft 365 offers a number of advantages, not least the ability for teams to collaborate directly on the same set of documents. This could be anything from work shifts in an Excel spreadsheet, to a presentation in PowerPoint, to client reports written in Word.
Added to this is that Microsoft Teams now comes bundled with a number of Microsoft 365 packages, allowing for Unified Communications integrated with the traditional office software.
What makes Microsoft 365 more attractive is that as a cloud-hosted platform it can be used not just with Windows, but also Mac, Android, and iOS.
Pricing depends on whether you are buying for personal or business use, with fees starting from $6.99 or $8.25 a month per use, with business use requiring pre-paid annual plans.
However, one little advertised alternative option is Microsoft 365 Business Basics, which offers most of the same software packages and options as above, but only comes in at $5 per month per user when paid annually. This makes the entire package extremely cost-effective, especially when compared to standalone UC and collaboration software prices.
Overall, Microsoft 365 doesn’t simply offer a great office suite, but one that is also firmly designed for collaboration and sharing with teams.
Asana
Organisation to the max
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REASONS TO BUY
+Project tracking+Handy integrations
REASONS TO AVOID
-Other apps have better comms features
Asana has been around since 2008, making it a veteran in the collaboration arena, and companies such as Intel, Uber, Pinterest and TED all use it as their core method of communication.
It’s been designed as an easy way for companies to track the work of employees and to get the best possible results. Using the platform, you can create to-do lists for ongoing projects, set reminders for upcoming deadlines and send requests to colleagues. Team members can also assign comments to posts within the app.
You can organize all your projects in a list or board format, and there’s a search function so you can locate past work quickly. In short, Asana is a very effective way to stay super-organized and facilitate conversations when it comes to updates on how work is progressing.
Podio
A mobile-friendly collaboration tool
TODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Easy-to-use interface+Quality mobile apps+Wide range of integrations
Podio describes itself as a flexible and customizable online platform for work and communication among teams. In other words, it gives you a way to organize large stacks of work and to delegate tasks between employees.
Just like many of the other business collaboration apps out there, Podio provides you with the tools to share files, view the status of ongoing projects and get feedback on the things you’re currently working on. These functionalities are combined into an easy-to-use interface.
Podio is also equipped with quality mobile apps for when you’re out and about, and need to use your smartphone or tablet, and it has an impressive amount of integration with third-party services and apps including Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote and Zendesk.
Flock
A communication-focused Slack alternative
TODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Easy to use interface+Neat productivity tools+Free to use
Flock is another application very similar to Slack but is arguably a little less daunting to use and offers more comprehensive communication tools.
Flock supports channels for different teams as well as 1:1 or group conversations. Users can search through messages, files and links and Flock will find it no matter who sent it and where.
There are audio and video calls and screen sharing as well as productivity tools such as polls, note sharing and reminders, while users can assign tasks to certain members of the group.
There’s also integrations with third party applications like Google Drive and Twitter, with notifications appearing directly in channels.
Flock has a free tier, but searches are limited to 10,000 messages, there is a 5GB storage limit and only five third party integrations are permitted. A Pro plan adds unlimited search, 10GB of storage per user, and admin controls, while the Enterprise plan ads 20GB of storage per user, more admin controls and dedicated support.
Google Docs
Google Docs is a free cloud collaboration product by Google. Once you create a Google ID or Gmail account, you can get started using Google Docs.
One of the best things about having your documents on the cloud is that you can access your files on any device. You won’t panic if your laptop goes down!
If you’re familiar with Microsoft Word, Google Docs will feel familiar to you. It has a top bar filled with all of your editing and formatting buttons that you’re familiar with.
Google Docs has collaboration built-in, making it easy for your team or clients to collaborate. Once you create a document it’s easy to share it with others via email or a shareable link.
Google provides 15GB of cloud storage on their free plan. You can always upgrade to a paid account if you need more storage.
You can work on a document with your teammates simultaneously over the cloud, give them access to edit or make it as a ‘view only’ doc, and leave comments in real-time.
Google Docs is a great collaborative document tool for small teams. With larger teams, sharing permissions on a document and folder level become difficult to manage as your team grows.
Zoho Docs
Just like Google Docs, Zoho Docs also provide tools to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, right in the cloud.
Zoho Docs make document creation, storage, editing, sharing, and collaboration a breeze. Apart from your documents, spreadsheets and presentations, you can even upload your music, movies, and other files to the Zoho cloud and basically take your office wherever you go.
Zoho cloud offers 5Gb free storage space. You can even sync your Windows, Mac, or Ubuntu Linux computers to the cloud and vice-versa and access your files on any computer, both online and offline.
Users also have the ability to organize their files by teams, projects, file types, and authors which makes it easy to access the files quickly.
With Zoho Docs, you can create folders to organize all your documents more effectively. You can even create team groups and share files privately.
Users can set permissions, password protect your files, or even set an expiration timer after which everyone loses access to the file or document. Zoho Docs also provides the ability to chat with collaborators in real-time to make document editing easier.
Integrations with other cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox adds a little more flare to Zoho’s offerings.
Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is a document collaboration editor focused on design teams to collaborate internally.
It allows you to add rich media along with text and images to collaborate and work on projects with your team. Add Dropbox files inside the document, YouTube videos, social media posts and more.
You can easily share a document with someone or add a collaborator by simply clicking the “share” button and invite them to view or edit the document via a custom link. You can also create groups and share documents with your teams, so no one is left behind.
Users can share files individually or by creating groups, manage access to documents, assign tasks to a team member with @mentions and give feedback in real time.
Dropbox paper has taken time to create custom stickers to add personality and humor to the conversations you have with your teammates.
Dropbox paper is powerful, yet a light-weight alternative to Google Docs and does a good job of being an online collaborative workspace for teams to work internally.
Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive is a Microsoft cloud storage app that lets teams collaborate by storing and sharing files in the cloud.
But will this tool actually drive your team to success? Let’s take a look:
Microsoft OneDrive key features
- Cloud storage space for file sharing
- Version control helps your team manage drafting and revisions
- Comment notifications for real-time alerts
- Permission management functionality
- Document review and feedback collection features
Microsoft OneDrive pros
- Easy onboarding
- Offers 5 GB of free file storage space and teams can earn more space through the referral incentive
- Compatible with iOS, Chromium, Android, and Mac devices
- Integrates with other Microsoft Office apps like Microsoft Teams
Microsoft OneDrive cons
- Difficulty with proofing, editing, and sharing docs outside of Microsoft365
- No built-in notepad functionality
- Privacy concerns as it scans stored files for ‘objectionable content’
Microsoft OneDrive pricing
The team plans for this document collaboration tool starts at $5/user per month.
Microsoft OneDrive user ratings
- G2: 4.2/5 (7000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (8000+ reviews)
Conclusion
Organize and secure your files and reduce the number of steps it takes to work together. Your company can boost productivity and creativity by using softwares that help you share things in the right way at the right time.