FAQ

Below are some of the more common questions we have been asked.
Hopefully, these answers will address any questions you may have.

We encourage visitors to contact us if you cannot find the information you require.

General

Installation

Technical

Security and Privacy

Using Collanos

Help and Feedback


General

  • What is Collanos Workplace?
    Collanos Workplace provides dispersed teams with the platform to effectively collaborate in a single space. Collanos' novelty is that it integrates with all the tools a team is already using (email, IM, file sharing, etc.), instead of adding a new tool. The name Collanos originates from combining the two words “Collaboration” and “Noos”, the Greek word for mind.
  • Why do current collaboration solutions fall short?
    Existing solutions, such as email, file sharing and instant messaging provide single point solutions that lack context and are disjointed. Web-based solutions require permanent network connection without the ability to work offline. Enterprise solutions, such as Lotus Notes, are too costly and complex.
  • Who should use it?
    Collanos Workplace can be deployed very easily and rapidly by small teams. If you’re working with one or more team members on a certain project and are frequently communicating, interacting and sharing files, notes, tasks or other related content, Collanos Workplace is the ideal solution for you. Consultants, marketers, developers, students are just some of the professionals who can leverage this tool to immediately enhance their collaboration experience with internal and cross-organizational members.
  • How many colleagues can I invite to my spaces?
    You are free to invite anyone you wish to your spaces and can have countless colleagues in one space at any time. Keep in mind that all files and data will be replicated to each and every team member.
  • How many spaces can I have?
    You can have unlimited spaces in Collanos Workplace at any given time, allowing you to form separate teams for a wide range of ongoing projects.
  • Why did you choose a peer-to-peer (P2P) network?
    Peer-to-peer is a network computing system in which all computers are treated as equals on the network (similar to Skype and Kazaa). This is different than a client/server set-up in which most of the computers (clients) tend to share resources from one main computer (the server). We have chosen to use this platform as it frees members from the need to have centralized resources and reflects a genuine peer-based community.
  • How much does it cost?
    Collanos Workplace is offered free of charge for the basic version. There are no hidden costs. The company’s revenues will derive from more feature-rich versions and additional on-demand services to be released in the future.
  • Where is my data stored?
    As in typical peer-to-peer solutions, your team data is stored only on your computers without any intermediary storage servers.
  • Is there a limit on the amount of data I can store?
    No, you can store as much data that fits on your hard disk. Keep in mind that all files and data will be replicated to each and every team member.
  • Do I need the Internet to use Collanos Workplace?
    Collanos Workplace allows you to get work done in your work spaces without being connected to the Internet, or when a network connection is not available or reliable. You will need to have an Internet connection for the initial installation, when inviting new members and anytime you want to synchronize your spaces with your colleagues.
  • How are the changes I make to my data sent to my colleagues?
    Collanos Workplace synchronizes with your space’s team members continuously so long as they are online. Once you save a change to a space it will synchronize with your colleagues instantly, for any member that is simultaneously online. Otherwise, the synchronization will be pending until your colleague and yourself are online and a connection can be made between the computers.
  • How do I know if my colleagues are also connected?
    When online you are able to see if your colleague is also connected and whether or not he/she is available to interact. Members can select how to display their online presence to other members by overwriting the default settings to “offline”, “busy” or “online”.


Installation

  • How do I download Collanos Workplace?
    Collanos Workplace software is free to download and you can always get the latest version by clicking here.
  • How long does it take to install?
    Once you click on the download button the application will download and install on your computer in less then 15 minutes in most cases. This depends on the bandwidth of your Internet connection.
  • Does Collanos install any spyware or adware on my computer?
    Collanos does not install any spyware, adware or any other malicious software on our members’ computers.
  • Can I install Workplace on several computers?
    If you use Collanos on multiple computers, you need multiple Collanos Names. You cannot use the same Collanos Name on multiple instances of Collanos Workplace. So if you want to have the same information on multiple computers, you need to use a different Collanos Name for each of your computers and invite all these "members" to the spaces you would like to have synchronized.


Technical

  • What are the hardware and software requirements to run Collanos Workplace?
    In order to use Workplace software, your computer must meet the following minimum system requirements.
    - Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac OSX (10.4 and later), Linux.
    - 500+ MHz processor
    - 256 MB RAM
    - 100 MB free disk space on your hard drive (this also depends on how many files you store in your space)
    - Internet Connection (either dial-up: minimum 33.6 Kbps modem, or any broadband: cable, DSL, etc.)

    However, in order to take advantage of all of the advanced features of Workplace, we highly recommend the following configuration.
    - Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac OSX (10.4 and later), Linux.
    - 1+ GHz processor
    - 512 MB RAM
    - 200 MB free space on your hard drive (this also depends on how many files you store in your space)
    - Cable, DSL or equivalent broadband connection to the Internet

  • What ports need to opened to allow Collanos to operate behind a firewall?
    TCP port 9701 and 80 need to be opened to the outside to allow Collanos Workplace to operate behind certain firewalls.


Security and Privacy

  • How does Collanos protect the privacy of my data?
    All data that is transferred from one member to another is encrypted using 256-Bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
    - We do not store your data – all data is stored on your and your peer’s computers. In the future we may add features that will require us to store your data (like global sign-on, central backup service, etc). We will only do so with your permission.
    - We will not share, sell, or give away any of your data or member information.


Using Collanos Workplace

  • How long will it take me to learn how to use the application?
    Once you have installed the application, you can be working and sharing information with your peers within a matter of minutes. Collanos has been designed using standard user interface practices guaranteeing a smooth and intuitive experience for new users and without the need of any formal training. To help you get started we recommend you read the User Guide and view our Demo.
  • What are some of the main benefits I can obtain from using Collanos Workplace?
    Here's a few of the main benefits of using Collanos Workplace:

    - Keeping things in context
    Collanos Workplace provides you with a single, consolidated space where you can conduct all your work within the context of any given project or team. Now you can access all files, correspondences, tasks, discussions and other project related content within one space rather than have to access each individual application separately, such as your email, Instant Messenger and file folders.

    - Audit trail
    With all project related content stored in a single space, from now on you can meet the growing need for maintaining an audit trail of team correspondences and file.

    - Presence Awareness and Alerts
    At any given moment you will be able to see if your colleague is available to discuss an urgent matter and invite other members to join the chat.
    Any new content being posted by your colleagues gets immediately flagged on your screen, allowing you to access and respond instantly.
    Notification alerts from your peers pop-up on your screen when immediate action is required on your part.

    - Offline and Online
    Regardless of the quality of your network connection, you can always continue working on your project as the content is stored on your computer.
    - Unlimited Projects and Members
    Most commonly, people are working with different teams on multiple projects simultaneously. Collanos Workplace allows you to partake in multiple projects and configure each one independently. You can assign each member’s permissions and select the template that meets the requirements for any given project. Furthermore, Collanos Workplace allows you to create templates that other members can later deploy in their projects.

  • How does Collanos avoid users from overwriting each others modifications?
    Currently the latest changes to a file are saved to the workspace. As a result, previous versions of the file are overwritten by the latest changes. To prevent one member from overwriting another member's file changes Collanos will be introducing several new features. The first of which is Collanos "Conflict Bin" where all previous file versions will be saved in each member's Workplace. This will be available shortly and allow users to access older versions of files. Later on we will be releasing additional features related to managing documents and allowing multiple users to work jointly on files. These features include a file locking mechanism and check-in/out of files. If two members want to work concurrently on a document, we recommend using a Wiki and then creating a link to the wiki in the workspace using our Link Object.


Help and Feedback

  • How do I contact the company for product support or other questions?
    We encourage potential and existing Collanos users to contact us if there are any open questions, concerns or simply want to provide us with some feedback. Click here to contact us.