Have you ever undergone such an experience that your computer suddenly goes wrong after you have edited a report laboriously for several hours, and you have to edit the report from scratch since you are informed that you haven't stored your report after restarting your computer? Have you ever undergone such an experience that you are full of confidence to start your computer on a working meeting, when you find the USB flash disk storing your meeting speech fully-prepared last night is forgotten? Have you ever undergone such an experience that you climb up and down to visit each department for signatures holding a copy of document with you? Online office is just a good way to solve these problems.

Speaking of online office, a most basic application is none other than sending documents to colleagues or superiors via e-mails; of course, the complex and integrated online office system is by no means simple like this. With the emerging of SAAS application, the combination of Internet and software has provided a huge platform for online office. From the simple online office software to the integrated online office system, online office is just like an accelerator for enterprises' information, bringing rapidity and convenience for office business, which is also an important facet of office automation.

Online software support office work everywhere and anytime

From Sichuan to Gansu, then to Guangzhou, Zhang Dong has experienced a business trip for successive one month. Although he didn't bring a laptop with him in the trip, he submitted a consummate market survey report to the Chief Marketing Officer upon the first day he came back to Beijing. On the work meeting, besides sharing the report with colleagues, Zhang Dong has additionally introduced his good assistant - online office software, which helped him finish the report.

When talking about the advantage of online office software, Zhang Dong concluded that, "On the one hand, you may not need to worry about whether the office software you need is installed on a computer anywhere and you can use these software directly on the Internet; on the other hand, although you have to use different computers every day, you needn't to copy the finished documents that day with a USB flash disk and these documents are stored on the Internet servers, which has not only left out the copy step, but also prevented data from losing caused by such suddenness as computer lose or system halt."

The core of online office software is just to store documents by servers. On such a platform, the computer terminal is only a tool for logging in the Internet, and both the storage function and individualized application have been transferred to the servers at the back-end of the platform, therefore, it also comes true that having a mobile office everywhere and anytime.

The market recognition to online office software is increasing with unprecedented speed. The research report of the international research institute IDC shows that 20 percent of informants expressed that their companies are using Google's document service widely, up 5.8 percent than that one and a half years ago. Microsoft also states that as thinking highly of online software service, Office 2010 will be divided into Internet-version and mobile-phone-version, and users can use online-version Office 2010 for free. Corresponding to Microsoft's office software Office, IBM has launched a set of free online office software. Zoho, an Indian software manufacturer, has also provided similar online office software to students.

Online systems reinforce collaboration

From simply transmitting and processing files to harmonizing and managing information of such departments as personnel department and finance department, online office system itself has also witnessed a rapid development. Data from the market survey institute CCID Consulting shows that in 2008, the sales amount in China's office information system market reached RMB3.902 billion yuan, increasing 22.43 percent year on year. The increase rate in China's office information system market from 2009 to 2013 will still keep high. It is estimated that the overall market scale will reach RMB4.88 billion yuan in 2009, increasing 25.06 percent year on year; it is also estimated that in 2013, the overall market scale will reach RMB 12.295 billion yuan with a compound annual growth rate of 25.8 percent.

Online community builds a bridge for communication

If we say that the online office system has tackled enterprises' internal issues on information transmission and management, we can say that enterprises' online community has built a bridge for communication among inside staff and between enterprises and outside clients and consumers. On the one hand, enterprises' online community is a communication platform for internal staff of an enterprise, which can elevate staff's cohesiveness; on the other hand, enterprises' online community can also keep the information communication between enterprises and clients, which can not only provide enterprises with the convenience on listening to the suggestion from clients and partners, but also attract potential clients effectively; additionally, enterprises' online community is also a platform for online marketing and enterprises' brand elevation. In virtue of the online community, enterprises can promote new products, improve the participation of existed or potential clients, and increasingly strengthen clients' recognition on products' brands. Surveys show that the greatest value of the online community is that it can increase public praise, brand recognition and clients' loyalty.

In 2009, the online community has become the hottest application in the field of Internet. The online community takes advantage of the convenience of the Internet and imitates the communication traits as is in the real society, where the netizen has enjoyed the pleasure of communication, while enterprises have also found the commercial value and substantial profit and been increasingly adding the input on the online community. From the Internet enterprise Sohu to the communication operator China Mobile, they all regard the enterprise community as their important position. Deloitte 2009 Report on the main development trend in scientific and technological industry points out that the year of 2009 will witness a blowout on enterprises' application of social community network. Large scale IT enterprises are planning to increase the input on the application program of social communication network, and establish a specialty research center for enterprises' social communication network.