Novell Launches Enterprise Collaboration Platform Vibe

Novell is looking to the corporate sector after it launched Novell Vibe, a platform brand that includes the software maker’s real-time Pulse collaboration platform and the existing Novell Teaming suite, in order to help staff work better together.

Novell Pulse was built on the federation protocol that powered the now-defunct Google Wave. Pulse, like Wave, lets users write and upload content, including Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF files, and share them and co-edit them in real time.

Vibe takes that workflow and lets users invite colleagues, customers and partners into groups and workspaces to finish team projects more quickly.

Enterprise Focus

Pulse was intended from the start as an enterprise product, so Novell has naturally used its core security software to protect information generated in the new Vibe product.

Vibe comes in two flavours. Pulse utilises the Internet cloud for Novell Vibe Cloud, while Novell Teaming powers the Novell Vibe OnPrem suite, where information is stored on the computers where it is used.

Vibe Cloud includes enterprise social networking, blending direct messages, chats, blogs and wikis into a single message stream; real-time co-editing of documents; file synchronisation between the desktop and the cloud service; and ad hoc groups. Novell Vibe Cloud will be generally available in the first half of 2011.

Utilising the Teaming collaboration software, Vibe OnPrem lets users create team spaces to co-ordinate work, and it includes automated workflows and custom forms; as well as content management areas to house documents, conversations and other relevant content. Novell Vibe OnPrem 3 will be available in late 2010.

Though offered as separate cloud and on-premises products now, Novell said Novell Vibe Cloud and Novell Vibe OnPrem will blend together over time.

Death Of Google Wave

The problem that Vibe will have in the market, aside from being a new, unproven product, is that it comes a few months after Google ceased working on Wave, the seminal platform that ushered in the real-time collaboration concept.

Wave creator Lars Rasmussen wowed users when he introduced Wave at Google I/O in May 2009.

People clamoured for invites and, while Wave ultimately attracted more than 1 million users, Google shuttered further development on the project in August 2010 because it failed to gain enough traction.

Rasmussen moved on to Google rival Facebook in October.