July 30, 2012, 12:28 PM — Emailing documents back and forth or using an FTP server to collaborate on projects is slow and cumbersome. Collaborating in the cloud is fast and easy. Once youve tried it, youll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Google Drive
As you might expect, the assumption behind Google Drive is that everyone lives in a Google universe. If you and your colleagues often find yourselves knee-deep in Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word, Google Drive wont interfere with your mojo.
If the reverse is true, however, Google Drive makes collaborating difficult. Upload a Word .docx document, for instance, and the file will appear as read-only in Google Drive. To make any changes, you must convert the file to Googles document format. Now you have two versions of the same file taking up twice as much space in the cloud, and leaving everyone to wonder which file they should work on.
Office 365
Microsofts Office 365 consists of Web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Lync, and SharePoint. The package is aimed at businesses whose employees are accustomed to using Microsoft applications, and a subscription costs $6 per month, per user. The next version of Office 365, announced in July, will target consumers as well as businesses; and it will be designed to run on tablets as well as on desktop and laptop PCs. Although Microsoft has not announced pricing for the new version of Office 365, the company has stated that a subscription to the service will include licenses to install Microsofts Office 2013 suite on up to five devices. Priced right, it could be a fabulous value.
Zoho
You might think of Zoho as the poor mans Office 365. The service is free for personal use, and it has all the essential Web-based apps, such as a shared calendar. Its interface is straightforward, and walk-throughs introduce you to various functions, such as reverting to a previous file version. If you despise Microsofts Ribbon, youll find Zoho a welcome respite. And although you need a premium plan to share files with non-Zoho users, you can collaborate with fellow Zoho account holders in real time without spending a dime.
