These include the integration of email alerts into collaboration software and the ability to see who is viewing the document at any time.

In some cases, the collaboration software can even be integrated into Microsoft Office, or allow users to set up video conferences.

Unison is collaboration software aimed at small and medium businesses.

That sentiment will probably heighten interest in a field called knowledge management, which combines tools like e-mail search programs, collaboration software and data-mining technology.

Voting in collaboration software is related to recommendation systems that generate appreciated recommendations based on ratings or rankings collected from many people.

The collaboration software will be available as a private beta in February and a final release later this year.

The company contributed to an independent research paper in 2003 by Compagnia which examined the cost and resource savings achievable via collaboration software.

It has set its sights on what it calls real-time collaboration software as its next big area of growth.

Programs that seem similar are already available from countless vendors, since the race to create the best "collaboration software" has been under way for many years.

Citrix Online sells web-based remote access, support, and collaboration software and services.