Groove, Casahl To Collaborate On Collaboration

Due to start beta in August, Casahl's Groove Connector for the newly shipping Groove Virtual Office V. 3 promises to help companies access, work with and update data now residing in backend ERP and CRM applications.

"The goal is to facilitate out-of-the-box integration between Groove forms and enterprise databases and systems," said Matt Pope, product manager for Groove, Beverly, Mass. A company could, for example, use the new connector software so that a new order placed in its Siebel CRM system will trigger a Groove workspace where authorized personnel could view relevant data about that customer.

The target audience comprises mobile workers who are only intermittently connected to the corporate LAN. They can make use of Groove's offline capabilities to work on the order or other data and automatically sync data up when they're connected again.

Casahl, San Ramon, Calif., made its name with products easing interoperability between various e-mail and groupware offerings notably Microsoft Exchange Server and Lotus Domino/Notes.

Harry Wong, president of Casahl, said the new connector software should make it easier for line-of-business managers, and the VARs who work with them, to increase productivity with minimal demand on central IT personnel.

"A lot of departmental line-of-business users are underserved by IT and very often use Groove or Notes or SharePoint for lightweight collaboration," Wong said.

This new software provides a bridge between crucial structured data in backend systems and users who need to work together with that information, both companies said.

Some resellers agree that there is a real need to bridge structured legacy data and the more free-form world of collaboration. Tom Volpe, president of the Volpe Group, a Baltimore-based reseller and ISV who has worked with Casahl in the past is intrigued by the proposed offering. Customers need to wring every last bit of use from back-office data, he and others noted.

"I believe that Groove needs this type of partnership in order to provide rock-solid, reliable connectors to etnerpirse backends," said Jean-Michel Davault, managing director of Hommes and Process, one of Groove's first VARs in France.

Both Groove and Casahl will sell the software as will a limited number of resellers. Pricing has yet to be determined.

For an interview with Groove founder and chairman, see CRN.