Share and Collaborate on Microsoft Office Documents with Google Cloud Connect
Microsoft Office is packed with almost every imaginable feature, but one thing it lacks is a solid way to share and collaborate on documents with other people. Sure, the occasional collaboration add-on shows up -- like OfficSync, which lets you access Google Docs from Microsoft Office's ribbon. But now I've got a way that lets you share and collaborate native Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in real-time.
It's sort of like taking the best parts of Google Docs and merging them with the interface and features of Microsoft Office. To mix Google's peanut butter with Microsoft's chocolate, you need to just install Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office.
Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office adds a new toolbar to Office 2003, 2007, or 2010. Using it, you can share your Office document with other users, who can then make review and edit it at their leisure, without worrying about attachments or version control. Multiple people can collaborate simultaneously, and changes are reflected almost immediately. There's even a conflict resolution control that lets you choose which edit wins if two people make changes to the same section at the same time.
That's not all. Google Cloud Connect also ensures your files are constantly backed up online, and you have access to previous versions as well.
This is perhaps the best document collaboration tool I've seen, ever. Who would have thought that such great things could come from combining Google and Microsoft applications?
More on BNET:
- Word Tip: Collaborate with Other Authors in Real-Time
- Collaborate on a PowerPoint Presentation in Real-Time
- Integrate Business Collaboration Tools with Outlook
Dave Johnson was employed by Microsoft Corporation at the time this article was written.