Group chats for working together

Group chat for team work. For each topic, you can create a separate chat. Each team member receives notifications only about those messages that are addressed specifically to him. There is integration with a large number of external services. Powerful search in message history. There are clients for Android and iOS.

Social intranet. Contains microblogs, tasks, file storage (with version control), calendar, photo galleries, messenger, extranet, CRM, business processes, time tracking, profiles, reports. There is mobile version... There is a free version.

Group chat for Office 365. Allows you to create groups / rooms for projects or departments, communicate, share files with colleagues. There are bots for notifications and responses to requests. Tight integration with Microsoft applications - Skype, Word, SharePoint, OneNote, Power BI, Planner.

Messenger for teamwork. Allows you to work with files much more conveniently. The application is cross-platform, there are clients for the browser, Mac OS, Windows, Android, iOS.

Group chat with conferencing capabilities. Allows you to track the intermediate results of the work of teams and assign the completion of specific tasks to employees. The system also displays information about what task a particular team member is working on in this moment... There is a free version.

Client-server messenger for 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

Group messenger for discussing ideas, sharing files and getting instant feedback from the team. Free version for unlimited users

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 necessarily 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 Chrome browser, FireFox, Opera or Edge. Everything 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 chat for voice compression works with the Opus codec. Its algorithms operate with low latencies, from 2.5 to 60 milliseconds, support variable bitrate, compress audio data very well, better and better 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 frivolous due to 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 the exit from 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 server of the messenger, you can create as many conferences as you like and include the necessary 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 in a corporate party, because their servers are located overseas and your messages are stored there, filtered and read by no one understands (who is 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 rather have the task of which services should simply be banned so that users' eyes do not run up applications immediately it displays:

Roughly speaking, they banned graphic emoticons - 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's 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 full force, it is clear that the emphasis in its development was placed just 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 the vastness of our vastness. 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 the native MyChat Client and anybody else can connect to it. FTP client... For example, I prefer FAR and Total commander, for employees - 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.

In the 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 a strong point of MyChat. Unlike Skype, where offline messages are received in a mysterious way, as if at the behest of a pike, 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 attachments executable files, and archives with a password sometimes simply ignore (of course, he also cares about my safety, yeah), sending messages and files to the 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 tens of thousands of messages on it, and the developers promptly respond even to those who use the free version of the program.

Sooner or later in any corporate or large home network the question arises of what means of communication to use, how to organize effective notification of all employees and the delivery of files. Of course, you can use commercial delivery complexes. instant messaging, expand mail server and organize shared data stores. But what if the network is not that big?

In this case, Network Software Solutions has developed a client-server messaging program that is a chat. In the chat, you can create various channels (for example, within the department), conduct a private conversation without clogging general chat, transfer files and more.

MyChat Server

It should be noted right away that there are two versions of the chat server: commercial and free. For small networks free version FREE MyChat is enough. The main differences can be seen on the developer's website, of the major limitations, it can be noted - the lack of integration with Active Directory and the limitation of the number of connections to 15 people - for the Free MyChat version.

As for installing the server, there shouldn't be any difficulties, the installation is done in automatic mode and does not require significant effort from the user. At first glance, setting up an application may seem daunting, as there are quite a few options. But, all the settings are well categorized, for each section there is a good reference material in Russian. In addition, a hint about its purpose is provided for each option, which greatly simplifies the search for the desired tool.

Server functions:

- Actually the server itself, keeps statistics of users, active time, traffic, connections, etc.;
- FTP server, used as a general data storage;
- User management, management of groups and access rights, appointment of Administrators, operators and other servers;
- Creation of filters: filtering users by IP, filtering by MAC, anti-flood, filtering obscene expressions in the chat;
- Creation of scripts to automate repetitive actions, etc .;
- Fine tuning the server (redundancy, logging, timers, remote control);
- Creation of ads;
- Web access for server administration;

MyChat client

MyChat client serves for direct connection to the server. Allows you to connect to individual channels, register in channels, conduct private conversations, transfer files, view bulletin boards, search for users, create alerts with various parameters. Plug-ins built into the program deserve special attention, which allows you to expand the client's capabilities.

In summary, we can say that MyChat is an excellent choice for small and medium-sized organizations, especially for home networks. If it were not for the limitation of 15 connections, the program could be safely used in large corporate networks... MyChat interface is available in three languages: Russian, Ukrainian and English. License Free version provides for non-commercial use. To get a free MyChat versions you need to go to the developer's website and fill out a simple questionnaire.