• Teamware's solution provides public organizations with the means to enhance their workgroup and project work with interactive virtual workspaces.
• With Teamware Pl@za, workgroups can have their own virtual workspace where group members can share information and communicate in a variety of ways.
• The workspace is only available to members of the group.
• It is easy to create workspaces, deploy services, maintain member lists and do other administrative tasks, and each group can administer its own workspace.
• The virtual workspace also makes teleworking more efficient.

Makes group work more fluent

In public organizations, activities are often concentrated in workgroups. In preparatory work and development projects, a group of people acquaint themselves with an issue, collect and distribute information and produce documents.

The Internet-based virtual workspace is the solution

Project work becomes more efficient in workspaces created in an Internet environment, as documents and other information will be available to everyone at the right time in the right place. Information can be sought and updated with a Web browser from home, at work or when travelling.

Workspaces have a standard format, which makes it very easy and quick to establish them. If necessary, the user interface of a workspace can also be customized. When creating a new workspace, a person in charge of it is assigned. This manager can then specify the other users in the workspace. The person-in-charge has more user and administration rights than other users.

The workspaces live according to the project or workgroup life. If necessary, workspaces can be closed or renamed, and members can be added or deleted. Documents refined in an internal virtual workspace can also be published for users outside of the workgroup.

The same user can be a member of several workgroups simultaneously. The welcome page of the Internet service displays links to the workspaces that a person has access to.

The virtual workspace can also admit outside experts who can have limited access, if so desired. There may be several views to one workspace, depending on the user's access rights.

It will be possible to use the services and systems from any computer, workstation or terminal that has a browser and a network connection. The browser-based user interface follows the accessibility guidelines.

Virtual workspaces make workgroup work faster

Interactive virtual workspaces provide public administration and outside experts with an environment where items can be prepared, documents can be commented on and published independently of time and place.

Document folders reduce document copying and mailing

Agendas, protocols, studies and reports are stored in an electronic format in a document archive from which information can be easily obtained. General background material, internal documents and documents approved for publishing can be stored in one archive in a safe way. This reduces mailing expenses and makes information more easily available to workgroup members.

The publishing tool saves on information creation and sharing expenses

When a publishing tool is used, one can rest assured that information can be found in the right place and that it is presented consistently. Project working papers can be produced through a systematic publishing process, whereby papers under preparation will only be available to separately approved writers and approvers. An approval procedure can be utilized to ensure information reliability.

The event calendar facilitates the group's meeting arrangements

An event calendar allows for real-time communication of the project's events and stages. It is also possible to sign up for an event through the calendar. During sign-up, people can also send their questions or report that a substitute will be participating in their place.

Discussion groups make meetings more efficient

Discussion that leads to a decision, and the possibility to comment on topics in advance in the discussion groups, makes meetings more efficient and reduces the number of preliminary meetings.

Notification and search functions master the information flood

With notifications, members can receive announcements when new content has been uploaded to the site and thus keep up-to-date. The search function allows the right information to be found quickly even among vast amounts of information.

Information security solutions guarantee the confidential use of the Internet service

Information confidentiality must be secured in workstations, servers and telecommunication. Data traffic is protected between the end user and the server with SSL encryption. Correspondingly, traffic between several servers is tunnelled using VPN technology. The information security in the Internet service prevents access by unauthorized people to services intended for use by the workgroup members.

Implementation

The virtual workspaces are based on Teamware Pl@za® software tools and services, and, if necessary, Teamware Office™ collaborative application software.

Services offered

- Virtual workgroup and project spaces
- Publishing tools for distributing news and other content updates
- Form-based content update
- Document folders
- Event calendar
- Address book and Interactive Business Cards
- Discussion groups
- Surveys
- Notifications
- Search
- Information security solutions

Supplementing services

- E-mail and calendars
- Integration with back office systems

Consultation services

- Internet service requirement specification
- Functional design of the Internet service

Teamware Pl@za, Teamware Office and Teamware consultation services are each described on their own fact sheets.