- Customer-lead collaborative and cross platform functionality enhancements

- New improved user interface and augmented feature set 

- Extended file and folder-based structure improves simplicity and ease of use

SkyDox, a leading provider of cloud enabled content management, file sharing and collaboration platform for cross functional and distributed teams, today announced that it has launched a new version of its platform. The new version builds on two key attributes: ease of use and open cross-platform functionality; ensuring that users can drive efficiencies when collaborating with colleagues, suppliers, business partners and customers.

The new version is much simpler to use and further enables new and existing customers to leverage the benefits from improved collaboration functionality without the need for training as it leverages the established principles of widely deployed productivity applications. SkyDox has completely rewritten the user interface so it revolves around files held within project folders, allowing users to adjust permission settings for project and files, based collaborative teams as required. The application of web 2.0 standards ensures that users are able to benefit from a seamless collaboration experience with the ability to view and tag comments to specific locations within a file.

SkyDox has also added multimedia capabilities such as a drag and drop ‘Drop Zone’ allowing users to easily drag multiple files into specific folders from their native applications or desktop. The ‘Drop Zone’ further enhances interoperability of SkyDox by improving the speed and ease of uploading files from mainstream productivity applications such as Microsoft Office; Word, Excel PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat; PDF and PSD in addition to a large number of files formats commonly stored in a wide range of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) applications such as SharePoint. SkyDox’s deep integration in commonly deployed ECM systems enables end-users to collaborate on any file type, from any platform, on any web enabled device allowing companies to leverage and extend those investments to meet the needs of increasingly collaborative and dispersed teams no matter where they are.

“Collaboration typically takes place around a deliverable; most often an image, a piece of written content or a document. We have simplified the collaborative process by adding a layer of functionality to improve the ways in which users invite people to collaborate, record comments, approvals and activity, deliver files and track file access” comments Barrie Hadfield, SkyDox CTO.

SkyDox is evolving rapidly to meet customer-driven needs for collaborative technology.  Highlights of the latest version include:

Location-tagged commenting - Users can now comment on a specific part of a document with the new SkyDox location-tagged commenting feature. They can click anywhere on the document when viewed online to open up a box that can be sized, or resized and moved to highlight an area to which a comment can be attached.

Drag and drop uploads – Windows, Mac and Linux users can quickly add single or multiple files from their file manager or desktop directly into SkyDox using the intuitive drag and drop feature. Drag and drop is supported for a range of browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Safari and IE9.

Multi-file sharing – Users can now invite people to share a folder containing groups of files with a single link.  A synchronised file can be included in an unlimited number of folders, access rights can be managed for the entire group sharing a folder, and it’s easier than ever to have private or shared conversations around any collection.

Improved administration console – System managers now have improved, centralised control of their account through a simplified console. The account console provides quick access to downloadable Apps for Microsoft Office, user tracking and management, and the ability to upgrade subscriptions or apply custom branding with logos and wallpaper.

Improved user interface – Each file view includes simple tabbed information for managing the people and files in a folder, adding and reviewing comments and audit trail. Users can easily navigate between views without leaving a file, but will benefit from the clear separation of comments between groups to ensure that others are only able to see comments when they are specifically authorised to do so.

“We believe that cloud collaboration applications that seamlessly integrate into ECM systems provide organisations with the opportunity to further enhance the productivity of their information workers wherever they are in the value chain. SkyDox also leverages the basics of cloud computing in that it utilise a shared infrastructure and can be provisioned on demand, reducing capital expenditure and speeding up deployment. Our rich feature set ensures that any organisation can service the requirements of an increasing globalised economy and distributed workforce,” concludes Barrie Hadfield, SkyDox CTO.