eXpresso is proud to be announcing it’s participation in the IBM Lotus Software Offerings Partner program.

For the past few months, the eXpresso team has been working on a special project to provide document collaboration inside IBM LotusLive™. For the first time publicly, eXpresso will be demoing the initial concept at Lotusphere 2010 in Orlando, Florida on January 17-21st.

With eXpresso, LotusLive users can open files in one click without ever leaving their browser or LotusLive. Plus, users will be able to edit the files with Lotus Symphony or Microsoft Office, depending upon which document editor they prefer.

1. Start editing shared files inside IBM LotusLive™ with one click
2. Use IBM Lotus® Symphony™ or Microsoft® Office interchangeably
3. Gain greater control over who can do what to your shared files, down the the cell level

Our plans and ability to support IBM Lotus Symphony as a document editor are just beginning. To see where we are in the process, please stop by #831 at Lotusphere or sign up for an invitation.

Here’s a composite screenshot of what we’re demonstrating at Lotusphere 2010 this week:

Yes, it has been a while since our last post, but that’s because we have been working hard on a few things that we think will make 2010 a landmark year, as far as company milestones. We are expanding the scope of our award-winning collaboration to include new file types and applications. We are adding new features to our roadmap, and developing some exciting projects with our partners. Therefore, here’s what you can expect in 2010:

• New Products – We know we have been talking about it for a while, but it’s finally here – the Office trifecta: Excel, Word, and PowerPoint collaboration. We will be demoing it and more this week at Lotusphere 2010 in Orlando. If you would like to be included in our beta release, send an email to Support (support@…) or send us a DM via Twitter (@expressocorp). We would love to get your pre-GA release feedback.
• New Features – We’ve got some great product enhancements lined up for this year. 2010 is the year for document collaboration!
• New Partnerships – Our team continues to establish partnerships with leading companies. By combining strengths, we can bring you better solutions.

Thanks you for using eXpresso and for sending us your feedback. We trust you will like what we have in store for 2010, and we hope your year is already off to a great start.

We talked about it, we’ve tested it, and now we’re ready to let you get your hands on it!

In addition to Microsoft^® Excel^®, we will soon be extending our collaboration features to support PowerPoint^® and Word. So if you follow new technology and have participated in forums or similar feedback communities, we would like to offer you a chance to give us feedback about our new eXpresso Office Controller.

Your participation is needed. We would like to get this private beta period started as soon as possible so we can finish up the last bit of work necessary to get a completed product out the door. Please sign up for an invitation to our private Beta. Only the first one hundred applicants will be considered. (You may sign up for the invitation now through September or until we have reached 100 applicants.)

There are only three requirements for submitting your application:

1. You acknowledge this is for testing and you will not put important documents into the beta. When the Beta period concludes, all documents will be deleted. Anyone you collaborate with must also understand the testing purpose and finite nature of your files.
2. You will give our staff feedback about your user experience, so we can use that information to improve our service.
3. You must already have an eXpresso user account. (Free or Paid)

Request Invitation to Private Beta

Media Contacts
If you are a member of the media, please email us to arrange a private demo of online collaboration for all three Microsoft Office products: Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. (Send to beta[at]expressocorp.com)

In March I wrote about the integration of identity services with eXpresso. This has proven to be one of the most compelling adjunct services we’ve added to our product – allowing us to offer secure Single Sign-On to our large corporate clients as well as enabling standards based identity federation of user credentials from industry portals such as Covisint’s new AppCloud.

On the evening of July 29, we will be demonstrating the extent to which we’ve been able to verify and test the identity federation standard (SAML) and the identity federation service (myOneLogin) we have implemented. The demonstration is part of an impressive event hosted in San Diego by the Burton Group during which identity providers and service providers will showcase how standards like SAML, WS-Federation and OpenID can be used to achieve standards-based single sign-on to off-premise or cloud hosted applications.

When eXpresso was first invited to participate in this interoperability demonstration, I was admittedly somewhat skeptical on two fronts: 1.) The maturity of the standards, and 2.) The ability of competing vendors (most notably the identity providers) to work together. Well today I admit that I have gladly set my skepticism aside, and I take my hat off to the Burton Group for pulling this event together. What started off as a series of weekly conference calls with all participants about 10 weeks ago, led to a few days of configuration and testing and has brought us to this culminating event.

We are very pleased with what we’ve been able to achieve with minimal resources for this demo. And, we’ve been able to leverage the results of the testing with a number of corporate prospects that we are engaged with currently. At the time of going to press, eXpresso had proven secure single sign-on from CA Federation Manager, Novell Access Manager, Sun OpenSSO Enterprise, TriCipher myOneLogin, Ping Identity PingFederate, Cloud-Identity, FuGen Solutions and Siemens.

Please drop by to see it all in action at the Interoperability Event: SSO for Cloud-Based Applications in the Aqua room at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on Wednesday, 29-July from 6:00-9:30 pm.

There is a lot of buzz about Microsoft’s release next year of Office 2010. In fact, I think I read at least ten new articles yesterday about the pending upgrade. Interestingly though, much of the hype is not about new features or capabilities in Office. The discussion is primarily about the upcoming ability to offer Office functionality online and provide a counter-punch to Google and Google Docs.

So what does this mean for eXpresso?

It’s all good. eXpresso will continue to complement the capabilities of Microsoft Office, and we are not threatened by the upcoming advancements in it. Like most people, we use Office every day and look forward to what the next release of Office has in store. And as far as bringing Office functionality to the Web, eXpresso will still provide its award-winning collaboration layer to Office documents for businesses who are serious about sharing Office documents in the cloud.

Sure, Microsoft Office 2010 will be moving some of its functionality online, but it’s important to note the advantages eXpresso will continue to have after Microsoft takes its first major step into Web-based collaboration.

eXpresso Advantages:

• Full file fidelity – Office 2010 (Online Version) is a Javascript application that is a lightweight version of the real thing, so not all elements will translate well to the Web (e.g. slide animations, macros, etc.).
• Asymmetric Collaboration – eXpresso’s patent pending method for sharing files and assigning data rights inside the file. (e.g. Can edit specific cells or cell ranges.)
• All you need is Office – It looks like business users will be forced to go through Sharepoint to gain cloud collaboration features. That means extra cost, time, and development to set it up properly. Whereas today, you can create, edit, or view Office documents online with eXpresso without requiring Sharepoint servers, IT involvement, or drawn out deployments.
• Identical GUI to the desktop – Only one interface to learn instead of two. eXpresso renders your Office files in Internet Explorer exactly as they would look via your desktop, and you edit the files with Excel, not some lightweight alternative. Plus, instead of editing files locally on your own machine, multiple people can edit the files online at the same time.
• No pressure to upgrade to 2010 license – eXpresso is compatible with Office 2003 and 2007. So if you are looking to edit your files online, you can do that today without upgrading your software tomorrow. (You’ve got to love that IT departments!)

Office 2010 will have welcomed additions for all Office users, and it will be fun to connect eXpresso users to these new features when they come out. Until then, enjoy full Excel functionality online today with Word and PowerPoint coming very soon. (Hint: we are rapidly testing our private alpha as we speak to prepare it for public beta. Stay tuned…)

Update July 20, 2009: Here are some additional resources/reviews:

• MS Office on the Web: What it Is and What it Isn’t by WebMonkey
• Hands On: Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview by PC Magazine
• Review: Office 2010 Technical Preview by ComputerWorld
• Office 2010: The Technologizer First Look by Technologizer
• Microsoft’s new Office 2010 brings Office back from the dead (tons of videos)
  by Scobleizer
• Interview with Chris Bryant, PM of Office 2010 Group

Tags: microsoft, office, 2010, online, web, expresso, create, edit, share, documents

Release Date: June 8, 2009

eXpresso is pleased to announce that we have released a new version of eXpresso to provide complete support for Excel collaboration in the browser.

New Features

With this release, you will be able to take full advantage of Excel’s features online. You will be able to work with all spreadsheet elements, including: charts, images, macros, and text formatting. The toolbar for editing in eXpresso will look exactly like your Excel 2003 or 2007 toolbar. eXpresso’s Asymmetric Collaboration™ features, such as regional sharing, timed alerts, and file history, will remain accessible. This release will make eXpresso, by far, the most powerful spreadsheet collaboration service available.

Software Updates

The first time you sign in after June 7, you will be prompted to complete a one-time download of the eXpresso Office Controller. The download is very quick, and you will be walked through each step. It should not take more than a few minutes.

As we continue to improve our online service, we are also improving eXpresso’s Add-in for Excel. With this release, you will notice that it is easier than ever to upload and save files to the eXpresso server. We are also introducing the eXpresso Ribbon for Excel 2007. When you log in from Excel, you will automatically be prompted to update your Add-in.

Subscription Information

eXpresso subscribers will get these new features at no additional charge. We should note that starting with this release, free eXpresso users will have view only access to files. A paid subscription will be required for those who need to upload or edit files after their 14-day free trial. More information on subscribing to eXpresso can be found on the pricing page.

We are very excited about this enormous step forward for eXpresso and our users. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like assistance setting up an individual or group account.

When we launched eXpresso about a year and a half ago, we were very excited about the idea of paring our exciting Web 2.0 collaboration technology with Microsoft^® Excel. We knew that many businesses were dependant on Excel for day to day operations and that Excel files were meant to be shared. So we discovered a way to bring most of Excel’s features online and joined it with our unique collaboration technology. Slam dunk, right?

Well, almost. It turns out that our customers don’t want most of Excel’s features online. They need all of Excel’s features plus our document collaboration capabilities. While it may be true that most people use 80% or less of Excel’s resources, it turns out that everyone requires a different 80%. For some, conditional formatting and VBA are critical. Others wouldn’t know a macro if it bit them, but they can’t get by without a pivot table. When it comes to Excel, it’s all or nothing.

We heard you loud and clear. The next release of eXpresso will support Excel online. Not an “Excel-like” spreadsheet application. Not a simplified, “lightweight” version of Excel. Not a component of Excel. Excel … but with the added benefits of eXpresso’s collaboration. This sets eXpresso miles apart from other online spreadsheet applications.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, so let me show you what I mean. I’ve uploaded the same file into eXpresso’s upcoming Spring ’09 release and into other spreadsheet applications.

There is no comparison. Google Docs was least like the original Excel file, and Zoho was not much better. Symphony made a valiant effort, but the chart it included somehow displayed additional data and threw the whole thing off. Here are some other things that we noticed these spreadsheet apps lost:

• Conditional formatting
• Pivot tables
• Macros
• Charts
• Inserted images
• Styles and colors
• Linked data across sheets

So now that you can have Excel directly in your browser, why settle for anything else? On top of that, eXpresso gives you complete control over how you can share the same file differently with different people. Oh, and did I mention multiple people can be editing the same file at the same time?

Whether that’s 120%, 200%, or 105% of Excel’s features, that is for you to determine. The point is, now you can do more with your Excel files using eXpresso than you can do with Excel alone. We think that’s pretty cool.

Want to see it in person? Got a file you want to try? Just drop us a note, and we can set up a live demonstration. I’d love to hear about which Excel features you can’t live without.

eXpresso is pleased to announce that during the spring of 2009, we will be releasing a new version of eXpresso that more fully enables Asymmetric Document Collaboration™ by introducing complete support for Excel in the browser. Here, we answer a few questions about the new release.

What are the differences between the current version of eXpresso and the Spring ’09 release?

eXpresso currently utilizes Microsoft’s Office Web Components for online viewing and editing of spreadsheets online. Not all of the features of Excel are supported by the Office Web Components and are, therefore, not available when using eXpresso’s online interface. To address this, we have provided an add-in for Excel, allows users to view and edit spreadsheets that are stored in eXpresso directly from the desktop Excel application. When using the add-in, all of the features of Excel, with the exception of linked spreadsheets, are supported. When the spreadsheet is shared, contacts need to open the spreadsheet using the add-in to have access to these special features. The most commonly used features that currently require use of the add-in are:

• Text wrap and other special text formatting
• Protected Areas
• Pivot Tables
• Split and Freeze Panes
• Printing
• Charts & Graphs
• Images
• Data Validation
• Conditional Formatting
• Embedded Objects
• Hyperlinks
• Comments

With the next release, eXpresso will replace the Office Web Components with the eXpresso Office Controller. This new solution will enable users to take advantages of all of the features of Excel online. eXpresso subscribers will be able to work with all spreadsheet elements, including; charts, graphs, images, macros and text formatting and each of the other features in the list above. The toolbar for file editing in eXpresso will look exactly like the user’s Excel 2003 or Excel 2007 toolbar. All of eXpresso’s Asymmetric Collaboration™ features such as regional sharing; timed alerts and complete audit trail and history will remain accessible, making eXpresso, by far, the most powerful spreadsheet collaboration service available.

Will I need to install any new software?

Yes. You will be prompted to complete a onetime download of the eXpresso Office Controller. The download is very quick and you will be walked through with each step. It should not take more than a few minutes. You do not need to uninstall the Microsoft Office Web Components.

Are there any other software requirements?

There are no new software requirements. As always, eXpresso requires a valid Microsoft Excel license and the Internet Explorer browser or the Internet Explorer tab installed in a Firefox browser.

Is there a charge for the new release?

No. People who subscribe to eXpresso now will get the new features at no additional charge. We should note that starting with this release, everyone who needs to upload or edit a spreadsheet will need to be an eXpresso subscriber.

Will I still need the eXpresso Add-in for Excel?

Some people will find that they can complete their work easily in the browser and will find the Add-in no longer necessary; however for some it will still be of great use. The Add-in is ideal if you want to work on your files while you are not connected to the Internet. Sophisticated users may also use the Add-in as a way to connect an Excel file to another data source. In fact, as we continue to improve our online service, we are improving the Add-in as well. With the next release, you will notice that it is easier than ever to upload and save files to the eXpresso server.

Do you tweet? Is hashtag part of your vocabulary? Are you constantly being followed or are you the one doing the following? Or, are you a Web extrovert and crave more friends?

Whatever the case, you can follow expressocorp on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook.  With Twitter, you’ll receive short updates from our team. We’ll tweet about things like development, product announcements, user tips, and more. It’s painless, and we promise not to overtweet.

On eXpresso’s Facebook page, we would like to see our users participate in open discussions, in addition to seeing announcements, event info, and more. Please check out our page and follow us by becoming a fan.

Thanks and let the dialogue begin!

Note: We’ll tend to use both of these services to communicate informal information that is better suited for dialogue in these forms of media. Please continue to get official news through the eXpresso website, our email newsletter, and our blog.

Tags: twitter, facebook, expresso, expressocorp, office, collaboration, new, announcements

As readers of this blog certainly know, Microsoft^® Excel^® is one of the most flexible and powerful software applications ever conceived.  It is used for everything from very complex financial models to simple lists.  Expert users have developed sophisticated applications that operate entirely within the Excel framework.

Since our inception, eXpresso has utilized Microsoft^® Office Web Components to enable online editing of Excel files (See Figure 1). One of the shortcomings of the Office Web Components is the limitation of tools and functionality available when in the online mode.  To address this, we developed the eXpresso Add-In for Excel, which supports all of Excel’s functionality.  As the person at eXpresso ultimately responsible for customer support, I knew from our launch that we’d get lots of questions about which features of Excel are supported in the online interface and which require use of our Add-in for Excel.  What I did not guess is that by far, the most common question we have been asked is, “What do I need to do to enable wrapped text in the online interface?” Until today, I’ve had to explain that the simple, but critical feature is among those not supported by the Microsoft Office Web Components.

Figure 1. eXpresso with Microsoft^® Office Web Components

(zoom in)

Now, some exciting news!
With eXpresso’s next release, we will replace the Microsoft Office Web Components with the eXpresso Office Controller. The eXpresso Office Controller will support all of the features of Excel in the online interface. The toolbar available to you when editing files in eXpresso will look exactly like your Excel 2007 or 2003 toolbar (See Figure 2). This means that you’ll be able to work with Excel’s formatting features, including wrapped text (of course), as well as the more advanced features of Excel like charts, embedded objects and even macros.  All of eXpresso’s additional Asymmetric Collaboration™  features such as regional  sharing, timed alerts and complete audit trail and history will remain accessible, making eXpresso, by far, the most powerful spreadsheet collaboration service available.

Figure 2. The new eXpresso Office Controller™

(zoom in)

Not only will the eXpresso Office Controller make eXpresso the only online service that supports the full functionality of Excel, it will also be used when we release support for Word and PowerPoint files later this spring.  Complete support for all of Microsoft Office online will no longer be a dream.  And we’ll never take wrapped text for granted again.

If you would like a preview, just drop me a note, and we’ll arrange an online demonstration and answer any questions that you may have.

Tags: microsoft, office, web, components, expresso, excel, online, spreadsheets, sharing, collaboration