Mitra Falli, Senior Interactive Producer at Porter Novelli was tasked with finding a solution that not only met the needs of their client, but was deliverable within the allotted budget provided.

Robust Simplicity

On top of the detailed requirements regarding customization, permissions and some of the more standard collaborative components such as shared documents and calendar functions, the system was to be administered by a non-technical division of Porter Novelli; thus, it was a major requirement for the portal to be easily administered- creating new users, structures and permissions.

The Cost Factor

Initially Mitra proposed the development of an in-house solution to accomplish the complex and detailed requirements of their client. After a cost estimate ran them far over budget in this scenario, it became apparent that this solution was not plausible. This brought them to entertain installed solutions such as MS Sharepoint as an option; though it delivered what was needed within budget, it required a hefty investment in hardware and with uncertainty of their client's project duration. Mitra began to take a look at hosted solutions that required no investment or maintenance.

The entire company is using Mac, so it makes sense that any product they use is Mac-compatible. The use of email was just not enough for MediaWorks; they needed other tools to better organize themselves. They tried having a separate calendar software, as well as another program for project management. However, the multiple solutions were too costly. The company began doing some general research on collaboration solutions and found WebOffice and HyperOffice. In the end, the deciding factor for MediaWorks was HyperOffice’s Mac-friendliness.

Being in charge of 3 companies, one can only imagine how important time management is. Ellen Reid had been previously using Filemaker, which had cost her a lot of time and money, and was too much of a hassle to maintain. It was time to find an internet based technology that she would be able to let others access, while at the same time limiting certain areas of information. With help through her brilliant intern, Ellen discovered HyperOffice.

Prior to HyperOffice, Black Ant Sports Marketing solely relied on email as their means of communication. They soon realized their hectic email system was not working for them. The time spent waiting for approvals and making sure the team members were working off the most updated version was just a waste of time. The company decided it was time to look into collaboration solutions.