IBM Lotus Quickr

IBM's Lotus Quickr is a product that "provides shared content with version control in the form of document directories with check-in and check-out features based on user privileges" (Rainer & Cegielski, 172). Quickr emphasizes sharing and collaboration by providing online "team spaces" that utilize team calendars, discussion forums, blogs, wikis, and a number of other collaboration tools for managing projects. Each of these features contribute to Quickr's ease-of-use.

Due to its emphasis on collaboration, Quickr is significantly beneficial to companies both in and out of the United States. First, it helps teams and workgroups become more efficient and more productive, including teams that span a vast array of time zones. Take, for example, Compagnie d'Enterprises (CFE), one of Belgium's largest construction companies. CFE was initially using e-mail to share documents with suppliers and clients, which proved to be ineffective as it resulted in version control errors and security vulnerabilities. After implementing IBM's Lotus Quickr product, "the volume of large attachments sent through e-mail and the impact of those e-mails on the system was reduced" (Rainer & Cegielski, 172). Because of the implementation of Quickr, project teams were able to operate much more efficiently.

Another notable benefit of Quickr is that it allows teams and workgroups to manage their information and projects in a security-rich environment that requires no assistance from the IT department. Teams are able to operate more effectively and efficiently when they are using a reliable product. When programs and software are under-developed, they often lead to "glitches" and errors that cause frustration and delays when managing information, projects, and the like.

For these reasons, I believe IBM's Lotus Quickr product is an innovative and promising development to the technological world. Technology has become crucial to how we communicate, both in social and business situations. As we become a more globalized nation, it is important that we are able to communicate effectively and efficiently in order to complete business transactions. IBM's Lotus Quickr software enables us to do just this through collaboration, including discussion forums, blogs, and more. In conclusion, I highly recommend Quickr to organizations and companies alike.