Meeting the challenge of Web collaboration

Eliminating time and space constraints from the way people work with information is the lofty goal of a new partnership between Infodata and GTE Government Systems Corp.

The two companies will combine Infodata's document management, workflow and search technology with GTE's InfoWorkSpace collaboration tools, creating a real-time platform for Web-based collaboration, according to Tom Gandy, Product Manager for InfoWorkSpace.

"Virtually all collaboration results in some type of document, such as a white paper, policy directive, or analysis," said Infodata executive VP Harry Kaplowitz. Integrating GTE and Infodata technology will let workers share existing information and intellectual knowledge required during a meeting or discussion, he added.

One possible application of the integrated technology is a multinational corporation looking to streamline a merger and acquisition process without the hassles of phone tag, global couriers, faxes and expensive meetings. Using this Web-based collaborative environment, several executives could convene online to hammer out details, and share contracts, legal boilerplates and other relevant information, with a workflow process to handle editing, revising and distribution pipelines