gHacks technology news » egroupware http://www.ghacks.net A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:56:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 eGroupware: Your Exchange Replacement Has Arrivedhttp://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/21/egroupware-your-exchange-replacement-has-arrived/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/21/egroupware-your-exchange-replacement-has-arrived/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:54:40 +0000 Jack Wallen http://www.ghacks.net/?p=10040 If your company uses Exchange you might have noticed the license for Exchange now requires a CAL for each user who accesses the Exchange server. In a large enterprise this can become quite costly. Fortunately there is an alternative. The eGroupware suite is a free, open source groupware suite that allows users to manage contacts, email, projects, to-do lists, and much more. Sound familiar? It should because it is very much like Exchange, only eGroupware offers more. The eGroupware suite can used via web interface or from supported groupware clients such as Kontact, Evolution, or Outlook. And eGroupware is not just suited for small businesses. The eGroupware suite is suitable from small to enterprise-level businesses. But is it right for you? Let’s break it down and find out.

What eGroupware DOES have

The feature list of eGroupware looks like this:

  • Calendar (including support for groups, resources, and contacts)

  • Contact manager (support for both SQL or LDAP)

  • Integrated IMAP mail client

  • Infolog (tasks and notes)

  • Project Management

  • Resource and inventory management

  • File manager

  • Web based authoring system

  • Time tracker

  • Bug Tracker

  • Wiki

  • Knowledge base

  • On demand support from Stylite

What eGroupware does NOT have

  • Support from Microsoft

  • Costly licensing

Installing eGroupware

The installation of eGroupware is what will stop many users from deploying eGroupware.  The first requirement is to have a LAMP server up and running. Once that is up you’ll need to download the correct file. You can install eGroupware from source or from a binary file such as an rpm file. After you have installed the system you need to point your browser to http://DOMAIN_OR_IP/egroupware/setup/index.php and finish up the installation. At this point you will be given instructions regarding what is missing from your installation in order to continue.

Of course that is a rather minimal installation description, but it gives you an understanding of how the system is installed.

Who Would eGroupware Best Fit?

The eGroupware suite would best fit any business or enterprise who is looking for a cost-effective replacement for Exchange and is willing to put the time into installation. eGroupware is also perfect for any situation looking for an Exchange-like groupware that offers more features and better reliability.

Who Would eGroupware Not Fit?

The obvious answer to that is an enterprise with an IT staff having zero knowledge of Linux. However, it must be noted that eGroupware can be installed on an IIS server so this isn’t necessarily a credible factor. The real factor that could hinder adoption of eGroupware is if your enterprise is Microsoft-only. If your company has already spent the budget on Exchange servers and licenses they will be less likely to agree on adopting an all together different technology. Those licenses, however, will expire so this would be an ideal time to create a testing environment for eGroupware so that, when the time comes, you will have plenty to show the powers that be how well a free, open source solution can be.

Final Thoughts

eGroupware is one of those tools that will quickly become one of your favorites even if only because of the cost savings it offers. But don’t think the only reason to adopt eGroupware is cost. eGroupware is as powerful and as flexible as anything Microsoft can offer in the groupware category.

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