Automation and Collaboration

U.S. Army Automation and Collaboration Software

The Army is an extremely large, spread out organization that requires units in one part of the world to be able to communicate and collaborate with units on a completely different continent. My unit, 39th Signal Battalion, is responsible for maintaining the networks for the European theater of operations. In order to accomplish this mission, we need to be able to stay in contact with all other units throughout the European Union. Office automation and group collaboration software allows us to accomplish this. While there are multiple applications and software that we as a unit may utilize, I will talk about just a few of them that I find myself either using or setting up on a regular basis. These include Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint, Polycom VTC, and AKO instant messenger. All of these software applications allow us to share information in a real time environment, so that we can accomplish any mission that comes down the pipeline.

In order to send information to individuals, we use Microsoft Outlook for our e-mail application. Using Outlook, we are able to “better manage our time and information, connect across boundaries, and help remain safe and in control” (Microsoft, 2010). There are multiple advantages for using Microsoft Outlook. It is easy to configure right out of the gate, so setting it up on your network is a simple task. As well, Outlook has multiple options besides its e-mail platform, which allows us to “share our data with anyone within or outside of our organization, giving our important contacts immediate access to your information” (Microsoft, 2010). Every piece of software has disadvantages though, and Outlook is not an exception. For me, the one that comes to mind is that it “requires a moderate to high level of technical expertise for basic use” (University of Albany, n.d.). There are too many different options that can confuse users if they are not familiar with the layout of...