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What is Kalexo Teamwork?
Kalexo Teamwork is a complete collaboration solution for project delivery. Kalexo Teamwork can replace a host of stand-alone tools with one, easy to use application which provides - advanced task & issue tracking,
- workflow,
- instant messaging,
- voice chat,
- screen sharing & recording,
- online web-meetings,
- and file sharing.
Collaboration across organizations and tracking & recording of all project activities occurs easily in Kalexo Teamwork without duplicated effort. Even though it incorporates and integrates many features from other software, it is remarkably simple to use because all the features are tied to a single concept called a "thread". What is a thread?
In essence, a thread is a work activity that several team members are collaborating on. It is an "information capsule" that can be handed off, tracked, archived, and typically consists of rich media types such as files, images, voice notes, movies and more. You can think of a thread as a complete email history/thread of a problem, a collaborative web/wiki page, a collection of files, or a chat room. Threads are a deceptively simple concept, but represent a break-through in how projects are delivered. What are the benefits of using Kalexo Teamwork?
By changing how project members and organizations interact with each other and inserting technology into the communication loop, we can dramatically streamline project delivery. Since a "rich" record of all project activities is created while people are naturally working with each other, the risk of something being forgotten or an expensive miscommunication occuring is dramatically reduced. This allows you to resolve issues much faster than the traditional e-mail communication style between organizations, without increasing the project risk. In fact, since you have a complete project record, it becomes possible to eliminate many formal documents and 'go lean'. Since Kalexo Teamwork is an integrated solution that is hosted in the "cloud", it replaces a many other point solutions and reduces your overall IT budget. Finally, keep in mind that Kalexo is providing a delivery platform - once you adopt it, you automatically receive "project infrastructure" updates as our feature set grows. Is it web-based or a desktop application?
It is a small desktop application that you download and install on your computer. If it is a desktop application, how do you collaborate with other project members and organizations?
The desktop client application connects to our servers on the Internet, through which collaboration happens. The servers are hosted in our data centers. On what Operating Systems does the desktop application run?
Windows XP and Windows Vista (32/64bit). A Mac and a mobile iPhone version is under development. Why is Kalexo Teamwork not web-based?
Teamwork is designed to run continuously on your machine, so you can communicate instantaneously with other project members, and get notified of important events. It has screen capturing, recording, and collaboration capabilities which is not possible to do via a web-based application. Can I use Kalexo Teamwork offline?
Yes you can. Teamwork operates offline just like any other desktop application. When you are connected, Teamwork will automatically synchronize data amongst project members. Can teams from multiple organizations be on Kalexo Teamwork?
Absolutely, that is what it was designed for. An access control mechanism detremines who can see what, so you can safely collaborate across organizations. Do all project team members need to be on Kalexo Teamwork?
Not necessarily, but the more the merrier. Teamwork is a collaboration tool as such, the more people collaborating, the more benefit you will receive. However, teamwork is still useful when some users do not have access. For example, Teamwork supports the concept of a "guest user". A guest user represents a person who may receive task assignments but does not have access to the system. You can assign this person tasks and as they complete them, change the task status for them. This allows you to track work assigned to outside firms without letting them into the system. Of course when you feel ready, you can simply send an invitation to the person and they can then begin to manage their own tasks. Can I use Kalexo Teamwork for multiple projects? How are projects organized?
Yes. We recommend creating a Teamwork project workspace for each project. People from many organizations can then be invited into the project. Putting several projects in one workspace is possible, when data security is not a concern. For large projects involving many teams, it is recommended to create several project workspaces. What is inside a project workspace?
A workspace consists of threads that people are working on, typically for a particular project. There are typically hundreds to thousands of threads on a project. Each thread can have rich media such files, screenshots, movies, etc. attached to it.
How does file sharing work?
The simplest way to share a file, or a directory of files with another team member is to attach it to a thread. There is no limits on the size of the data. How are tasks archived? How do we access our project records five years from now?
The system architecture allows access to project data long after a project is complete. Also, Teamwork supports the ability to export a workspace into a file. If over time, your workspace becomes cluttered with closed tasks that are no longer relevant, you can export those tasks into a file archive, which can be reloaded into Teamwork at any time. Won't my workspace require a lot of disk space when all our files are loaded?
No it won't. Teamwork uses a smart caching strategy. The only files that will be copied to your machine are those that you are working on. Other files will be downloaded only when you try to access them. The majority of files live on a server and do not fill up your local disk. The teamwork database itself is remarkably small. Since the database contains only thread data, and not your files. Do files reside on my laptop/desktop or on a server?
Both. When you attach a file to a teamwork task, it is copied to a server. When another user accesses that task, the file is downloaded to their machine. Teamwork uses a smart caching algorithm to make file access quick without storing gigabytes of data on each client.
Do you support searching ?
Yes, you can full-text search all thread related data in a project. When I am on the road and don't have access to my own computer, how can I create a task?
Send Teamwork an email. Teamwork can create a task automatically from an email message. In the future, you will be able to access all your project data via mobile devices such as smart phones. Can I collaborate with users outside my corporate firewall?
Yes you can, and this is where our project delivery platform shines. Teamwork enables collaboration both within and across organizations. Access privileges limit the data and tasks that users outside your organization can see. Can we host the Kalexo Collaboration network on our own servers?
The majority of our clients are happy to have Kalexo manage the required server farms. However, we understand that for business and security reasons the collaboration network sometimes need to be client-controlled. The Kalexo network is highly modular, and parts or all of it can be hosted within your network for maximum privacy and control. We are happy design a custom solution for you. What hardware is needed to run Kalexo servers?
Our server back-end is deployed on the Linux operating system. The hardware and software requirements differ on which parts of the collaboration network will be brough in-house (audio/video/file serving/presence/messaging). We can also deliver solutions based on "virtual appliances" based on VMware. Using a virtual appliance, you can have a server up and running quickly, without having to buy new equipment or struggle with installation issues. Since it is a desktop application, is it not possible to lose data?
Kalexo Teamwork has an extremely reliable architecture. It relies on a replicated database (every user has a copy of the core database on their local machine) data loss is virtually impossible. Work is backed up and replicated transparently as you work. The system behaves like a desktop application – response is immediate (you hardly ever wait for a remote server to send you data) and you can have confidence that your data can not be lost or corrupted. How do I install Teamwork?
Typically, you will receive an email invitation message containing the instructions. You will click a link to download the application, then go through an installer. Finally you will start Kalexo and enter your e-mail address to gain access to your projects. The whole process takes no more than 3-5 minutes. Does the software work in a corporate environment, such as locked-down machines and firewalls?
Yes. Kalexo Teamwork can install itself on a locked-down machine in "per user only" mode, with all pre-requisite software. However, we prefer to work with your IT organization to deploy it, who typically lock down machines to increase their manageability. Kalexo Teamwork only establishes out-bound connections to servers in the cloud with known port numbers, and never connects peer-to-peer. This means that it can easily be blocked by IT if needed - it also means that ports might need to be unblocked in restricted environments. What does the soccer ball in the software mean?
We use a soccer ball to indicate who is currently responsible for a thread, and allow you to "pass the ball" to other persons on a team. The ball is a metaphor representing the concept of ad-hoc/free-form work-flow between team members. It is also a neutral way to communicate expectations between team members and enforce strong accountability, without ruffling feathers. How is it priced?
Kalexo Teamwork is generally priced on a per-user basis. Large projects are typically priced on a per-project basis, in case the team is very large or the project owner needs to be billed separately. Please feel free to contact us for details. Once you've purchased Kalexo Teamwork, all the little soccer balls are free :) How do we get started?
Download and try it out! We like to get to know our clients well, so feel free to contact us. We often can get you started with an evaluation period on a project or two, which includes support and training when requested. Our clients are typically large professional companies with many projects and big problems to be solved, and we help them to do that. Where does the name Kalexo come from?
Kalexo is a made-up word that sounded good and had the benefit of not being already taken!
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