A couple of weeks ago, you might have noticed that eXpresso went dark for about two and a half days. The cause of our outage was directly connected to a rare but large scale outage Amazon’s ‘EC2′ and ‘EBS’ services suffered, making those services completely unavailable. And since eXpresso utilizes Amazon’s Web Services to host our application, Amazon’s problem became our problem. While it would be easy to point fingers and say, “It wasn’t our fault,” an honest assessment would suggest that is not entirely true, and shirking any responsibility would be doing a disservice to our customers.

First, let me explain a little of the jargon here. Amazon created an internal architecture to provide a highly available and quickly expandable system to host the various Amazon.com sites and sub-sites. While we are not privy to the inner workings of Amazon, we can only imagine someone looking over their work and saying,  “Wow, this is really neat. We should commercialize this!” Thus, Amazon moved into the world of virtual hosting. In a traditional hosting environment, you lease a physical box (or boxes) to run your stuff on. If you could walk around the hosting facility, you would be able to walk up to a server, and say, “That is my server.” In a virtual hosting environment, you typically share a physical server with a few other people. The physical server runs special software, so that it can offer up many smaller virtual hosts to clients. To the outside world, each of these virtual hosts is just like a real physical machine. There are many benefits to virtual environments, but there are also some drawbacks – as with everything, the benefits must be weighed with the risks to determine what makes sense. We’re not going to delve into that discussion here. Amazon’s EC2 service is their virtual server offering and using it enables companies (like eXpresso) to create and manage server farms very easily. Amazon’s EBS offering is a similar virtual product line, except for disk drives, rather than servers. Add EC2 and EBS together, and you have a basic server that you can use to host your application.

Earlier in the year, eXpresso realized that while our software would expand nicely to meet our projected customer needs, the server platform that we were employing would not. After a good amount of research and internal arguments and debate, we made the decision to migrate our infrastructure to Amazon’s EC2/EBS service. We moved it all into “the cloud” because, in our case, the benefits far outweighed the risks. It all worked wonderfully, right up until the moment Amazon crashed. Ultimately, we got too complacent. If you look at Amazon’s infrastructure, it is highly redundant at the component level. If a physical server fails, another just takes over, invisibly. The same with hard drives. If one fails, another just takes over. No action required. No need to worry about hardware failures, right? Wrong.  That’s the one thing we never had a plan for – what if the whole system fails? What if the piece of Amazon that we sit in falls over? In truth, we considered it, but dismissed it into the “never going to happen” category. That was our mistake, and one that bit us. Hard.

Ultimately, if you read Amazon’s post mortem (http://aws.amazon.com/message/65648/) you will see that this whole mess was caused by human error. It’s hard to plan for that, but it is reasonable to plan for the consequences of human error.  We have taken a good, hard look at our decision to use Amazon, and the cloud in general, to host our platform. We stand by that decision and believe it continues to be right for us and for our customers. However, we have already improved, and will continue to improve, our systems to ensure that should such an event happen in the future, it will have minimal impact or ideally no impact whatsoever on our users. The steps we are taking are based upon mirroring our whole system to another geographic location, as well as replacing and duplicating other aspects of our infrastructure to ensure complete redundancy.

We apologize to our customers who were affected by this event. We recognize that this time we got lucky with the bulk of the outage occurring on a weekend – a relatively quiet time for us,  but it was still totally unacceptable. We are determined that this kind of an outage will not happen again and are taking all the necessary steps to make it so.

Email has proven to be the first killer app for cloud computing, and today businesses can choose to rent email as a service from IBM, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Cisco, or numerous smaller vendors. It is the first step in a larger shift in which, over the next decade, much of the computing and data storage that takes place in corporate data centers will migrate to the cloud. Now that our emails are “up there”, our documents are next, and vendors are battling to provide the leading cloud-based solution for documents because, let’s face it, if you manage a company’s email and their documents, you have them locked in.

However, online storage is only part of the value that business users want from the cloud when it comes to their documents. They also want to be able to collaborate with other users, and they don’t want to be forced to use a different office productivity suite. Oh – they also expect their files and those files belonging to their collaborators to render perfectly regardless of the format the file was created in. At eXpresso, we know this because we’ve been engaged with customers that have told us these things for the past 4 years.

With budgets constantly scrutinized, the software giants and not-so-giants who are contending for the title of Collaboration King will need to accommodate a world where their users need to collaborate with something other thanMicrosoft Office. That’s just a fact. They will need to support the complex fabric that is today’s computing landscape. Every collaborative interaction that involves documents will potentially involve a different blend of operating systems, office productivity suites, file formats, and browsers.

eXpresso has been working tirelessly to prove that such a world is possible, and today we have a working prototype ready to show to the world. (See Figure 1)

Figure 1

Notice that these two users have completely different computer environments. I should also add that this prototype makes use of IBM LotusLive as the collaboration backbone and that eXpresso will be available to all LotusLive users in the near future. What’s more, it shows the hybrid model that we believe in at eXpresso, where the desktop productivity resources of MS Office or Lotus Symphony are leveraged by our web-based document collaboration framework. The benefit of this is that each user gets to view or edit the file with their suite of choice, and the file’s original format is preserved with full fidelity.

eXpresso’s methodology and framework allows us to plug into almost any collaboration backbone and leverage almost any desktop productivity suite. This allows our users to keep using the software that they choose, while being able to collaborate with others in real-time without the drawbacks of Google Docs or the manual check-in/check-out model that is prevalent throughout the collaboration backbones available today.

In response to this article:
Office 2010: Desktop Heavyweight, Online Weakling

“Microsoft’s suite upgrade is solid. But the accompanying Web Apps are surprisingly puny.”

Microsoft Office recently introduced the Web app version of Office 2010, but according to this article, it’s lightweight and fails to provide a compelling low-cost collaboration solution that appeals to business users. Businesses were hoping for cloud-based Office collaboration without being forced to take a step backwards with functionality. That’s why our customers end up choosing eXpresso. Not only does eXpresso enable multiple people to view or edit the same Office document online at the same time, eXpresso maintains the features and fidelity you are used to in your desktop version of Microsoft Office.

Advantages over Office 2010 Web Apps:

• More Functionality — eXpresso adds a layer of technology to Microsoft Office, so not only can you keep using the applications you are familiar with, you gain greater control over who can do what to the files you share.
• Less Complexity — SharePoint 2010 requires expertise, plus companies must figure out the subsequent details and resources involved with managing servers. For companies that already have SharePoint, it will require another upgrade and no doubt modified configurations, but for those who do not, it brings up more questions than it answers.
• Not forced to upgrade — you, your coworkers, clients, and other collaborators will not need to buy the 2010 upgrade to get the ability to edit files online. eXpresso is compatible with Office 2003 and 2007, which is what most Office users already have today.
• No additional unpredictable costs — SharePoint installations alone typically introduce countless hours of setup, training, maintenance, resource investment, and more. In contrast, eXpresso provides an easy-to-manage annual subscription for you or your company. Multi-user discounts available.

In response to this article:
Forrester: Google still a distant Office competitor

“For all the noise about — and from — Google giving Microsoft a run for its money in the office/productivity market, the reality is rather different, according to Forrester Research.”

Customers come to eXpresso because they are looking for cutting-edge collaboration for the Office productivity applications they already use. In their search, they discover Google Docs provides real-time collaboration for documents but lacks the features and fidelity to make it a viable business solution. As the article indicates, Google Docs is a handy application for sharing basic information with friends, but when it comes to business, it simply does not deliver the solutions and capabilities necessary. eXpresso can.

Advantages over Google Docs:

• File Fidelity — Customers constantly tell us how their files lose formatting when imported into Google Docs. With eXpresso, you get all the benefits of real-time editing without sacrificing the integrity of your files.
• Familiar Interface — Customers also tell us how they like the concept of Google Docs, but they wish they could do it for Office instead. That’s eXpresso: real-time collaboration for Office documents stored in the cloud.
• Office Functionality — You won’t have to compromise features to gain collaboration. Keep using the Office application you already have installed. There’s no need to switch to a less functional Web app.
• Off-line Editing — Since Office is already on your machine, you can create new files or checkout existing ones when you’ll need to do some editing on the road.
• Smarter Real-Time Interaction — Like Google Docs, you can simultaneously edit files in real-time, but with eXpresso, you don’t need to see everyone’s micro-changes. Our methods for real-time document collaboration are efficient and much less distracting.

eXpresso is very excited about adding support for IBM Lotus® Symphony™ as an additional option for editing documents online. Our initial support for Symphony will be to LotusLive users. LotusLive is a business collaboration platform where people can do many different things, including share files. Our mutual goal with IBM is to enable LotusLive users to easily open and edit their stored files with whichever editor she or he prefers.

Here’s a little more information about IBM Lotus® Symphony™:

The following content is from the IBM Software News blog dated WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009

1. Symphony office productivity software contains a word processor, spreadsheet and presentations program

2. Symphony is free on the Internet here

3. More than 10 million copies of Symphony have been downloaded since September 2007.

4. IBM provides free support for users through an IBM-moderated Web forum.

5. Symphony is built by IBM on open source software – OpenOffice.org and Eclipse

6. Symphony is available on the Mac OS, Linux and Windows.

7. Symphony lets users open, read and import Microsoft Office 2007 files as well as a whole host of other formats

8. Symphony gets rave reviews
CRN named Symphony 2008 Product of the Year for Desktop Applications.
ReadWriteWeb posted this review in June 2009

9. Symphony has advanced functions

1. Drag -and-drop installation of widgets
2. Exportation of files to PDF or JPEG
3. Animations in PowerPoint presentations
4. Data Pilot (or Pivot) Table improvements

10. The savings over Microsoft Office is considerable. Symphony could save a company with 20,000 employees $8 million in software license fees or potentially more than $4 million in software renewal fees.

To be considered for an early invitation to try this out, please sign up here.

eXpresso is proud to be announcing it’s participation in the IBM Lotus Software Offerings Partner program.

For the past few months, the eXpresso team has been working on a special project to provide document collaboration inside IBM LotusLive™. For the first time publicly, eXpresso will be demoing the initial concept at Lotusphere 2010 in Orlando, Florida on January 17-21st.

With eXpresso, LotusLive users can open files in one click without ever leaving their browser or LotusLive. Plus, users will be able to edit the files with Lotus Symphony or Microsoft Office, depending upon which document editor they prefer.

1. Start editing shared files inside IBM LotusLive™ with one click
2. Use IBM Lotus® Symphony™ or Microsoft® Office interchangeably
3. Gain greater control over who can do what to your shared files, down the the cell level

Our plans and ability to support IBM Lotus Symphony as a document editor are just beginning. To see where we are in the process, please stop by #831 at Lotusphere or sign up for an invitation.

Here’s a composite screenshot of what we’re demonstrating at Lotusphere 2010 this week:

Yes, it has been a while since our last post, but that’s because we have been working hard on a few things that we think will make 2010 a landmark year, as far as company milestones. We are expanding the scope of our award-winning collaboration to include new file types and applications. We are adding new features to our roadmap, and developing some exciting projects with our partners. Therefore, here’s what you can expect in 2010:

• New Products – We know we have been talking about it for a while, but it’s finally here – the Office trifecta: Excel, Word, and PowerPoint collaboration. We will be demoing it and more this week at Lotusphere 2010 in Orlando. If you would like to be included in our beta release, send an email to Support (support@…) or send us a DM via Twitter (@expressocorp). We would love to get your pre-GA release feedback.
• New Features – We’ve got some great product enhancements lined up for this year. 2010 is the year for document collaboration!
• New Partnerships – Our team continues to establish partnerships with leading companies. By combining strengths, we can bring you better solutions.

Thanks you for using eXpresso and for sending us your feedback. We trust you will like what we have in store for 2010, and we hope your year is already off to a great start.

Hitch was on TV the other night. I didn’t watch it because I’ve already seen it, but the part I flipped past showed the “first kiss” technique. The technique being, you lean in 90% of the way, and if she is ready for the kiss, she’ll lean in the remaining 10% to seal the deal. (If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here.)

This is analogous with what Microsoft will be doing next year with Office 2010. I think Microsoft will come to market with Office 2010, aka lean in to kiss the business market, but most businesses won’t kiss back. Here’s why.

Microsoft isn’t leaning in far enough.
1. The business market is going to need to put significant effort into it if they want some lip. From what I’ve gathered, Microsoft Online Services or SharePoint will be required in order to collaborate online with Office 2010. If you have ever tried to setup any of those services, you’ll know it’s not simple and there are many moving parts. The market needs a simple document collaboration solution that anyone can start using right away and change on the fly without having to engage IT.

2. Office Web Apps will also compromise features for browser compatibility. In their own words, Microsoft claims the new Web version of Office will have “high” fidelity. From where I sit, that’s another way of saying that in order to make Office work in all browsers, they had to make it a Javascript application and drop some functionality. From a development standpoint, it is an awesome accomplishment. From the user perspective, it just won’t be the same as using Office in the desktop environment.

3. We have learned that users want 120% of Office. In other words, people want more than what they are getting today. It’s not just about putting Office online. Businesses want the added collaborative benefits that only a cloud-based service can provide. Google Docs has proven there is more to document editing, but Google has failed to provide an adequate solution for the business world, who primarily uses Office and has billions of legacy Office files that lose almost all fidelity when imported into Google Docs.

In summary, what businesses have asked for is pretty simple. They want the ability to share editing responsibility of Office files quickly and easily. They want to use what they already have, know, trust. They want to keep their files intact and how they expect them to look. They want to open one file, any time, to view the most recent version and edit it for the benefit of others… but they don’t want to worry about coordinating real-time edits of the same file.

Given Microsoft’s massive marketing resources, I’m sure they’ll be able to seduce enough users to keep their “B.M.O.C.” reputation, but Microsoft will need more than a breath mint to knock the market off its feet. That’s why I encourage you to try eXpresso. You’ll see we deliver the familiar desktop experience through the browser and modify that experience just enough to support real-time collaboration without affecting the fidelity of your files.

 In light of the recent EditGrid announcement to discontinue sales and refocus its development efforts on new products, we would like to extend a special offer to EditGrid customers so they may continue editing spreadsheets online with confidence.

• Monthly Subscription Option: $5/month (normally $15/month)
• Annual Subscription Option: $50/year (normally $79/year)

When you’re ready to subscribe to our service, simply enter promo code “EditGrid09” during the payment process. This offer is only available to the first 250 users and will expire after October 09, 2009, so please sign up today for your free trial!

In business, competition is always welcome. It makes companies, services, and solutions better than they would be on their own. For this, we can truly appreciate what EditGrid has accomplished in the past few years and all the hard work that went into building their brand. We look forward to what their development team will spin off in the future.

How is eXpresso different than EditGrid?

Our approaches, technologies, and services offer distinct differences, and we’ll mention a few here. But the best way to learn about it is to give it a try. Sign up is free, there’s no obligation, and you are not required to provide any billing information upfront.

#1. We both make it easier for people to create, edit, and share spreadsheets online in real-time, but eXpresso has chosen to support Microsoft® Excel®, the world-wide leader in spreadsheets. This enables you to share spreadsheets in full fidelity with virtually anyone because Excel is the most commonly used spreadsheet format for on the planet. Best of all, the people you share spreadsheets with will not need to learn an entirely new spreadsheet application. They can keep using Excel without missing a beat.

#2. Privacy and security are our top priorities! Since we focus on serving the business community, our clients have expressed their appreciation for how we manage to keep spreadsheets private and secure. Spreadsheets are never made public, and they can never be exposed through Web searches. For example, an EditGrid customer came to us specifically because their spreadsheet had unknowingly been made public and their private data published in public Web search results. That may have been an accident, but it would not have happened with eXpresso.

#3. We’ve got a fancy bit of technology called “Asymmetric Collaboration™” which is a geeky way of saying multiple people can edit the same spreadsheet at the same time, but they can experience the spreadsheet in totally unique ways. For example, Supplier A can edit columns D-H, and Supplier B can edit columns I-M – all without seeing each other’s respective columns. That means you can share one file with multiple people and customize where you want to allow each person to edit data and which parts of the file they are allowed to see. So instead of creating multiple files to consolidate later, you can create one file and all the data and access relationships are contained within one spreadsheet file. It may sound really techy, but it very easily elevates Excel collaboration to a whole new level for enterprises.

Sign Up for Free Trial

(Plus, special offer for EditGrid customers)

BTW – What about your presentations and documents?

We are taking names for our upcoming private beta of PowerPoint and Word collaboration.  If that sounds interesting to you, please express your desire to participate. Learn more.