The discussion questions this week are from Chapter 7  (Jamsa, 2013).      

Chapter 7 topics:

• Define collaboration.
• Define and describe cloud-based collaboration.
• The CIO of Ace Accounting Services suggests that the company can  save considerable money using VoIP for phone calls. Define and describe  VoIP. Then present three companies that provide VoIP offerings. Compare  and contrast each company’s offering. Also, discuss whether or not you  agree with the CIO and justify why.
• List the questions one should consider when evaluating a cloud-based collaborative solution.

 

Cloud computing     

Define and describe cloud-based collaboration.

Organizations have drastically changed due to technological inventions. Gone are the days when employees used to wait for manually distributed responses from each department to facilitate the completion of their tasks. The use of cloud computing has facilitated remote access and sharing of messages, files and data that facilitate fast response and implementation of tasks. Therefore cloud-based collaboration refers to the shared access and use of cloud-based services by employees operating remotely to facilitate the completion of tasks (Camarinha-Matos et al. 2015). For instance, projects require to be managed by two or more people in order to eliminate errors associated with poor planning and decision-making process. Cloud collaboration facilitates simultaneous access to different people from remote locations to ensure the project being developed meets the desired goals. However, the collaboration must be initiated by a user who then grants permission to the specific individuals with whom they should simultaneously edit the document. The participants in cloud computing have the privilege to ascertain whoever made the changes. Also, there is a prompt email send to the users to alert them when a person is viewing or making changes. In that manner, cloud collaboration becomes a secure platform where users can trace and determine who and why the project was changed if the changes did not adhere to the terms set by the editing group. The information technology department in each organization should be responsible for managing cloud-based collaboration by ensuring there is approval when an individual wants to access or edit information.  According to Banks, Erickson, & Rhodes, (2009) the advantage of cloud-based collaboration is that people can share information simultaneously in real-time, brainstorm together and access files without requiring approval from an admin.

List the questions one should consider when evaluating a cloud-based collaborative solution.

1. External collaboration

The cloud-based collaboration should not be internally confined within the organization. It should be able to comply and run on external sites to facilitate simultaneous operation between different organization. Notably, the primary purpose of cloud-based collaborative solution is to provide shared access and if its confined within the organization firewall, the purpose might not be achieved, hence derailing the sole purpose of operational ability.

2. Remote access

The services should be accessible from a remote location. For instance, if the server is confined to a local area network, the services will be unavailable to mobile people. Therefore, the services should be integrated on smartphones, computers and tablets to ensure access is guaranteed.

3. Usability

Usability circumnavigates between the security and how the system integrates with other tools. Having a balance between them ensures there is seamless access to services. On the other hand, the information technology department should ensure security is upheld to the maximum level to eliminate instances of hacking and eavesdropping.

4. Search functionality

Collaboration tools deal with a large volume of data, and the search item should never be outlooked. It is necessary because it ensures data can easily be accessed when needed. Failure to have the search functionality leads to a manual search of items which contradicts the sole purpose of having a shared platform to eliminate redundancy and manual processing of documents.

5. Return on investment

The collaborative system should not be expensive for the organization in such a way that it drains its capital rather than helping it to increase its returns. The procurement procedures should be followed to ensure the system meets the financial requirements before being acquired.

6. Security.

According to Alhassan,  & Adjei-Quaye,  (2017), security is an essential factor in every organization because it eliminates hackers and eavesdroppers. The collaborative tools should be free from bugs that can lead to unauthorized access.