Name: Openfire
Author: Ignite Realtime

Help Desk

Web and Video Conferencing

Customer Support

Mind Mapping

Mobile App Development

Development

Business Intelligence (BI)

Collaboration

Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS)

Org Chart

Enterprise

Accounting

Payment Gateway

Finance and Accounting

Applicant Tracking

Corporate Learning Management

HR Management

Payroll

Recruitment Automation

Talent Intelligence

Talent Management

Workforce Analytics

Workforce Management

Human Resources

API Management

Cloud Storage

Component Content Management

Data Quality

Desktop Outsourcing

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Fraud Detection

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Identity Governance and Administration

Industrial IoT

Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC)

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

Managed Print

Network Performance Monitoring

Relational Database Management Systems

Session Border Controllers

Solid State Drives

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Static Code Analysis

Tower Servers

Traffic Switching

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Vulnerability Management

Information Technology

A/B Testing

Ad Serving & Retargeting

Advertising Agency

All-in-One Marketing

Consumer Ratings & Reviews

Content Management

Email Marketing

Heatmap and Session Recording

Intent Data

Marketing Automation

Marketing Resource Management

Social Media Management

Survey & Forms Building

Video Streaming

Web Analytics

Webinar

Marketing

Project Management

Professional Services

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Lead Generation

Multichannel Retail

Sales Gamification

Sales Intelligence

Sales

Secure Service Edge (SSE)

User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)

Security

Car Rental

Commercial Drone

Equation Editors

Insurance Agency Management

Public Sector Software

Real Estate Property Management

Trucking Software

Vertical-Specific

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Users commonly recommend Openfire for the following reasons:

1. Control over data: Many users appreciate that Openfire provides a free and stable solution with control over their data. They find it to be a good option for those who want a secure environment where they can manage their information.

2. Regular updates: Users recommend keeping Openfire up to date by regularly updating it. This ensures that they have access to the latest features, improvements, and security patches.

3. Wide selection of plugins: Openfire offers users a wide selection of plugins for their XMPP server. This is seen as a great advantage for those who want to enhance their server's functionality and customize it according to their specific needs and requirements.

Overall, Openfire is recommended by users who value control over data, regular updates, and a broad range of plugins to enhance their XMPP server experience.

Reliability and Stability: Several users have praised Openfire for its reliability and stability, with some stating that they have been using the software for many years without experiencing any downtime. This positive sentiment indicates that Openfire provides a consistent communication tool that can be relied upon for uninterrupted operations.

Customizability and Integration: The fact that Openfire is an open-source platform has been highly appreciated by reviewers as it allows them the freedom to customize and integrate the software with other tools according to their specific needs. This flexibility makes Openfire a versatile solution that can adapt to different environments and workflows.

Wide Range of Integrations and Plugins: Many users have mentioned the wide range of integrations and plugins available in Openfire, which enhance its functionality. This diversity provides users with ample options to extend the capabilities of the software, allowing them to tailor it to meet their unique requirements.

Limited Functionality: Some users have expressed that Openfire lacks certain features, such as the need for more REST API for chat scraping for security purposes. 

Java Memory Issues: Several users have reported Java memory issues on the server side, leading to frequent restarts or reboots to prevent crashing. This has been described as annoying by reviewers.

Buggy Plugin System: The plugin system of Openfire has been criticized for being buggy at times, although it has improved over time according to some users' feedback.

Openfire is a versatile software that serves multiple use cases in facilitating secure communication and collaboration. Users have found value in Openfire's ability to enable secure communication between registered users, ensuring privacy and data protection. This feature has been particularly beneficial for organizations that prioritize security in their internal communications.

Another primary use case of Openfire is its functionality for chat between two users. While some users have expressed feeling restricted by the limited features, many have found this basic chat functionality to be convenient for quick and efficient communication within their teams. Openfire's compatibility with various hardware also adds to its flexibility, allowing users to connect and communicate seamlessly across different devices.

Openfire has also been utilized as a means of communication within office environments, enabling employees to easily connect and exchange messages. This has proven effective in fostering collaboration and enhancing productivity among team members. Additionally, the integration with Active Directory for user management has made it simpler for organizations to manage their users and access permissions efficiently.

Being an open-source software, Openfire offers a free solution for organizations seeking easy and cost-effective communication tools. Many users have appreciated the benefits of an open-source solution, such as the ability to customize and tailor the software based on their specific needs.

Moreover, Openfire's stability as an XMPP server has been praised by users who rely on it as a reliable platform for their chat applications. The software is known for its capability to handle a fair number of requests effectively, ensuring smooth communication even during peak usage periods.

Finally, Openfire incorporates the fastpath plugin, which enhances collaboration between different support levels within organizations during calls. This feature has proven valuable in streamlining customer support processes and improving customer satisfaction.

Overall, Openfire serves as a versatile software solution that enables secure communication, efficient collaboration, and easy user management across various use cases. While some users may find its functionality limited compared to other alternatives like Pumble, it remains a stable and flexible choice for organizations looking for a free and customizable communication tool.

Slack is a group messaging or team collaboration app that aims to simplify communication for businesses. Features include open discussions, private groups, and direct messaging, as well as deep contextual search and message archiving, and file sharing. Slack integrates with a number of other tools, such as MailChimp, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Slack was acquired by Salesforce in December 2020.

The product is free to use, and also has paid plans with more features and greater controls.

The company has raised $340M in funding and boasts 800k users.

Business+

Free

Miro provides a visual workspace for innovation, where distributed teams can build the future together. Miro counts more than 90 million users, who improve product development, speed up time to market, and ensure that new products deliver on customer needs.

1. Free   - To discover what Miro can do. Always free

2. Starter - Unlimited and private boards with essential features

4. Enterprise   -  For work across the entire organization, with support, security and control, to scale

3. Business  - Scales collaboration with advanced features and security

Miro

Openfire

Collaboration platforms applications are software tools that adds broad social networking capabilities to work processes. Collaboration tools differ from community platforms in that they are focused on making internal teams more productive by enabling document sharing, workflow, social collaboration, etc.

Ignite Realtime

Project management software provides capabilities to streamline management of complex projects through task management, team collaboration and workflow automation

Task Management

This includes the ability to plan, track, collaborate and report on tasks.

Gantt Charts

Gantt charts are charts that show tasks or events along the y-axis displayed against time along the x-axis.

Scheduling

Scheduling capabilities allow users to set schedules on tasks, and create timelines and milestones.

Workflow Automation

Workflow automation is the ability to route work requests along an approval process automatically.

Mobile Access

Mobile access is the ability to access the software from a smartphone or tablet.

File tracking

Tracks the location of a file, as well as who has opened or changed it and when.

Tagging

Users can organize related materials such as files, discussions, and tasks by attaching metadata tags.

Search

Users can search for related materials across files, discussions threads, schedules, etc. using project keywords or tags.

Integrates with other Project Management Tools

Collaboration tool integrates with other project management software

Visual planning tools

Includes visual tools such as pinboards, mind-maps, or charts for collaborative brainstorming and/or workflow planning.

Communication

Features that allow team members to communicate about collaborative projects and keep each other informed of their opinions and progress.

Chat

Instant messaging tool allows users to communicate with select other users in real-time threads.

Status updates and activity feed

Users can view and post to a running record of current activities and statuses, akin to major social media platforms.

Notifications

Users can follow other users and/or join specific projects, electing to receive notifications when there are changes and updates.

Comments and feedback

Users can respond to activities and projects by posting comments to the item. This may also include the capability to “like” or vote on items.

Discussions

Users can join groups or message boards for forum-style collaboration.

User directory and online status

Users can see a catalog of the other users in their network, including whether those collaborators are online.

Sharing and privacy

Users can share links and documents with their networks via chat, status updates, or discussions, but sharing of sensitive material and/or sharing outside the network is appropriately restricted.

Surveys

Users can create and participate in surveys to get input from other collaborators.

Internal knowledgebase

Users can author or access “How-to” help and reference tips about internal processes.

Integrates with Skype

Integrates with Skype for video conferencing.

Integrates with GoToMeeting

Integrates with GoToMeeting for web conferencing.

Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts

Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts.

Integrates with Outlook

Integrates with Microsoft Outlook to tie in email threads.

File Sharing & Management

Features that allow collaborators to view, work on, and organize files.

Versioning

Users can access the most up-to-date version of a document, track changes, and revert to older versions if needed.

Document files

Supports document file types, such as .doc, .docx, PDF, and plain text among others.

Image files

Supports image file types, such as .png and .jpeg

Video files

Audio files

Supports audio file types, such as .mp3, .mp4, and .wav

Document collaboration

Users can edit files and attach comments to files.

Shared folders

Users can create shared folders and invite other users or groups to collaborate by accessing or uploading files.

Access control

Users can control access to (shared) files, including different levels of access such as view-only or permission to edit.

Advanced security features

Includes advanced security features such as file encryption or remote data wipe.

Integrates with Google Drive

Integrates with Google's cloud storage platform, Google Drive.

Integrates with SharePoint

Device sync

Device syncing that updates files connected to the cloud, keeping all files up to date regardless of where they are edited or viewed.

Web interface

A web interface, so that users can access files without installing anything.

File change notifications

Users receive notifications when files are changed by others.

Simultaneous editing

Multiple users (with editing access) can edit a file simultaneously.

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