Call it observed parallelism, call it different ways of getting to the same place but either way, hot on the heels of Zoho opening up it’s services to Google and Yahoo account holders, Google has just advised that it is now possibly to view a spreadsheet directly from the URL (ie without being invited and logging in).
I have a situation where I run a cashflow sheet in Google docs, other people in my organisation need to access it but don’t like to use their Google accounts (no idea why – late adopters maybe!)
This feature will allow them to access the document without logging in – yay!
Obviously people need to think a little of the security ramifications of this but it’s an interesting development. Some folks are having a play on an open Google doc over here – check it out!
Ben Kepes is an analyst, an entrepreneur, a commentator and a business adviser. His business interests include a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a technology commentator he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and extensively online. Ben covers the convergance of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users. 