Group Calendar Tools

I just did a generic search on the internet using the words calendar sharing and it come back some suggestions and some articles. Here are a couple to look into, I can not recommend one over the other as I do not have personal use of them: www.google.com; www.yahoo.com, www.eoutlook.com and www.mailstreet.com. I am not sure on how much they cost either but hopefully that gets you started in the right direction.

Plus you may need to spend some time with them deciding which best fits your needs and the needs of your compnay.

Does anyone else know of other on-line tools?

I have used Google Calendar and it is decent.

Advantages

1. Web based: Anyone with a good enough browser can see and add to it.

Disadvantages

1. Anyone who wants to participate must create a Google account.
2. Calendar permissions are limited and you can only give no access, view access and full access. You can't split the calendar access up by events (you can create multiple calendars).
3. Lacks integration with desktop software. You have to manage the calendar through the web (cannot use Outlook or the like) and has somewhat limited publishing (i.e. to hand held devices).

Another service I have found and used to some extent is a service that integrates the calendar publishing tools built into calendar software like Outlook, iCal, Thunderbird/Sunbird, Evolution, etc.

It is called iFreeBusy and it basically is a free service that can work like a little calendar server for your office. You signup for an account and it allows you to use the built-in calendar publishing and subscription tools in Outlook, iCal, Thunderbird/Sunbird, Evolution, etc.

Advantages

1. You can use the software you are used to. You can sync to your cell phones/pdas and add events from your email, just like you are accustom to.
2. It automatically translates your calendar information into a number of formats to help ensure at least some usability by many people and many programs.

Disadvantages

1. If you are not familiar with the publishing and subscription tools in your calendar software, you may need someone to help you set it up.
2. Microsoft Outlook is consistently behind the times when comes to calendar publishing and for those of you who have not bought the latest version of Outlook that came out this year, you will experience limited functionality. However any version of Apple's iCal or basically any other non-Microsoft calendar tool will be able to use this flawlessly (including those who may be using things like Google Calendar).

Jordon provided you some excellent insight on the different calendar tools available. Most companies can get by just fine with these solutions.

Keep in mind that selecting the wrong tool could make things more difficult for your employees. The last thing you want to do is waste time and money on product that only provides little value. There are a couple more questions you should ask yourself before selecting a calendar for your company.

What features are most important for my business?

Which solution will still be a valuable tool as my company grows?

If you don't like the answers to these questions, then you might be looking to have a custom built solution. The beauty of going with a custom developed solution is that you get exactly what your looking for and it can easily be upgraded as you company grows.

Feel free to give Jordon or myself a call at Insivia. If you can give us a few more details, we can help steer you in the right direction.

Good Luck

I just noticed that iFreeBusy is no longer accepting new users. They don't really specify why.

However I am sure there are similar services around, if you do a little looking.