Major enterprise software player Novell has unveiled a real-time collaboration platform that demonstrates how well Google Wave could ensure real-time social and document collaboration in the workplace.
The company has become the first mainstream enterprise vendor to implement the Google Wave Federation protocol and is including the technology in its Novell Pulse products.
Mission: interoperability
Novell is working with Google to enable Novell Pulse users and Google Wave users to seamlessly work together across both systems, one of the first major collaboration vendors to provide this interoperability.
Novell Pulse uniquely combines e-mail, document authoring and social-messaging tools with robust security and management capabilities to meet the demands of a global, dispersed workforce. By implementing the Google Wave Federation Protocol, Novell Pulse is one of the first major Wave providers.
“We designed Google Wave and its open federation protocol to help people collaborate and communicate more efficiently,” said Lars Rasmussen, software engineering manager for Google Wave.
“We are very excited to see Novell supporting the Google Wave Federation Protocol in their innovative Novell Pulse product.”
How it works
During a keynote session at Enterprise 2.0 in San Francisco, California, Novell demonstrated the technology preview of this real-time social and document-collaboration platform. Novell Pulse includes interoperability with Google Wave through the federation protocol, letting Novell Pulse users communicate in real-time with users on any other Wave provider.
“Security and identity management remain top concerns for enterprise companies considering real-time, social solutions,” said Caroline Dangson, research analyst, enterprise collaboration and social solutions at IDC.
“Novell has a proven record in security and identity management, which is an important strength it brings to its new collaboration platform, Novell Pulse. Novell’s interoperability with Google Wave is another interesting application of its new collaboration platform in supporting mixed IT environments and demonstrates Novell’s strategy toward real-time, social sharing and collaboration.”
Out in a few months
Available in the first half of 2010, Novell Pulse will help drive enterprise productivity and innovation by making it easier to communicate digitally, generate ideas and share information.
People continents apart can share and edit documents, jointly browse websites, and have a digital conversation, all in real-time. Individuals can also manage content overload by filtering for people and topics to follow as well as storing files — both native and office type — along with their related groups and conversations.
Novell Pulse leverages Novell’s expertise and experience developing enterprise collaboration and communication tools, as well as industry leadership in creating strong identity and security-management solutions. Available on-premises or in the cloud, Novell Pulse gives enterprises the confidence to embrace real-time collaboration technologies.
“Novell Pulse gives users a single interface for teaming with co-workers and partners in real-time, bringing together content from various enterprise and social applications,” said Kent Erickson, senior vice-president and general manager for work-group solutions at Novell.
“For the first time, enterprises can tie business controls and security together with real-time collaboration and social-networking technologies to improve decision making and to work more efficiently across boundaries.”
Novell Pulse is a key component in Novell’s collaboration strategy and open collaboration architecture, working standalone or in concert with Novell’s broader product portfolio.
Key features, which draw on the best of e-mail, instant messaging, document sharing, social connections, real-time co-editing and enterprise controls, include:
- Security: Provisioning, sign-on and permissions leverage enterprise identity and access management systems, directory servers and audit tools to integrate with established processes, keep data safe and support compliance requirements.
- Real-time collaboration: Collaborative editing and document sharing enables users to get work done with other users in real-time, from co-editable online documents to the ability to share and comment on traditional office documents in real time.
- Unified inbox: A single interface allows users to see, sort and filter all their personal and professional content from various social messaging services, email, Wave, etc, all in one place.
- Enterprise social messaging: Social blog capabilities allow users to share, follow and comment on topics and ideas.
- Real-time awareness and chat: Real-time awareness allows users to know exactly when their colleagues are available via people, group and message activity monitoring.
By John Kennedy
Photo: A look at Novell Pulse.
