Applications Bring Order to Workgroups

Taking two markedly different approaches, Alexsys Team 2 and Itensils Teamlines give organizations a way to put workflow and rules behind workgroup applications.

Alexsys Team 2, priced starting at $155 per user, has both Windows and Web interfaces on the front of a forms- and rules-based application that can deliver custom workgroup applications. A version that connects to SQL-based databases, Team-SQL 2, is priced starting at $295 per user. The Team-Web component, which can be used with either version, costs $125.

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Itensils Teamlines—a Web-based hosted application priced starting at $5,000 for a one-year, 10-named-user conference— provides a graphical environment for creating a workgroup application with more of a focus on document-driven processes.

Itensil also is working with partners to create custom solutions built around each partners area of expertise. The partners will market these solutions, but they will be hosted by Itensil.

For teams and workgroups that need to automate a particular workflow or process, both Team 2 and Teamlines will require minimal assistance from IT staff.

Team 2, released in October, puts the application development environment in a single Windows-based application that allows someone with limited database development experience to build the forms and rules that will drive the application.

In contrast, Teamlines, updated in January, uses AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) to create an interface that allows the user to graphically map an application and associate document-based data with each process stage. Teamlines has a built-in forms template, while Itensil does all the forms development for customers.

eWEEK Labs tests show that Team 2 will be a good fit for companies with more technically savvy or ambitious staff members who want to build a database application. Teamlines document focus, on the other hand, makes it a fit for companies that process documents—such as applications or contracts—and need to automate document workflow.

Technical Analyst Michael Caton can be reached at michael_caton@ziffdavis.com .

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