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Assignment 3:

Solution evaluation

An emerging technology solution for a distributed team that needs to communicate informally and share files throughout the day about work issues in a private space.

Date Submitted: 10 June 2017

Prepared by:Tracey Allen (n4140435)

Kylie Burgess (n8800111)

Luke Mysliwy (n9540776)

Executive Summary

Widespread internet access, mobile devices and cloud computing have made collaboration between dispersed team members working collaboratively on a project faster and more convenient than ever. Our brief is to recommend the most appropriate online technology to suit the needs of a distributed team that needs to communicate informally and share files throughout the day about work issues in a private space. This team comprises of eight people based in different locations around the country who are organising a conference. To aid our consideration of the three online tools which could meet the needs of this team, we have referred to persona posters produced to represent the needs and expectations of three members of the group.

The following report contains an in depth evaluation of three cloud based technologies - Office 365, Slack and G Suite. The suitability of each platform has been assessed based on the needs and preferences outlined in the persona posters provided by the group and in the assignment brief. Based on our analysis of each of these tools, we advise that Slack is the most appropriate product for the needs of this group, based on price, security, accessibility, compatibility with different devices and software and on the preferences and usage habits of the three representative group members.

Table of ContentsExecutive Summary21.Introduction41.1Purpose, Objective and Scope41.2User needs and expectations42.Discussion52.1Office 36552.1.1How can it be applied to the issue?52.1.2Evaluation of Office 36552.2Slack82.2.1How can it be applied to the issue?82.2.2Evaluation of Slack92.3G Suite112.3.1 How can it be applied to the issue?112.3.2Evaluation of G Suite122.4Comparison Table143.Recommendations154.Conclusion17References18Appendix 1: Persona Profiles21Kylie the Tech Savvy Emerging Professional21Luke the Aspiring Information Professional22Tracey the Busy Professional23

1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose, Objective and Scope

Organisations are increasingly becoming more flexible and fluid working environments. Being able to succeed in these environments requires a technology solution that is flexible and secure. As a distributed team, this organisation needs to communicate informally and share files in a private space. The issue is that distributed teams often find informal communication and collaboration difficult given the different time zones they are in and their difficulty in building relationships with other users (Settle-Murphy, 2013). Firstly, the user needs and expectations will be identified through a discussion of the user persona profiles. Secondly, this report will discuss the features of Office 365, G Suite and Slack as three possible solutions for this issue. Thirdly, the report will analyse and evaluate the possible solutions in relation to the user needs and expectations. Finally, recommendations will be made for implementing the best solution. The limitation of this report is that there has been no budget set for acquiring a technology solution.

1.2 User needs and expectations

The distributed team of 8 people is working on organising a library conference, but are based across the country. They started their planning with reply all chain emails but quickly found it inefficient. They want a platform where they can conduct information communication and send files. The team will work remotely and come together online to share their work in a private space. As a result, the team will need a platform that promotes collaboration, informal communication, and allows them to share files throughout the day. The criteria for assessing the different online collaboration tools considered is based on the needs and expectations of the three persona profiles created to represent the team members (See Appendix 1). The three persona posters reflect attitudes common to the entire team, but with some differing needs and expectations which must be met by the recommended platform. For example, Kylie the Tech Savvy Emerging Professional requires a platform with robust security features, an intuitive user interface and the ability to share a range of files and links. Tracey the Busy Professional requires a platform that is accessible, consistent and has a well-designed application. Luke the Aspiring Information Professional requires a platform with strong connectivity, simple design and privacy. All members have well developed digital literacy and work across several devices. The recommended platform will need to address both the needs of the team and its individual members.

2. Discussion

Online collaboration tools are being developed at a rapid pace. Office 365, G Suite and Slack tools have been identified as the tools that are the most likely to meet the needs and expectations of the team. These tools are discussed and evaluated below. A comparison table has been provided to aid in recommending the best tool for the team.

2.1 Office 365

Microsoft Offices online programs have been available for many years but recent advancements and ubiquitous Internet access have allowed for the development of the Office 365 tool (Winterberg, 2013).

2.1.1 How can it be applied to the issue?

The Microsoft Office base programs have been around for a long time and it is unlikely that there would be a need for training in these programs as our users are quite tech savvy and are comfortable with these applications. The team can use the shared calendars in Outlook to schedule appointments and online meetings, which are available in HD video and audio for up to 250 participants using the Skype for Business platform (Microsoft, 2017g). Our users are busy people who require flexible platforms and the ability to connect with fellow team members online and from various locations. The Microsoft Teams application is now available as a part of Office 365 and would provide the team with an informal, chat-based communication solution with built-in access to SharePoint, OneNote and Skype for Business (Microsoft, 2017c). Microsoft Teams uses a single interface to blend its multiple collaboration options, thus allowing team members to communicate easily and informally (Kapko, 2017).

2.1.2 Evaluation of Office 365

Microsoft has various options for customising Office 365. As you can see below, different plans are available to suit an organisations needs and budgets. The Office 365 Business Essentials plan would address the distributed team and informal communication issues as it gives access to online versions of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Skype for Business and SharePoint programs. The Business Premium plan provides the option for the team to also have access to the full desktop Microsoft Office applications (Microsoft, 2017e).

Figure 1: Screenshot of Office 365 Business Plans and Pricing (Microsoft, 2017e)

Figure 2: Screenshot of Office 365 Enterprise Plans and Pricing (Microsoft, 2017d)

An evaluation of the above features in relation to the user needs has revealed the following advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

Microsoft Teams has a single interface to access the Office 365 applications (Kapko, 2017; Marvin, 2017)

Flexible system that doesnt require specialised hardware (Kapko, 2017)

Integration benefits when an organisation already has Office applications

Better support services as there are more than 85million users. (Kapko, 2017)

Real time email filtering security measures and multiple encryptions for applications (Marvin, 2017; TechAdvisory.org, 2017)

Microsoft Teams offers an open, fluid chat environment (Marvin, 2017)

The Microsoft Team WhoBot allows you to ask questions and it will search the organisations intranet and the Active Directory (Marvin, 2017)

Microsoft SharePoint file mapping makes it very easy to locate core content that your team needs to keep using (Marvin, 2017)

Microsoft Power BI (Business Intelligence) tool gives you the ability to view real time data visualisations through a tab in Microsoft Teams (Marvin, 2017)

Disadvantages

Provide a broad set of tools, but some of the collaboration tools can be confusing (Kapko, 2017)

Cost

Microsoft hasnt adopted a developer integration approach to third-party integration (TechAdvisory.org, 2017)

Lack of customisation options in Microsoft Teams (Marvin, 2017)

Currently only a few built-in integrations including Asana, Hootsuite, Intercom, Wrike, and Zendesk (Marvin, 2017)

2.2 Slack

Slack was built to kill office email. Founder Stewart Butterfield wanted an integrated platform for his small game development team to be able to communicate and share files seamlessly Slack was the result (Hamburger, 2014). Slack is now widely used by hugely successful business such as eBay, Sony and PayPal (Hamburger, 2014; Hess, 2015).

Research by Slack indicates that it users sent fewer internal emails, increased productivity, reduced meeting frequency while promoting transparency, inclusiveness, connectedness and positive team cultures (Slack, 2017a).

2.2.1 How can it be applied to the issue?

Slacks user-friendly and intuitive design will allow the members of the distributed team to work independently on whatever platform works best for them and then come together to share their finished work in a collaborative space. Slack allows users to collaborate anywhere, anytime by supporting seamless syncing across devices (Slack, 2017b). Using Slack, team members can create channels to discuss different projects or tasks (Slack, 2017c). Slack also facilitates formal and informal communication via invite only channels, private messaging (Slack, 2017c) and VoIP calls (Slack, 2017d).

Slack teams are created by invite only using a custom URL and requires users to sign up for a Slack account, which keeps teams private. Optional two-factor authentication keeps users accounts secure (Slack, 2017i; Slack, 2017j). Slack allows users to share all manner of files and links (Slack, 2017l). Slack is also adaptable, team administrators can customise the teams experience by integrating many popular productivity applications including Google Drive, Dropbox, Sharebox and OneDrive (Slack, 2017e). This allows teams to seamlessly share what theyre working on through Slack, even if they prefer working or storing their files on other applications. These features will help the distributed team communicate informally and formally about work issues and share files in a private space.

2.2.2 Evaluation of Slack

Slack has a free option plus two paid tiers: standard and plus. Each plan has different features and levels of support (Duffy, 2017; Slack, 2017h). The screenshot below details the features available for each plan.

Advantages

Intuitive, customisable user design and useful Help Centre.

Teams are by invite only, ensuring privacy.

Users can create to-do lists, set reminders and pin messages or files to stay on task (Slack, 2017f; Diederichs, 2015).

Users can @ (mention) other users to get their attention.

Team progress, objectives and files stored centrally in one location (Lam, 2016).

Two-factor authentication available (Slack, 2017i; Slack, 2017j).

Can reduce social loafing, reduce miscommunication and improve task accuracy, as communications and task allocation in public channels are searchable (Lam, 2016).

Useable across numerous operating systems, platforms and devices.

Private channels, VoIP calls and direct messaging available (Duffy, 2017).

Push notifications can be turned on and off, can set away messages and set do not disturb and snooze statuses (Slack, 2017k).

Eliminates the need for long chain emails (Gomes, 2016; Hamburger, 2014).

Team channels promote transparency (Gomes, 2016).

Users can continue to use platforms/programs they like and share the results on Slack, no forced whole of team adoption of platform required.

Can share all kinds of files and links. Can integrate other third-party applications (Hamburger, 2014; Slack, 2017e; Slack, 2017l).

Disadvantages

Slack has had security breaches in the past (Hay Newman, 2017; Weissman, 2015)

It is possible for very active teams to run out of storage on the free plan (FreeCodeCamp, 2015).

Search function is simple; no Boolean operators cannot be used to create strong search objectives (Machlis, 2015).

Can be tiresome to scroll through channels if they are moving quickly (Machlis, 2015).

Users cannot be notified all off posts by a certain person, for example, the team or project leader (Machlis, 2015).

If users are on several Slack teams, it can be time-consuming to switch between them (Batts, 2016).

Slack can set corporate/team culture important that leaders set standard for communication to match team ethos/goals (Duffy, 2017).

2.3 G Suite

G suite is a cloud based, collaborative product from google designed for use by businesses. It offers an enhanced version of the online google applications which are which are available for free to all google account holders. The main advantage G Suite has over the free version is increased storage space, customer support and security. Because security and privacy are valued highly by all members of the distributed team, G Suit is recommended over the free platform.

2.3.1 How can it be applied to the issue?

Google has several applications which can be used for the purposes of a distributed team to collaborate on a project, share files and a few of these are described in more detail below.

Google+

Google+ is a social networking product. For the purposes of this type of team, a private, invite only community can be set up where members can share and comment on pieces of work that each person has submitted (Google, 2017e).

Google Hangouts

Google hangouts is a video conferencing tool which allows groups of up to 150 to converse using text at the same time. It allows 10 people to converse using the video chat function simultaneously (Google, 2017f).

Google Docs

Google Docs is a cloud based word processing program in which multiple users can view and edit content in real time. Users can also add comments. Google docs is compatible with Microsoft word, so Microsoft documents can be to google docs and vice versa. Google also has cloud based apps for spreadsheets and slideshows, called google sheets and google slides, which are compatible with Microsoft products such as excel and PowerPoint (Google, 2017b).

Users of G Suite also have access to a significant amount of cloud storage via the google drive, which allows to users to view and edit documents on any desktop computer or mobile device with an internet connection. There are several different packages of G Suite available depending on the needs of the team. A comparison of the different packages is offered in the image below -

2.3.2 Evaluation of G Suite

The editorial team from Business.com praised the functionality and accessibility of G Suite, especially the feature for multiple people to edit a document simultaneously (Business.com, 2017). Many academic case studies have found that the cloud based apps offered by Google are easy to use and foster collaboration and creativity amongst students working remotely from one another (Jung, Lim, & Kim, 2017; Kai-Wai Chu & Kennedy, 2011; Suwantarathip & Wichadee, 2014; Wood, 2011). One student in Korea testified that using Google docs to collaborate on a project gave each team member more input than when working in a face to face environment.

Advantages

Price. Starting from $5 per month G Suite is very affordable, with unlimited storage available for $10 per month

24/7 customer support (on G Suite)

Security controls

Privacy - G Suite has no advertising and does not scan data for advertising purposes.

Disadvantages

Business.com (2017) were critical of what they described as a fragmented cloud experience because of the different products for different types of media offered by G Suite. Business.com (2017) believe that the lack of seamless integration between each of its apps may hinder usability for some users.

Privacy is perhaps the greatest issue surrounding the use of Google products, especially the practice of scanning emails and collecting of information for the purposes of targeting ads and improving searches, a practice which Google itself explains in its privacy policy (Google, 2017a). Writing in entrepreneur.com, Austin (2014) asserts that in the US, Google does not comply fully with some of the legislation surrounding the protection of user information that Microsoft has, which does not make it an ideal product for the storing of sensitive information.

Another drawback to using G suite is there desktop version of any of these apps, however there is an option for syncing your google docs to your personal computer so that they can be edited offline. The offline edits will then sync with your online docs.

Although G suite, and even the free suite of google apps offer all the tools required by a distributed team, the main advantage for using google docs is for real-time collaboration on a document, something which is not a high priority for this team, where informal communication and the ability to easily share documents are.

2.4 Comparison Table

Slack

Office 365

G Suite

Device compatibility

Yes, support across iOS/Android/Windows Phone & Apple/Windows (including browsers).

Yes,

across all devices

yes

across all devices

User-friendly?

Slack is intuitive and easy to use. No special training required.

Many people are familiar with the Office applications so little training needed.

communicate informally

Yes, via private channels or private messaging, VoIP calls.

Yes, Microsoft Teams has a chat function

Yes, using Hangouts

collaboration

Yes, via channels or VoIP calls within app.

Yes, through Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business and Outlook.

Yes, google+, google hangouts and google docs

Product support

Help Centre/Twitter. Paid plans have increased support.

24/7 phone and web support.

Yes, but only on G suite

share files

Yes, can upload all files/links via drag and drop & integrated apps e.g. Dropbox/ OneDrive/ Google Drive.

SharePoint and OneDrive

Yes, google drive

privacy/security

Yes, two-factor authentication available.

Teams by invite only using custom URL.

Multi-factor authentication, biometric scanning for data centres, encryption at rest and in transit for data, built in anti-virus and anti-spam, advanced security management.

We own the data, Microsoft is the custodian, no data mining for advertising

Yes - 2 step verification.

Option for a physical security key (dongle) to verify user authenticity as an added security measure.

Unlike free version, G suite does not have advertising and does not scan data for advertising purposes

Other considerations

One team member will need to act as administrator.

Only need one administrator for setting up and maintaining the platform.

No desktop version of apps, but docs can be edited in offline mode

User needs based on personas

Tracey: Access

Luke: Connectivity, simplicity

Kylie: Share media seamlessly and support across devices; security (two-factor authentication); want to keep professional and personal separate

Tracey: Access, quality apps and content and consistency

Kylie: Share various media across devices, easy to use, security

Luke: Connectivity, privacy, simplicity

Tracey: Access

Luke: Connectivity, simplicity

Kylie: share media seamlessly and support across various devices and companies not sharing information to third-parties

3. Recommendations

After carefully weighing the features, advantages and disadvantages of Office 365, G Suite and Slack, as well as the needs of the distributed team and its individual members, Slack has been chosen as the most appropriate tool for the team. Using Slack will allow the members of the distributed team to continue working on whatever word processing programs, image manipulation programs, cloud-storage systems and devices they currently use. Slack will also allow the members of the distributed team to collaborate, chat informally via channels, private messages and VoIP calls anywhere, anytime (Slack, 2017b). Slack achieves this by providing a communication platform where documents and links of all kinds can be shared (Slack, 2017l), which was highlighted as imperative for both the team overall and individual members. Slack also has third-party application support, meaning that team members can customise Slack and pair it with their favourite applications such as Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive to facilitate easy sharing within Slack (Slack, 2017e). As a result, Slack will allow the distributed team to communicate informally throughout the day and give them a platform on which they can share files. Slack is also private, members of teams are added via sharing a unique invite URL, which means that the team will be able to control who has access to their discussions and files (Slack, 2017i). This was an important need for the team overall, as well as individual members of the team.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the overall team, Slack meets the needs of individual users, as expressed via three representative personas provided to the consulting team. All members of the distributed team are tech savvy and digitally literate, as a result, Slacks simple, intuitive design will be quickly adopted and it is unlikely that users will require additional training. All members of the distributed team wanted a platform that was simple, high quality, intuitive and easy to use; it is likely that they will find these needs met with Slack. Moreover, Slack has an optional two-factor authentication system which will provide additional account security. Applications that have strong security features was particularly important to user Kylie. User Luke wanted an application where a contacts list was built in, Slack delivers on this front (see Appendix 1) and provides an easy means of connecting with members of the team individually via private messaging or VoIP calls. All members of the distributed team noted that they work across several devices and expressed that a platform that could be used seamlessly across these devices was imperative. Slack is more than capable of meeting this key need and offers applications across iOS, Android and Windows Phone smartphones and tablets as well as Apple and Windows desktops and laptops via a downloadable application or via browser support.

Further, Slack is free for smaller teams who do not require large amounts of storage. While the distributed team will be sending files frequently, it is projected that they will be able to do so for some time before reaching the 5GB storage total (Slack, 2017d). If the team approaches its storage cap sooner than expected, they can delete older or unnecessary files to free up space or move to one of Slacks affordable paid plans. If the distributed team decides they need more storage, they will likely find that the Standard Plan (USD$6.67 per team member per month paid annually) will be sufficient. Since the distributed team has not provided budgetary details, it is recommended they consider which plan will best suit their needs at a later date.

Slack is also recommended for the distributed team because it has a comprehensive and searchable online Help Centre. The Help Centre is available on the Slack website and via links on each iteration of the Slack application. Customers are also encouraged to Tweet at Slack with any problems they may be experiencing for quick response during business hours. Additionally, Slack users can use the contact us button on the Slack website to send questions and requests for support. Slack teams utilising paid plans also have access to additional support features.

The consulting team is confident that these benefits will meet the overall needs of the distributed team and satisfy the personal wants and needs of the members within it. It is for this reason that Slack has been recommended as the most appropriate platform for the distributed team.

4. Conclusion

This report has delivered a thorough evaluation of three different tools, Slack, Office 365 and G suite, which could all be applied to the situation of a distributed team that needs to communicate informally and share files throughout the day about work issues in a private space. The suitability of the products has also been assessed against the needs and expectations of individuals in the team. It is here that we can find points of difference between each product to recommend one. Each product can satisfy the needs of the team in one way or another, but the main priorities are for the sharing of files, and informal communication in a private space. The comparison table identifies the main criteria that was used to recommend the best solution for the team. The Slack tool has been recommended as it the most appropriate platform for the distributed team.

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Appendix 1: Persona ProfilesKylie the Tech Savvy Emerging Professional

Luke the Aspiring Information Professional

Tracey the Busy Professional