MyChat is an office chat over the Internet. A program for communicating over a network Chat for a local network with a server

Today there is two main ways organization of a corporate chat. First of them is to use the most common IM clients in our country: ICQ, QIP, Skype and so on. Its main advantage is ease of implementation and low cost. Indeed, it is impossible to come up with something easier: it is enough for all employees to establish a client and add each other to their contacts. The use of these systems is generally free.

However, this solution has a number of serious disadvantages. At first they lack many very useful features. In particular, all systems (with the exception of Skype) do not have group chats, message confirmation functions, etc. Secondly, IM chats completely unmanageable across the organization. Each employee has his own account, with which he is free to do whatever he wants. This raises the problem of control over employee correspondence, access to the message archive, creation of “corporate” numbers, etc.

Thirdly, usage IM clients- a potential threat to the information security of the company. And we are talking not only about technical issues (for example, the risk of downloading infected files, clicking on dangerous links, etc.), which can be successfully dealt with. IM chats are one of the main channels for leakage of confidential information, which, among other things, is rather difficult to control by DLP systems. This is especially true for Skype, which transmits traffic in encrypted form. In addition, there is always a risk that an employee will lose control over his ICQ account. Having obtained it, the attacker will be able to communicate with the company's clients, implementing these or those fraudulent schemes in order to deceive them. Which, in the end, will have an extremely negative impact on the reputation and business of the company.

Second the way to organize a chat for the office is to use special software. And although this is a somewhat more costly method, it is free from all of the above disadvantages. Well, additional features that can be actively used in business processes, increasing their efficiency, quickly recoup the costs of implementation. Naturally, this requires that the software implements all the necessary functions. Therefore, the choice of a program for organizing a corporate chat should be approached very carefully: the more functionality the product has, the more widely it can be used. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to another aspect - namely, the possibility of implementation and administration. Integration with Active Directory, remote management, scalability of the solution can significantly simplify the management of corporate chat, and therefore reduce the cost of ownership.

An example of a solution that meets all the requirements is the MyChat product presented by Network Software Solutions. It is with a client-server architecture. This means that a special server is used to ensure the operation of the product, which takes over communication and other functions. The client-server approach is optimal for organizing corporate chat in both small and large networks. It features good manageability, broad capabilities and low bandwidth utilization.

In terms of functions intended for end users, the program MyChat have something to brag about. You need to start with the presence of two modes of communication: personal and group. With the first, everything is very simple. Two users can correspond with each other in much the same way as in ICQ... Group communication is implemented in the form of channels - special “groups”, to which either everyone or only certain employees of the organization can connect. In this case, the channels can be created by the administrator and always exist, or they can be opened by the users themselves (who have the rights to do so) if necessary. This flexibility is very convenient in practice. For example, you can create one common channel for communication of all office employees and separate channels for correspondence within each department.

During communication, users can apply a wide range of different functions... Among them, we can note the possibility of using formatting of text and emoticons, arbitrary pictures and links in messages, transferring files both directly and through the chat server, saving the history of correspondence, ignore lists, filters (anti-mat, anti-flood), etc. In fact, in MyChat everything necessary for full-fledged and comfortable communication of employees with each other has been implemented.

Naturally, it is impossible to imagine an office chat without a contact book. V MyChat there are even two of them. The first contains a complete list of all users registered in the system. Moreover, they can be divided into departments, highlighting the chief in each group. This is especially true for large companies in which employees from different departments may not know each other. The second contact book is personal. Each user has his own. It can include all the people with whom you need to communicate frequently.

In addition, in the office chat under consideration, a whole a number of additional features... The first one is notification system... With its help, you can send to all or only some users a certain message and request a read confirmation from them. This allows you to send out orders for familiarization, notification of meetings, etc. Moreover, employees will no longer be able to say that they did not see or read the message.

The second additional feature is built-in FTP server... Its presence in office chat may seem strange. However, this is actually very convenient, especially if the company has not yet deployed its own FTP server. What does he give? First, storage for recording files, both general, accessible to all users, and personal. Secondly, it can be used to exchange documents (for example, you can save documents on an FTP server for a user who is not online at the moment). Third, an FTP server is required to automatically update chat clients (more on this later).

The next additional feature is Bulletin board... You can "hang" an ad on it, which will be visible to all users within a specified period of time. You can also note the account manager, which provides convenient use of clients on those computers that can be used by different employees.

Many functions in MyChat is designed to increase the convenience of its deployment and administration. The more possibilities the system has in this regard, the more convenient it is to manage it. This means the lower the total cost of chat ownership. Distinctive feature MyChat is the ability to use in networks, including distributed ones, of very different scales, ranging from several to thousands and even tens of thousands of clients located in different cities or even countries. This is provided by a whole range of administrative functions.

You need to start by looking at how to install client programs. You can install them either manually or automatically using group policies Active Directory... The same can be said for client upgrades. However, MyChat has a more convenient implementation of this process. This office chat has an automatic update feature. When using it, the client is updated independently at the command of the user, who is given a corresponding notification (in this case, the built-in FTP server is used, where the administrator must first download the distribution kit of the new version). Implemented in, which is able to greatly facilitate the life of the IT department of the company.

Another very important feature the office chat in question is own scripting engine... What is it for? This engine allows you to write arbitrary scripts that are used to automate various processes and integrate chat with other corporate software tools. Here you can also note the possibility of connecting various plugins. For example, a plug-in for remote control of users' computers. Combined with some other features MyChat(sending screenshots, MyChat Actions technology, etc.) this allows you to organize effective technical support for users.

The developers of the security program paid a lot of attention. All traffic transmitted in the system is encrypted, which makes it useless to intercept. This allows you to safely connect remote users over the Internet. You can also note the presence of a very flexible system for setting user access rights to chat capabilities. They are installed in groups, and the administrator can allow or deny almost any operation. This allows you to customize the chat for the office exactly as you need in each case.

A distinctive feature of the MyChat program is the active use of web technologies... This product includes its own web server that can be used to manage this office chat. This method of administration complements the traditional local console perfectly. It allows you to control the chat server remotely from your work computer or even from home via the Internet.

The best corporate messenger for collaboration and communication.

Slack is a corporate messenger for organizing productive collaboration. It allows you to transfer all communication of the company into a single space, supplementing it with convenient tools and the ability to integrate with popular Internet services.

Slack is suitable for both a small development team and a large enterprise with a large number of employees.

Communication in Slack is divided into thematic channels (chats). You can create an unlimited number of them for any topic and project. This helps to conveniently structure all workflows related to correspondence and discussions. In addition, for direct communication in the messenger there is a function of private messages.

With Slack, you can text messages, make video calls, share files, and create and edit documents. By the way, Slack provides users with file hosting for storing and transferring work materials.

Unfortunately, the chat of the messenger does not support the Markdown markup language, but text formatting is present there. For example, * bold *, _ italic_, ~ strikethrough text ~, and> quote.

At any time of communication, you can invite the @ employee you need to the conversation.

Since Slack completely stores the correspondence, it is easy for the invited person to get up-to-date and continue discussing the issue with you.

In addition, the messenger automatically indexes and, if necessary, searches the entire message archive and downloaded documents.

Serverless network messenger with chat capability

This approach eliminates the loss of any important information or file, and also allows you to return to past conversations at any time.

In order not to be distracted from business and focus on your work, Slack provides a convenient setting for notifications. For example, you can simply turn off notifications in a channel, or allow notifications only when you mention your name or the keyword you are tracking.

Thanks to the support of extensions, bots and integration with a large number of third-party services, including Google Drive, Trello, Dropbox, Salesforce, Box, Twitter, GitHub, Zendesk, and others, work in the messenger becomes even more efficient.

In addition, messenger users have the ability to create their own extensions using the Slack API.

Slack is shareware (freemium), so it contains a number of restrictions for users of the FREE version. In particular, integration of up to 10 third-party services, an archive of up to 10 thousand recent messages, 5 GB of file hosting and video calls between only two users. Usually, the free version is sufficient for a small development team. However, if you want to remove these restrictions and get more features, there are paid plans with monthly billing in Slack.

Slack currently has over 9 million daily active users. It is used by companies such as Medium, Dow Jones, eBay, PayPal, Wall Street Journal, Sony, Dell, AOL, Airbnb, Adobe and others in over 100 countries around the world. It is the fastest growing business app in history and was voted Best Startup of 2017 at the 10 Crunchies Awards hosted by TechCrunch.

The messenger is available for all popular platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Also, the developers have provided a web version of Slack for working from a browser. This means you can communicate with colleagues, access information and stay on top of everything anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

Is your company experiencing communication difficulties within the team? Tired of inviting every colleague to a meeting? Tired of walking around the office to solve the simplest issue? If you answered “yes” to at least one of these questions, then it’s time to implement a corporate local messenger.

Softros LAN Messenger is a simple and convenient office messenger - a program for exchanging messages on a local network of any size. The messenger for the company does not require and does not use an Internet connection and thus ensures that the transmitted information does not go beyond the local network. The application is easy to install and use, has a pleasant, intuitive interface and works correctly for users with limited rights. For your convenience, there is also a function for exchanging files between users of the network messenger. Fine-tuning allows the administrator to prohibit the use of certain functions of the application and change its settings, which can be useful in a large company with a disparate infrastructure. Serverless messaging and file exchange saves hardware costs. 14 years of constant improvement guarantee the quality and stability of our messenger for your local network.

short info

Latest version: 9.1.1

Supported OS: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 2012, Windows 2016

Supported network types: LAN, WAN

Key features of the Corporate Messenger:

• Chatting messaging
  Create virtual chats within your network with any number of users.
• Safe network communication
  Messages do not go outside the local network.
• Group messages on the local network
  Use bulk messaging to keep employees informed of upcoming events.
• Quick messages
  Configure up to 10 preset template messages with instant hotkey sending for quick replies with typical phrases or sentences.
• Huge set of emoji emoticons
  Spice up your messages with the built-in emoji pack (approx. 830 emoticons)
• Transferring files within the network
  Sharing documents with colleagues has become much easier.
• User grouping
  Assign your colleagues by department or job title for ease of communication.
• Remote Desktop Sharing
  Request remote assistance from your colleague or network administrator directly from Messenger, giving him access to your desktop remotely. Ask the administrator to help you with setting up any programs or Windows on your computer, ask a colleague to help you solve work issues.
• Remote desktop administration
  Administrators who are authorized in the domain as domain administrators, or on a remote computer as local administrators, can connect to user desktops directly, bypassing user connection permissions.
• User rights management
  The administrator can prohibit the use of any function if necessary.
• Message history
  You will never lose any messages as they are all saved in history files.
• Serverless messenger architecture
  LAN Chat does not require the installation of a dedicated server.

  Messengers

• No need for an Internet connection
  Messenger for local network works only within your network of your company and saves your subordinates from wasting time in ICQ, saving your traffic and minimizing the possibility of attacks.
• Terminal Server Support
  LAN Messenger successfully runs on a terminal server from Microsoft or Citrix, and also supports the simultaneous use of multiple user sessions. (After installing Softros TS Engine.)
• Easy to install
  You don't need any administrative skills to start using our program. Just install the internal messenger on every computer on your local network and it's ready to go.
• Ease of distribution
  Having configured the network settings, as well as the settings of user groups on one computer, you can export them to a file, so that you can then use them on all computers within the company's network. This makes it easier to configure the program on complex networks.

Client-server messenger for the local network. Integrates with Active Directory, multi-level contact list, message board, bulk notification system, conferences, SSL traffic encryption, offline message and file transfer, flexible user rights management system, file and folder transfer. Built-in Kanban boards for projects

Client-server program for communication in a corporate network, which runs on the Windows OS platform. CommFort includes modules for chat, image exchange, file transfer, VoIP and video communication.

Top 10: Chat for LAN

Supports video conferencing for up to 32 users

Softros LAN Messenger

Simple and reliable messenger for the local network. Doesn't require internet connection. In addition to sending instant messages and transferring files, it allows you to create virtual rooms, make bulk mailings, save message history, group contacts by department or job title.

Corporate mobile messenger in source codes. Includes Enterprise mobile messenger in source codes

Multimedia corporate messenger. Supports online status control, chat, voice and video calls, conference calls, video mail, screen-sharing. Works on PC, Mac and mobile platforms - iPhone, iPad, Nokia, Android and BlackBerry. Uses Open Jabber Protocol (XMPP)

Enterprise client-server platform for real-time interaction and communication. Integration with Active Directory, access to the archive of all transmitted messages and files, delivery of offline data and assignment of documents to employees with strong encryption.

Simple and fast multi-user chat with activity control on the local network. Designed for medium and small local area networks (up to 300 computers). Doesn't require a dedicated server and can be quickly deployed even on a network without a professional administrator.

Simple and powerful cross-platform client-server chat for local network and the Internet, open source.

Free open-source cross-platform messenger for the local network. Doesn't require a server. Logging messages. File transfer.

Free cross-platform chat for corporate networks. File transfer. Offline messages.

All Chat for LAN

Companies are increasingly faced with the question of choosing software for everyday use. And to imagine an office with computers and without a network is almost impossible. The network is used to exchange data, to access shared file resources, a corporate website, databases, network printers, to communicate, this list can be extended for a very long time.

Often, if the number of computers in a company is more than ten, for more effective interaction between employees, management begins to think about the need for a program for communicating over the network. Instant messaging services (or chat rooms) are designed to do just that.

Why introduce new technologies or modify old ones when there are telephones and faxes, when employees are sitting in the same office? After all, you can just come up and say, call or even stick a sticker on a colleague's monitor asking if he is not there.

However, the messaging system has a number of undeniable advantages. And among them it is worth highlighting:

• Messaging significantly saves employees' working time. One message or picture detailing what to do and how to do it is worth a whole phone call.
• Messaging makes it possible with one message to notify an entire group or groups of employees who would otherwise have to be called on the phone. And it doesn't matter if it's five or a hundred people - the notification is made with a few clicks of the mouse.
• Sent messages or files will be stored on the server and will be delivered to the recipient, even if he is not at work. He just needs to turn on his computer and get them. And on the phone - you will have to, at least, listen to all the records of the answering machine.
• Received and sent messages are stored in history. Therefore, looking through the history of messages, you can always remember what the conversation was about or copy the necessary fragments of the text of the negotiations.
• Messaging can significantly reduce the cost of long distance and cellular communications. Sometimes these can be very significant amounts. After all, messaging costs nothing. You pay only for Internet access. But you pay for it anyway, right?
• Conferences (channels or rooms) allow you to gather any number of people to discuss projects. Moreover, the discussion will take place in real time, the minutes of conversations do not need to be stenographed - everything is automatically recorded in the message history, both on client applications and on the server.
• In the presence of several branches, communication between company employees is greatly simplified due to the fact that, in addition to communication, chats support the possibility of exchanging documents.
• Security. Telephone conversations, especially cellular ones, are easy enough to listen to. But corporate instant messaging uses encryption. Moreover, with session keys. Therefore, it can be used safely even over the Internet.

The reader may object: why install some kind of messaging system, if there are free ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, Skype etc. But why: using public services that cannot be controlled - you yourself provide commercial information to a third party. Completely all correspondence. Voluntarily. And also there is no way to restrict the communication of employees for personal purposes not related to work.

There is no need to explain what this can lead to for business. You can read more about the risks of using such systems in the article “Why do you need a corporate messenger in a company? Security and control in MyChat ”and in the note on the control of transmitted messages in ICQ by the US security service.

Everyone decides for himself whether to use paid or free software. If the number of online users does not exceed 15 people, it is impractical to buy an expensive messenger.

In July 2010, the free version of MyChat Free Edition was released, which is a free analogue of the full-featured commercial version and allows you to create a corporate instant messaging and file exchange system in just a few minutes, without much effort.

Users appreciated the convenience and simplicity of the system: in just the first month, more than 200 servers were installed. The free version is successfully used by various companies in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Convenient and well-thought-out interface familiar to users Microsoft Office, undemanding to computer resources and many useful functions make MyChat a practical tool.

Well, for those who have already tried the program and want to increase the number of connections, there is a nice bonus: the commercial version MyChat can integrate with Active Directory.

Bopup Messenger

This makes it possible to quickly deploy the system to any number of computers in the company's network. All users who are already registered in Active Directory, will be automatically imported into the database MyChat(Full name, phone numbers, e-mail and other information specified in Active Directory).

Apply for the free version MyChat Server Free Edition.

Would you like to "raise" your own Skype or "ICQ" in your company network? Not to be tied to external Microsoft or Mail.ru services? With its own server, so that you can unite employees "under one wing" and not worry that confidential information can be read by someone or illegally obtained secret documents of the company.

There is such a program, and we will talk about an internal corporate messenger MyChat.

In the article we will talk about the Russian free version, which is practically no different from its older brother, the commercial one.

Imagine that the server you are connecting to is running inside your company, on a local network, on a computer. All employees connect to it by IP address or by computer name. What operating system you have: Windows, Linux, macOS or Android smartphone - it doesn't matter, there are applications for almost all operating systems. MyChat works even just in a browser ...

This messenger is "sharpened" for use within the company, messages and files are stored only on your server and are not transmitted to the Internet.

There is everything that is required from a modern chat: private messages and conferences, voice and video calls, quick exchange of pictures, documents and files of any size, contact lists and general work on projects (kanban board).
The admin panel for management works in the browser:

All messages, help and program interface are in Russian.

How to make MyChat work over the Internet?

If everything is clear inside the local office network, then how to connect people with smartphones via the Internet to your internal chat if the MyChat server is located in the local network?

You will need an external IP address and, preferably, a domain name like “mycompany.ru” to make it easier to remember the server address and make SSL certificates for secure browser connections and audio / video calls. The "white" IP address can be provided by your ISP.

People in the local area will, as before, connect to the internal address, for example, "192.168.1.100", but those who are "outside" - to the external one, which will be provided by your Internet provider.

For details on how to do this, see the article “ Local ICQ or how to set up MyChat over the Internet» .

Why is your messenger good?

• First, safety... You know for sure that all your information is only yours, and not the property of Facebook, Microsoft, Viber or Mail.ru. If you think that these are empty words, then read carefully the license agreements, which are usually accepted without reading, and remember the real terms that people got out of stupidity or carelessness for publishing content in closed publics on social networks.
• Second, handling... Customize anything from chat nicknames to shared contact lists. Powerful admin panel, user rights groups, call recording and control of running programs. Paradise for the administrator, and nothing more.
• Third, reliability... The server of your messenger will not suddenly fall like Skype, it will not be blocked like Telegram. It works because you want it to. It will work even if the Internet is cut off.

Download messenger for MyChat office for free

Free version limitations:
1. Maximum 20 users
2. No traffic encryption
3. The message box says that this is a free version
4. In the window "About the program" - "UNREGISTERED VERSION"
5. Conversation history - only for 1 month

Video from the manufacturer ...

USEFUL VIDEO

What is a network chat software? it chat(from the English "Chat", conversation) or messenger(the program that transmits messages).

Modern chats and instant messengers can not only send messages, but also exchange pictures and files, make audio and video calls.

Some programs definitely need the Internet to work, some do not, they work using their own server, which runs for you, within the company. This is, of course, much safer.

Let's talk about one of these programs. What it can be used for and how.

First, a short video to briefly explain why this program is needed:

And now in more detail:

1. For messaging

Despite the obviousness, it is worth noting that messages must be encrypted, and not by some self-made algorithm, but by a serious, open library,. The message history should be stored on its own server within the company, and not somewhere on the Internet. And finally, for the program to work, there must be.

MyChat is fine with this, so let's move on.

Here the developers of the on-net messenger MyChat took an interesting path, they did not reinvent the wheel and use the WebRTC engine, the most advanced calling technology in the world at the moment. You can make calls not only between MyChat client programs, but also between the program and the WEB-chat, which works in the browser Chrome, FireFox, Opera or Edge. All modern browsers already support WebRTC technology.

Calls, of course, are unlimited, no one needs to pay for them, communication goes through existing communication channels or via a local / corporate network.

MyChat voice compression works with the Opus codec. Its algorithms operate with low latencies, from 2.5 to 60 milliseconds, support variable bitrate, very good audio data compression, better and better quality than MP3, Vorbis, AAC LC, AMR-WB and Speex.

In a non-technical language, you can call MyChat even through mobile GPRS connections, and these are really very low speeds.

It is very important that it all works automatically, the administrator does not need to understand the black magic of codecs, sound levels, bit rates, noise reduction, equipment settings and other things. Everyone who has configured Jabber servers and a zoo of clients for them, and everyone with their own nuances and incompatibilities, will understand me.

3. For group communication

Popular programs such as Skype or Mail.ru Agent, and using retro software like IRC in a modern office is simply not serious because of the complexity of the settings, weak capabilities and the halt in the development of IRC protocols (its last RFC dates back to April 2000).

In MyChat, text conferences (they are also called channels) have been around since the very beginning of the messenger, since 2004, and have been developing all this time. For September 2016 came out. Already by this indicator, one can understand how seriously the developers develop and support it.

Any number of people can be in conferences at the same time (there are real examples of comfortable work of several hundred people). You can close them with a password to separate user groups into different projects or departments. You can prohibit leaving important conferences, then users simply cannot leave them, accidentally or deliberately. The conferences look pretty nice:

There are even special locks and punishments (kicks and bans, old school will appreciate :) as well. On the messenger server, you can create as many conferences as you like and include the right people there automatically, fortunately, the WEB admin panel can do this:

4. Communication in a local network without the Internet

Probably, it makes no sense to engage in preventive intimidation, that, they say, you cannot use ICQ, skype and hengouts at a corporate party, because their servers are located overseas and your messages are stored there, filtered and read by no one understands (for anyone interested, I recommend the article "", there everything is laid out "on the shelves").

Adequate company executives and system administrators, let alone computer security specialists, understand this perfectly.

However, you cannot just take and throw away an already familiar program. If you are looking for something to replace, then you need to choose software that will at least be no worse in functionality in order to transfer employees to it without unnecessary losses.

Curiously, many initially started using. Here the developers have an interesting original approach: they abandoned the classic trial version for 30 days, the program is free immediately after installation, the limitation is only on the number of online connections. But 20 people online is really enough for the eyes, for tests - that's for sure, I'm not talking about the real work of small companies.

There is a good introductory article on how to launch the MyChat messenger in your company and "tie" employees into a single network, especially if there are geographically scattered offices: "".

In general, there is even more in the messenger than you need. You will most likely have a task, which services should simply be banned so that users' eyes do not run up applications immediately displays:

Roughly speaking, graphical emoticons were banned - even the icon for calling emoticons disappeared from users right away. Disabled video calls - Video call buttons disappeared from the toolbar. Instantly. Without restarting the application. You cannot use conferences, but only one-on-one communication in private - the program is instantly transformed.

An interesting approach, and very visual, it is worth trying - do you get used to it so much that you think how it was possible to work without all this before?

5. Program for communication in the office, how it works

Office messengers usually have their own set of requirements, in addition to a user-friendly interface, preferably one that is as similar to MS Office as possible. Because everyone is already accustomed to it, you don't have to spend a lot of time telling users many times what and how.

Getting people used to certain programs and switching to others is a difficult process, but that's not all.

Since we are choosing a messenger for the office, this is not for you to exchange cats in social networks. This is a real working tool. And here MyChat shows itself in all its might, it is clear that the emphasis in its development was placed precisely on the work of companies.

At first, it works integration with Active Directory... Users are dragged out of the domain, via LDAP, with all their names, phone numbers, emails, and God knows what + transparent NTLM authorization works. MSI package for deployment via GPO. In the official help.

Secondly, there is . Honestly, it is difficult to find a company that does not use this accounting program in our vast expanses. So, you can easily "tie" an already working 1C with a corporate chat, I wrote about this recently on Infostart in the article "1C: Enterprise + corporate chat, how to establish prompt notifications in 10 minutes," I recommend reading.

Thirdly, a rather powerful file server is built into MyChat. Both native MyChat Client and any FTP client can connect to it. For example, I prefer FAR and Total Commander, while the employees prefer FileZilla. Everything works. Convenience is that this server works "out of the box", each user who is in the chat is automatically created an account on the file server + there is a general public access. He, of course, does not hold up to specialized servers, but, in all honesty, even his capabilities are enough in most cases.

Fourth, Kanban board for project management... If you recognize from the picture a large whiteboard that hangs in many offices, you will understand me. This is the same board, only in electronic form.

You can start any number of projects, assign stages, performers, track deadlines. Move tasks between stages, comment on them, supplement them, apply filters for search, and the like. In general, "see the project" as a whole. Super thing, it will be useful in almost any company. It looks like this in operation (it works in a browser, by the way):

It's convenient to use on a desktop, on a tablet and a phone, of course, it's not that, but over time, I think the situation will improve for the better, given that new versions are released on average every month or two.

6. Sending messages and files offline

Sending messages and entire folders with files to users who are currently disconnected from the server (located offline) has always been the strong point of MyChat. Unlike Skype, where offline messages are received in a mysterious way, as if at the behest, in MyChat everything is usually clear.

Messages are stored on the server for an unlimited time, files and entire folders can be sent and not worry that they will not reach.

By the way, there is no way to send large folders with files by email. Even if you archive them, the message size will be one and a half times larger than the archive itself. And there are no guarantees whether the letter reached the recipient or not. There are no such problems in the MyChat messenger.

At any time, you can go to the message history, select the interlocutor, date range - and calmly read the history of the correspondence:

In light of the fact that Gmail, for example, refuses to accept executable files in attachments, and sometimes simply ignores archives with a password (of course, he also cares about my safety, yeah), sending messages and files in a corporate office chat will be a good help.

As one user put it well, "".

Summing up all that has been written, it is worth saying that the program is actively developing, despite its decent age. , there are several tens of thousands of messages on it and the developers promptly respond even to those who use the free version of the program.

Free client-server chat for organizing full-fledged communication in a small office, supporting up to 20 active users.

I work in a small office where almost every one of the 8 employees who have a computer is in a separate office. When someone needs something, we usually either call each other on the phone, or just walk from office to office. Unfortunately, this is not always convenient. Therefore, as the main technical specialist, I have repeatedly made attempts to optimize this moment of the working process. And I think I will succeed :)

And the free version of the chat for local networks, which is quite famous in Runet, will help me with this. MyChat Free Edition.

Key features

The program allows you to deploy a full-fledged local chat with the following features:

• support for up to 20 active connections on the server;
• exchange of text messages and files;
• voice and video communication;
• implementation of a local FTP (file) and SMTP (mail) server;
• flexible configuration of general and local chat rooms;
• availability of chat for all platforms, including a good web interface;
• the ability to access the server via the Internet.

And that's not all of the chat features! It also has a built-in system for announcing, assigning tasks and tracking their progress. And, if this is not enough, then it can be integrated with almost any software solutions that are used in your office (although this will require basic programming and API skills).

Comparison with the paid version

The situation is overshadowed only by the fact that we, after all, are talking about the free version, which has certain limitations:

That's all the difference. The only serious limitation of the free version of MyChat is that no more than 20 clients can connect to the server. For small offices like mine, this is quite enough. Large offices will have to pay $ 40 extra for every additional 10 connections.

Server installation and configuration

In order for MyChat to work on your local network, you first need to install a server program on one of the computers. There will be no difficulties with this. You just need to run the MyChat Server.exe file from the downloaded archive and follow the prompts of the installer:

After installation, the server is already running and you can already connect to it. And a window with statistics appears in front of us. It displays information about the operation of the server itself, clients connected to it and running services. By default, only the SMTP email sending protocol did not work for me. In principle, I was not particularly interested in him, but if desired, everything can be customized. Actually, we have nothing else to do in the statistics window, so let's move on to the settings. To do this, press the button "Administration":

Server management (as well as execution of some other tasks) in MyChat is carried out through the web interface, so a browser window with the address of the local host (http://127.0.0.1/admin) will open in front of you:

A small pop-up window will inform us that we can use the localhost address for further quick access to the server control panel and will give us a temporary login with a password ("admin | admin"). For security reasons, it is these details for entering the server admin panel that must be changed first. To do this, in the left side menu, look for section "USERS" and open the item in it "A list of users"... Here we select the "admin" account, press the button "Change" and change the name, password, and, if desired, other parameters:

Actually, this is where all the preliminary settings can be completed. If desired, in the future you can add an additional password to log into the server, configure the work of anti-flood and mate filters, add additional chat rooms, etc. But for a start, what you have already done will be enough. All the basic functionality of the server is available to us and we can start communicating by installing the client program on our or someone else's computer (although, you can get by with the web version of the chat if you don't want to install anything).

Client connection

Installing the MyChat client is not much more complicated than installing the server. Here you will not need to enter any data at all. In fact, the entire installation is reduced only to the choice of the interface language and pressing the "Next" buttons. In addition, you can choose not to install anything by downloading the portable version of the client from the official website. At the first start, a special step-by-step wizard will appear in front of you, which will allow you to step by step connect to the newly created server:

At the first step, we need to decide on the option to connect to the server:

There are only 4 of them:

1. Automatically find a server on my local network- allows you to automatically scan the network and find an active MyChat server in it. The item is selected by default and is the easiest way to connect.
2. I know the server address and will enter it manually- makes it possible to enter the server address yourself. Suitable, for example, if the client to be connected is located in a different local network or you need to create a connection via the Internet.
3. I have a settings file I got from admin- opens a dialog for selecting a file with settings, which can be created by the server owner for simplified client connection. The configuration file already contains both the server address and the required access passwords, which minimizes client-side actions.
4. I want to connect to a developer server on the internet- implements fast communication with developers through their server on the Internet.

For a simple connection within a local network, the first option, which is selected by default, is usually suitable. If you leave the choice on it, then at the next step we will be offered a list of detected servers:

For some reason, at this stage, two identical servers were displayed. Without further ado, I chose the first. By the way, in this step we will see the first mention that we want to connect to an unregistered version of the server. But these are trifles.

The last step is registering on the server:

Here we will see a traditional form, in which it is necessary to enter your username, password (twice), email address and a secret question with an answer to it in order to recover your password if you lose it. After that, press the "Finish" button and complete the connection stage.

Client interface

If everything went well, the interface of the MyChat client itself will be displayed in front of us:

For those who have ever used instant messaging programs like ICQ or QIP, the appearance of the MyChat messenger will be familiar in many ways. The upper part of the window is reserved for the traditional menu and toolbars (we will talk about some of them later). On the left is a list of contacts and online users. The central part of the window is set aside directly under the field of displaying chat correspondence and entering your own remarks.

Please also note that there is a panel with buttons and drop-down lists above the text input field. With their help, you can insert emoticons (including animated ones) into messages, attach files, add quick phrases (up to 10) and activate the text formatting panel (the button on the right above the "Send" button).

Also take a look at the row of tabs below the input field. By default, you have access to a tab with a list of all public conferences open on the server and a tab with a general chat "main", which can be written by all users connected to the server. If you want to chat with one of the users in private mode, click on his name in the left list and you will have another tab with the name of the contact you have chosen:

In private mode, the left panel does not display a list of contacts, but the profile data of the user you selected. There are also audio, video and screen sharing buttons here. However, all these functions only work on Windows 7 and older. Otherwise, everything is the same as in the general chat.

Additional functions

As I said just above, in MyChat, not only setting up the server, but also most of the functions are available through the web interface. It has its own online chat client, the ability to create forums, a message board, and even some kind of CRM! Let's talk about some of these possibilities.

Online chat client

The MyChat server can be called a kind of "thing in itself". Despite the fact that it is more convenient to communicate with its help through a special client, nevertheless, it is possible not to install anything! For basic textual correspondence, the web version of the client will be enough!

To open it, you need to know the exact IP address of the computer on your local network where the server is installed. If you don’t know it or have forgotten, you can always see it in the client settings (or ask the administrator who installed the server :)). We enter the address into the search bar of the browser and get to the following page:

Here we see links to download clients for almost all popular operating systems. And on the right, at the very edge of the row, there is a button "Web", which opens the web interface we need. Click it, enter your login-password in the form that appears (or register as a new user) and get into something like this:

The workspace is divided into three main columns. On the left is a menu that allows you to switch between conferences, as well as access additional Kanban and Bulletin Board tools. Looking ahead, I will say that Kanban is the analogue of CRM that I mentioned earlier, but the Bulletin Board is a kind of analogue of a mailing list that can only be created by the server administrator, so there is no point in going there for an ordinary user.

The right column is analogous to the left column of the client program. Here you can see information about users in the current chat room, or data about your specific interlocutor in private mode. Tellingly, under the avatar there are buttons for audio call, video call and screen sharing, but for some reason they did not work for me (it may be necessary to make some additional server settings).

The central column is set aside directly for the chat. True, there are much fewer possibilities here than in the client program. Of the entire arsenal, only the function of sending files is available to us. There is not even a button for inserting emoticons, not to mention formatting text and adding quick phrases. However, if you just need to quickly discuss something, the available options are quite enough and you do not need to spend time installing and connecting the client.

Kanban

The strange name caught my attention even when I first started the client program, where there was a similar button on the toolbar. According to Wikipedia, kanban is one of the principles of effective work organization, which implies an equal distribution of the load on all participants in any production process with a clear control of the time allotted for a particular task. By the way, the word itself is Japanese and literally means "signboard", and the technique was developed by the Japanese automobile company Toyota back in 1959!

Kanban is implemented quite well in MyChat and has flexible settings. When you start kanban for the first time, you will see an empty space with a single button "Create project"... If you click it, a window will open with a number of parameters. You can set a title and description for the project, specify deadlines for its completion, and break the final task into logical stages. By default, 4 classic stages of kanban are created ("Task", "In progress", "Checking" and "Completed"), however, if you wish, you can delete the standard ones and add your own:

After the project is created, "signs" with tasks and a side panel to monitor the progress of the planned work will appear. In the list, select the desired project, add tasks for it, describe their essence and assign performers. As the assignment is completed, it can be transferred to the next stage of execution until it is fully completed and within the specified time frame:

There are no restrictions on the number of tasks in the project (as well as the projects themselves). Therefore, you can simultaneously give tasks to different employees and track their progress, without embarrassing yourself in convenience.

Advantages and disadvantages of the program

• minimum server settings;
• rich functionality and choice of communication means;
• availability of clients for almost all operating systems;
• the ability to transfer data and store files (FTP server);
• a bunch of additional features.

Disadvantages:

• support for no more than 20 active clients;
• storing the history of correspondence only for the past month.

conclusions

Before finding MyChat, I tried several similar chat programs for the local network. However, none of them had such a rich set of features and at the same time was not so easy to install and configure. Almost immediately after installation, the chat server is ready to work.

You, as an administrator, can create accounts for the necessary users yourself, and then arrange for them to connect using configuration files, which minimizes actions on the client side. In addition, clients can be distributed in the form of already configured portable versions, or even simply provide a link to access the web version of the chat.

I think even the most non-advanced users will find such a solution convenient. In the meantime, the experience of using MyChat in my case can be called positive. Almost everything works as it should and does not cause any particular difficulties. Therefore, with a clear conscience, I can authoritatively recommend a program for organizing communication and file exchange in small offices and government offices.

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.