Whether it's Web 2.0 or Social Shaping (look it up), new ideas and prevailing attitudes need terminology to encapsulate their meaning; though sometimes more effort seems to have been put into creating the buzzword than into the idea it represents, when used correctly these memes can provide handy reference points when debating or discussing the new and emerging concepts and principles affecting the computing community.

The latest example of this sometimes-sagacious semantic shorthand is Cloud Computing; in our previous blog post on Midori - Microsoft's prospective online operating system - we touched on the idea that the future of computing may lie online, representing a sea change away from the client machine-centric approach that has been prevalent up to this point.

This is very much the principle behind the mooted concept of Cloud Computing; both organisations and individual users will move their operating systems and software online rather than storing it on their computers. This allows users to access their information on any device and from any location, and in principle provides great benefits for individuals and businesses alike in terms of 24-7 availability of information. As we mentioned in the Midori post, computing giants such as Google, Amazon and of course Microsoft have all created their own 'Cloud' offerings, and the support of these big names can only lend credibility to the concept itself.

On the other hand, opponents of the latest buzzword point out that the whole idea of Cloud Computing is potentially misleading; like any website or internet-based application, the data used and accessed is ultimately stored somewhere offline, at a real-world physical location on somebody else's servers. The 'Cloud' itself only exists as long as the hardware and software at those physical locations is fully functional, and ultimately Cloud Computing comes down to letting someone else take care of your storage and access needs.

Of course, we at Orchid Software are once again ahead of the curve with regard to online technology, if you accept Cloud Computing as a new concept - the ASP version of our Orchidnet intranet software is a fully-hosted online intranet environment that is accessed using nothing more than a web browser. In essence, Orchidnet ASP is brand-new Cloud Computing in a nutshell, except that we have been providing fully-hosted ASP intranets for almost four years now! That is not to imply that we are in any way opposed to the new buzzword, however – in fact the reverse is true. We fully support what could well turn out to be a revolution in the way people use computers, and we believe that our years of experience stand us in good stead for what the future may bring.

To sum up, we would say that Cloud Computing is certainly an exciting concept, but when replicating that concept in the real world our advice is that reliability is the make-or-break issue here. Putting your personal or corporate data in the hands of another organisation means that you need to sure that you can rely on them to a) store your information securely and b) provide access to that information whenever you need it. We supply the technical resources and storage facilities that enable our ASP customers to access their intranets from any location at any time, and we pride ourselves on the security and reliability of the services that we provide. Our grounding in web-based applications and intranet software has helped us to work out the best way to help organisations adapt to the latest developments in the world of technology, and we would be only too happy to hear from you if you have any questions on the subject.

The latest improvements to our FAQs application provide an excellent illustration of our aims; whilst the previous version was able to match everything that other intranet-based FAQ applications could do, we have decided not to rest on our laurels and go a step further by including a full Content Editor front end, because we know it will make the application even easier to use.

Just like the content editor interfaces used elsewhere in Orchidnet intranets, the new front-end allows users to add hyperlinks, images, tables, anchors, text formatting, bullet points, spellchecking and much more when they create or modify FAQs. As if that wasn't enough, questions are automatically numbered and users can filter question categories by number (1.0, 1.1, 2.0 etc.). 

As ever, if you are an Orchid Software customer and the functionality above is something that you would like to see on your intranet installation then just contact us for an update on how to make this happen. Keep an eye on the blog for other new application additions!

Since then, Bill Gates and his long-time colleague have seen their dreams develop into something closer to reality; decades later, vast numbers of households have access to a desktop computer, with the majority of those desktop computers being PCs – and the vast majority of those PCs are running a version of Microsoft Windows as their operating system. The home and business computing revolution is here to stay, and computer usage is an integral part of daily life for millions of people across the globe.

Computing never stays still, however, and we were barely into the 1990s before another information revolution on a par with the arrival of home and business computing, when CERN took the decision to publicise Sir Tim Berners-Lee's World Wide Web project; this initiative brought together the existing applications and guidelines that would go on to form the basis of the internet as we know it today, and presented them in an accessible and user-friendly format.

Opening up the World Wide Web revolutionised computing; a previously self-contained activity; the only way to transfer data from one computer to another had been through removable media such as 'floppy' disks or tape drives, but the advent of the web browser opened up a whole new world of communication and collaboration for computer users, far beyond the physical constraints of their PC (or Mac).

With the benefit of hindsight, it is now obvious that widespread internet usage signalled the start of a process that continues to free users from their previous dependence on a single machine; the first email accounts showed everyday users that it was possible to store data and communicate entirely online, and various innovative web applications started to show off the almost boundless possibilities that the online world brought with it.

Since then, the web has seen one groundbreaking innovation after another – Google's emergence and eventual search dominance, eBay's transformation of ecommerce, Youtube's video sharing revolution – and the current proliferation of social networking sites have brought us to the point where everyone seems to have a web presence one way or other; it is almost inconceivable that you would buy a computer and decide not to not use it to get online as soon as possible.

Of course, at some point during this whole process we at Orchid Software realised that web-based applications showed us the way that the world was headed; it was that moment of epiphany which eventually resulted in Orchidnet, our intranet software (we've been around since 1994, while Orchidnet has been going since 1996), and we have stayed at the forefront of intranet software development ever since. As a company whose entire focus is on designing and developing web-based applications, we believe that one day all software will be this way, and it seems that 'virtualisation' – the process of shifting software from individual computers to a virtual online environment – is the buzzword for the next generation of software development, with future operating systems apparently no exception.

Microsoft's domination of the PC OS market from the mid-1980's onwards through their Windows software was the fundamental factor behind the company's growth and expansion into the corporate giant it is today, and for many people using Windows is more or less synonymous with using computers. With that in mind, news of the company's Midori research project came as quite a surprise; though its significance has been played down by those at Microsoft as representing nothing more than another avenue of investigation, the project has provoked much discussion within the tech community for one main reason – Midori is an operating system that is mainly online.

It is perhaps best to let those involved with the project explain exactly what it entails - you can read some discussion from Microsoft's own blog community about what Midori represents at http://windowsconnected.com/blogs/matt/archive/2008/07/30/midori-the-true-future-of-cloud-computing.aspx, and The Register has a concise analysis of the proposed technical details at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/30/microsoft_midori_technical_details/. Perusing these two articles should give you a pretty good idea of what the new project currently entails, and what it may (or may not) mean for the future of computing.

Whilst we would be the first to acknowledge that Microsoft is far from the only provider of operating systems - and certainly not the first company to explore web-based operations - the very fact that the manufacturer of the PC-based (and recently also Mac-based via Boot Camp) Windows OS has chosen to explore the world of virtualisation with their Midori research project does seem to suggest that the future of computing could lie in a new era that will take place online.

Computer users are already becoming less and less likely to conduct their online business from the same machine or device; as mentioned above, for a long time now people have been able to check email accounts both on home and at work computers, and technologies like Wi-fi, 3G and HSDPA internet mean that you can now get mail on your laptop in the coffee shop or via your mobile phone during a train journey – the possibilities are many and varied.

Increases in network bandwidth limits and ever-expanding methods of content provision mean that even the traditional world of entertainment has had to face the stark choice of adapting to the new environment or dying – have a look at TV/VOD applications like the BBC iPlayer or 4OD in contrast to the more rigidly-structured traditional TV channels and think about what they owe conceptually to sites like Youtube, or just ask anyone in the music or television industries what has happened to them during the last ten years if you want a blunt indication of the way the new distribution models work.

The business world is no different either – people want everything online, on demand and instantly appearing on their monitor, without them having to install programs and set up software on their desktop computer. Analysts have indicated that the natural conclusion of software's move online is a pared-down operating system for the computers and devices of the future – putting applications online means less need for complex software on the physical machines themselves.

These devices could be so simple that on booting up they would immediately run a web browser straight from the BIOS, with no further operating system needed – you would switch on, see your browser and go straight online to access your applications, spreadsheets, email and everything else. Some hardware manufacturers are already embracing 'instant-on' functionality; the Voodoo Envy - http://blog.laptopmag.com/first-impressions-of-the-voodoo-envys-ios - and Asus Express Gate/'Splashtop' - http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39418766,00.htm – show true innovation in this area.

As with the entertainment industry and its own content provision quandary, the business model involved in the production and distribution of computer applications and operating systems will also have to change just to keep up with the new way of operating – and changes are already being seen.

Adobe Photoshop, the graphics editing programme much loved by web designers and amateur image manipulators everywhere, used to be the preserve of those willing to shell out a few hundred pounds to install the CDs provided and enjoy all of the impressive functionality that the software offers. However, that previously-tight licensing model shows signs of changing with the release of Adobe Photoshop Express, an official online Flash-based version of the image editing software.

While Express doesn't perhaps have the depth of functionality of the stand-alone Creative Suite Photoshop versions, and is also subject to various terms of service, this move illustrates the way that even the bigger names in the world of software have come to realise that the future – and to some extent the present too – lies online. A few years ago it would have been completely unrealistic to expect that software like Photoshop could be anything but client-based (i.e. tied to one machine by licensing), but now the looser constraints provided by the online world could force the world of computing to become ever more closely-linked to online activity. Competitors such as Picnik, Snipshot, Flauntr and Pixer.us all provide similar facilities, but the emergence of Adobe's own online version signals the entry of a more established name into this particular area of the online software arena.

This is just more solid evidence that these could be the business models of the future, and it seems that big software companies are becoming ever more aware of this possibility. The popularity of online applications has forced the established software providers to seriously assess the significance of the new web-based options, and as a result there is a rush to investigating that area and avoid being the company that misses a trick in what could well be the future of software distribution. With regard to operating systems in particular, manufacturers need to think long and hard about how virtualisation could affect their business and the software that they produce, and most importantly how this ties in with what people want to do online, because the user is now king and failure to adapt could give competitors a significant headstart in the race for the future of software distribution.

Improvements to network technology such as EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) have given rise to faster access speeds, and mobile access is only going to become more and more widespread with every technological advance.

With our history in web application development, mobile internet has given us food for thought for some time now; mobile internet is just a step or two away from mobile intranet, so we have been working behind the scenes to investigate just how the two elements could come together, with the aim of allowing our customers to access Orchidnet anywhere, at any time.

We knew from the start that the current limitations of mobile technology mean that the release of a fully-fledged Orchidnet Mobile intranet will be some time yet, but the first steps towards achieving this have already been made by our talented development staff.

We are currently enhancing the Contact Manager and Diary applications so that mobile users are able to search their contact information and diary appointments from anywhere they can get a connection; the new functionality is designed to provide on-the-road sales staff with an indispensable information resource in the palm of their hand to help co-ordinate their daily schedules.

While the new technology is not on general release quite yet, we're always happy to discuss bespoke intranet development with our customers, so if you're using Orchidnet and this sounds like something that interests you then please drop us a line and we'll be happy to talk about it.

The new developments are based on Windows Mobile technology so we have also been keeping an eye on the latest hardware developments in this field, and HTC's newest offerings have caught our eye most recently.

The Touch Diamond - http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=46278 - has a rather sleek new design that includes an innovative 3D interface – reminiscent of the iPod in certain ways – and it has the potential to be a popular piece of mobile technology.

HTC are also releasing the Touch Pro - http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=49518 - that keeps the slim design aesthetic but adds a full QWERTY keyboard, which is an impressive addition when you're looking to implement mobile applications – which, of course, we are!

Time will tell how these devices shape up, and of course there are many other contenders out there on the market, but with one eye on mobile intranet applications we'll be sure to keep you up to date with future developments...

The idea behind this latest development was to bring together a diverse range of existing Orchidnet functionality for the aforementioned purpose, and build further on that by using some of our recent innovations to create a single, indispensable resource to help reception staff to keep track of everybody who visits your premises.

The Reception Desk homepage, which you can see in the accompanying screenshot, is the single user interface identified in the first paragraph above, and it contains a range of useful functionality that includes:

• Visitor Log: This area shows a comprehensive intranet-based overview of all visitors who are due to visit, who are currently visiting or who have recently visited the premises. Users can identify the staff member(s) with whom visitor(s) have a scheduled appointment, see details about the visitor(s), and note expected times of arrival, while visitors can also be signed in and out using this part of the Reception Desk. Users can opt for a daily, weekly or custom view of company visits.
• Phone Directory: The Phone Directory provides a database of telephone contact information, through which users can search using keyword or advanced search methods. Users can also bookmark frequently-used contacts and store important contact numbers using this tool.
• Diary: The Diary tab provides users with a seven-day view of the company calendar, and enables them to make and view appointments as necessary from here.
• Visitor Tab: This tab allows the user to search for visitors and add them to meeting groups.
• Notepad: The Notepad section allows users to create simple notes to record items of information (reminders etc.) that can be filtered by time and/or user.
• Quicklinks: This tab allows the user to create handy links to intranet areas from the Reception Desk

At the top of the Reception Desk homepage there is also a navigation bar that provides users with the following links:

• Home: Takes the user to the application homepage
• Diary: This takes the user to the Diary standard application.
• Noticeboard: This takes the user to the noticeboard used in the upcoming Notes standard application – keep an eye on this blog for more information!
• Who's In: This shows all company contacts currently signed in via Reception Desk or Visitor Manager
• Whereabouts: This allows the users to view the whereabouts of selected personnel within the company, and manage the information as necessary.
• Fullscreen: As you might expect, this allows the user to view this intranet application in full screen mode 

All in all, it's quite a comprehensive intranet application, I'm sure you'll agree. Due for release in the very near future, we hope that Reception Desk will help to make the process of tracking visitors and guests a simple and streamlined process; keep an eye on our blog for more information on upcoming release dates.

We are also planning to branch out a little with this blog and present our readers with views and analysis on the wider issues affecting the tech and intranet communities, with a particular focus on those issues that impact on what we're trying to achieve here at Orchid Software. So, watch out for the first in our series of tech posts - coming very soon…

With that in mind, we're always looking to build on the range of functionality offered by the application, and it is imperative that we keep the application at the cutting edge of intranet technology– it really is that important. It will, then, come as no big surprise for you to learn that we have a new version of Form Manager (v2.2) almost ready for release, and that it includes some innovative advances which help to position the application at the vanguard of what's available.

So, what is this new functionality that's on offer? Well, to start with, duplication of forms allows you to create a new form from a previously existing example, and also allows forms to be copied into new areas or groups across your intranet.

Stage Visualisation is a big step forward – the stages of the form can now be managed via a visual drag-and-drop tool, which makes it easier to create and modify stage details, including content, notifications and workflow.

Target Screen Resolutions is exactly what you'd expect it to be – you can choose different widths to display forms at different screen resolutions, and even create A4-sized forms for printing where necessary.

Finally, Delete Form Results is another self-explanatory element – this allows you to clear a form's results so that you can re-use that form without having to create it again.

All of the above are components that we see as important additions to our Form Manager application, as well as to our wider range of intranet software; as with every application, sincere thanks go to our development staff for helping to keep us one step ahead of the competition!

As always, if you want to know more then you can find our details below, and keep checking back for more posts on our intranet application updates.

The specific application that sparked us off was Room and Resource Booker, where integration was our guiding principle during redevelopment. A little-known - but extremely useful - result of our continuous R&D lets you use Room and Resource Booker in tandem with the Asset Manager application to make organising meetings and locating the right equipment a simple, straightforward process.

This means that you can book all of the usual Asset Manager assets – laptops, projectors, whatever you need – while you set up your meeting in Room and Resource Booker, while any clashes with previously booked resources are clearly displayed by the application. Our introduction of automatic email notifications helps users to inform both the meeting's creators and the attendees of bookings, deletions and any other alterations made to an appointment. And as if all that wasn't enough, a catering management facility lets you book refreshments and other goodies using your intranet, and even emails catering staff and asset owners for you to inform them of the items required.

As always, if you want to know more about the functionality above, just drop us a line using the details below; if you are an existing Orchid Software intranet customer who would like to know more about the fully-integrated version of Room and Resource Booker, then your usual technical contact will be able to help you out here.

Keep an eye on our blog for more application updates; if we spot any other underused areas of Orchidnet you'll hear about it here first!

In light of this, IRM is now also the name of an intranet application that we at Orchid Software currently have in development, and which is also ready for release in the near future. To provide a little background information on the application, Orchidnet's IRM application will record, track and respond to three common types of information request - namely Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, Subject Access Requests (SAR / Data protection) and Environmental Information Requests (EIR).

Yes, a few more initialisms for you - I hope you are keeping up...

Essentially, the application will provide an intranet-based workflow/process that:

• Classifies requests with a type (e.g. FOI) and a classification (e.g. Procurement)
• Divides requests into internal actions or sub-requests that can be delegated to named parties
• Sets and tracks both 'hard' deadlines (e.g. 20 day FOI limit) and 'soft' deadlines (set by admin staff) for each request and for any related actions that may have been raised
• Collates a response to each request, delivered in either electronic or print format
• Captures any regulatory exceptions that apply to each response, and choose the level of disclosure
• Produces various reports

From an administrative point of view, the application will include an IRM homepage which will display the status of information requests - this includes showing any requests that require user intervention, and highlighting those requests that may be in danger of passing their deadlines, making request management a far less painful process in general.

So, that's a quick overview of IRM and what it does; if you want to know more then just email us using the contact information below, and keep an eye on this blog for more information about IRM and all other Orchidnet intranet applications – because you'll find it here first.