In Collaboration Suite 10g Oracle has added two important features, an end-user-oriented document-sharing tool and a revamped content management server called Oracle Content Services. Costing $60 per named user the Collaboration Suite can now seriously take on Microsoft for the provision of business messaging, information sharing and web conferencing functionality.

Richard Edwards of Butler Group sees the key benefits as:

- Treats e-mail as a managed information source.

- Accessible from a variety of devices and desktop clients.

- A standards-based product that runs on all major platforms and ably supported by a network of partners.

- Realises Oracle’s strategy to bring together structured and unstructured information.

Read the report here.

Part of the functionality newly delivered is a facility for posting shared documents and scheduling information with other employees on a web server.

Called Collaboration Workspaces it is intended as a direct replacement for Microsoft SharePoint and Lotus Quickplace.

Also included is an instant messaging tool Based on the XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) industry standard. Designed to replace Microsoft Messenger it allows for greater security and administrative control, reducing the risk of breaches of corporate firewalls that are possible with Messenger.

Read the Collaboration Suite 10g Preview document here.