P2P Collaboration Tools at Work

摘要

Peer-to-peer technology (P2P) was around long before Napster stepped up and gave it a black eye. But take the notoriety that came from P2P file-sharing tools used to plunder valuable content, add in security concerns, and it comes as no surprise that many enterprises have sought to keep it at bay. However, for those who have experienced the efficiency of P2P technologies leveraged for legitimate business use, its place in the digital content lifecycle is welcome. These days―with its reputation on the mend- P2P faces new hurdles. Developers are working hard to deliver intuitive, cost-effective, secure tools. And both P2P tool developers and would-be adopters face the challenge of helping make businesses understand how peer-to-peer technologies can improve the fine art of collaboration and be incorporated into the work environment. While the Internet is based upon a client-server system whereby a user requests a file and a server delivers it to an individual's computer, P2P technology takes the server out of the equation by allowing computers and applications to communicate directly with each other. When done right, P2P tools allow workers to access files from one another's computers, collaborate on documents in various stages of development, and keep work projects humming along- whether these individuals are in the office, working in a remote location, or are en route to a destination.