Kopano product strategy & roadmap

Transcription

1 Kopano product strategy & roadmap 11 January 2016

2 INTRODUCING KOPANO For many years Zarafa has provided software solutions for organising the lives of busy professionals. ing and advanced calendaring are and remain the core functionality for this purpose. With increased online presence, partly due to the rise of smartphones, people have increasingly become used to instant communication information sharing. With Kopano we introduce a thoroughly modern communication experience which add the advanced functionality teams need to boost productivity and enhance collaboration. DRIVERS OF KOPANO PRODUCT STRATEGY User needs provide the main drivers for the development of our product and the implementation of new features. User needs typically appear within one of the three themes shown below. As you can see our inno-vations contribute to these themes and so directly improve the user experience. Kopano will combine Zarafa s familiar yet advanced groupware features with instant communication and information sharing. The first steps towards Kopano can already be seen in the combination of WebApp with its add-ons today! DRIVERS OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Client connectivity Instant communication Manageability Search & find Mobility Interaction with externals Information sharing Security & privacy Open Source BE PRODUCTIVE WORK TOGETHER KEEP CONTROL 3

3 TOWARDS A NEW FOOTPRINT With the release of Outlook 2010, Microsoft left the path of offering a reliable interface for third party vendors like ourselves. Our customers had to wait for four months until we finally identified a way to work around the newly introduced hard-coded dependencies that Exchange uses for collaboration. These types of new development at Microsoft made us rethink our client strategy. After five years of evaluating and developing we introduced our first visible changes at the beginning of 2015 in the form of Kopano. We have grasped the opportunity to create a reliable communication stack on our own terms, and this past year has shown what a good decision that was. In 2015 we published almost 30 releases and introduced a lot of new products. These include the first versions of DeskApp, S/MIME, Web Meetings, Zarafa Files and WebApp add-ons such as Mobile Device Management and the File Previewer. We are excited to continue work on these products in KOPANO IN A NUTSHELL Kopano is thé open source communication & sharing solution. It includes everything you need (and want) for your daily professional life. Its open source nature allows you to keep complete control of your data and your infrastructure. You can see what is happening to your data anytime and anywhere: on-premises or in the (hybrid) cloud. Naturally it also stays easy to integrate into existing environments, and its modular architecture remains the foundation for easy scalability. This will be delivered through a future proof client family. The key player here is WebApp, which allows you to be productive from anywhere. DeskApp is in development to be the bridge between WebApp and the desktop. Add-ons like Web Meetings and Files are the first visible steps that show the extendability that Kopano provides. Outlook support, working offline and mobility are provided via ActiveSync. 4

4 KOPANO PRODUCT OVERVIEW The table below provides you with the complete overview of the components in the Kopano communication & sharing solution. The rest of this document presents a detailed overview of recent and upcoming releases in the first half of For future releases we have identified the goals and drivers for development which will lead to a specific feature set and other improvements during the year. COMPONENTS OF KOPANO RECENT RELEASES UPCOMING RELEASES Backend GROUPWARE Q4 / 15 Search & security Q1 /16 Backup & simplified distribution maintenance Performance Management DASHBOARD Q4 /15 Server overview Q2 /16 Organisation & health status overview Recommendations Clients WEBAPP Q4 /15 Usability Q1 /16 Look&feel and performance Information management DESKAPP Q1 /16 Ease of use and deployment Desktop integration MOBILITY (Z-PUSH) Q4 /15 Q1 / 16 Outlook support Scalability Sharing features Add-ons WEB MEETINGS Q4 /15 Cross organisation communication Q1 /16 Usability & integration Integration with other communication services FILES Q1 / 15 Integrated Webbased access Q1 /16 Sharing and backend integration Collaboration S/MIME 16 Q4 / 15 Q2 / Security & privacy Certificate handling Ease of use and advanced certification management FEATURED ADD-ONS Q4 /15 File Previewer Q1 /16 Mobile Device Management Marketplace for future add-ons 5

5 Groupware Platform for , calendaring & contacts Easy integration with existing architecture Share mailboxes and calendars between co-workers SEARCH & SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS The latest final version of our groupware has received massive improvements in performance and security, with extended platform support such as RHEL 7 and SLES 12. Search Plus is an enterprise class search engine with better stability, more precise search results and enterprise search features to be provided to clients. Groupware is at the core of communication The renewed SSL stack allows tailored setups with security configurations matching the needs of high security environments. Presence is a new backend service to complement recent and upcoming products such as Web Meetings. Q ADVANCED BACKUP FEATURES Next releases will include Backup Plus, a rewrite of our proven Zarafa Backup. It adds features, such as the ability to backup WebApp settings and rules whilst remaining easy to use. Upcoming versions will be the first to be made available via our new repository, which allows customers to update and maintain their installations easily. Next generation networks will be able to connect directly to Zarafa daemons with the implementation of native IPv6. Additionally systemd will be fully supported, which provides simplified and unified process handling with modern distributions. On-premise installation keeps you in control PHP 7 SUPPORT AND PERFORMANCE Our focus for later versions of our groupware is on the optimization of satellite components. These include an enhanced PHP MAPI interface for interoperability with PHP 7 - essentially allowing speedups in many areas of our web based components. We will enhance certain performance aspects of the Groupware Gateway (IMAP/POP), especially for very large mailboxes. We will also aim to improve the clustering of components to allow for a better failover handling and scalability even in long distance environments. 6

6 Dashboard A complete overview of customers and their installations Recommendations on technical improvement possibilities Access to documentation, downloads and support INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT The Dashboard helps our partners and customers see how their installations are performing. The first beta version was introduced in the fourth quarter of 2015 and it took the first steps towards that goal. Dashboard provides a status overview It can provide an overview of your installed systems. It also provides several key metrics that indicate the health and performance of your system. System administrators and Zarafa partners can use this information to get a better grip on performance improvement opportunities. Q ORGANISATION & HEALTH STATUS The focus for the next releases will be on management capabilities for partners, giving insight into the organisations for whom they manage Kopano installations. Examples of features to be introduced are a system and installation health status overview, integration with support services (helping Zarafa Support to help you more efficiently) and documentation services. Next to the technical side of the Dashboard it will also help Zarafa s partners and customers to gain more insight into their subscription status and licensing of their products and add-ons. Kopano Dashboard login page HELPING YOU HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH RECOMMENDATIONS The Kopano Dashboard helps partners help their customers. Based on all the information it collects, the Dashboard can recommend improvements to your installations and prompt you about customer-specific updates. It will be the easiest way to contact the support teams and provide a lot of information needed in a few clicks. There will also be opportunities to extend the products and services provided by Zarafa partners: the Marketplace will allow the customer to select addons and services they are looking for in a communication and collaboration system. 7

7 WebApp Collaboration & sharing from a single interface A full client experience in your own browser Extendable feature set with an add-on infrastructure USER DRIVEN FEATURE DEVELOPMENT WebApp interface The latest final version of WebApp contains a lot of usability related improvements. A brand new search function (leveraging Groupware Search Plus) has been introduced, with more ways to filter search results. Another major usability feature is the infinite inbox with continuous scrolling. You can now also edit and re-send previously sent s, and use templates for repeating s such as meeting requests. The new power paste feature improves handling of content from other applications. Q A BRAND NEW LOOK & FEEL The next version of WebApp introduces a brand new user interface! A fresh look and feel with a flat design will be implemented in WebApp, in combination with upgraded user interaction features. This new release is a prominent example of our new user driven approach to design. Features such as improved search filters, setting a time span for out of office replies and advanced rule configuration all stem from user feedback. The attachment previewer will get some major new features and improvements. Under the hood we will continue to improve WebApp performance. New design in WebApp IMPROVED INFORMATION MANAGEMENT The next big subject we will dive into is information management in your inbox. Advanced tools to filter and process incoming mail will automatically provide a great boost to your productivity. A more extensive user interface will improve the way you receive your daily digital information and get you up to speed faster. This in turn improves the effectivity of teams working together. User interaction and customer feedback will continue to be the main drivers in WebApp development. 8

8 DeskApp A native application engine to run on your desktop Provides better integration with the desktop OS Available packages for Windows, Linux and OS X Q THE BRIDGE BETWEEN WEBAPP AND THE DESKTOP DeskApp launcher DeskApp is the bridge between WebApp and the desktop. All the features from WebApp, such as , calendaring, Web Meetings and Files, are provided just like standalone application. Administrators do not have to worry about different browser versions and support for certain standards such as WebRTC. As a native application engine DeskApp also integrates with the operating system in ways that make life easier for both users as well as administrators. In the last quarter of 2015 we released a first beta version. INTEGRATION WITH THE DESKTOP SOFTWARE AND FILESYSTEM The next step for DeskApp will be to create a native client like experience with features that benefit both the user as well as the administrator. Examples of this are automatic sign in and assistence with configuration. Integration with the file system and existing applications will let users load attachments from anywhere in the system without having to upload them separately. We will also introduce advanced installation packages with the goal to help administrators implement DeskApp in their organisation. DeskApp configuration 9

9 Mobility Compatible with Outlook 2013 & Outlook 2016 Synchronize , calendar and contacts to smart devices Native support on all major mobile platforms SYNCHRONIZATION WITH SMARTPHONES AND OUTLOOK Z-Push enables synchronization of , calendars and contacts to mobile devices. Recent releases have improved compatibility with various ActiveSync implementations from different mobile device vendors. Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016 have worked with Z-Push since the summer of Your information available on the go Q IMPROVED SCALABILITY AND ENCRYPTION WITH OUTLOOK Next releases of Z-Push will focus on improved scalability for large mailboxes and better support for Outlook ActiveSync clients. This included the specific way Outlook uses encryption. Supporting a larger number of devices in an environment that changes rapidly can be a challenge, and the number of connected devices will continue to increase as Z-Push can also be used with Outlook. Outlook compatibility is realised over ActiveSync ADDITIONAL SHARING CAPABILITIES USING AN API Despite our success with offering Outlook support, some challenges remain with ActiveSync, especially around sharing. Another example of such a challenge is having the Global Address Book available on all ActiveSync-based devices. Future versions will focus on overcoming these challenges. We have started to address them already through the design of a new API, and work on this will continue. Together with an add-in for Outlook 2013 and 2016, we expect to resolve some of the challenges in the first half of

10 Web Meetings Online meetings running inside your browser Share screen content, files and presentations HD video and audio meetings MEET ONLINE, DIRECTLY INSIDE YOUR BROWSER We have improved the efficiency of working together by making it possible to add a web meeting to an appointment in WebApp. You can also use invitations to schedule meetings with multiple participants. This leverages the meeting request feature in WebApp to pick the best time for everyone involved. Special Web Meetings URLs allow both local Kopano users and external participants to join the meeting from anywhere. Instant communication via Web Meetings Q IMPROVED USABILITY IN WEB MEETINGS 2.0 The upcoming 2.0 release of Web Meetings will use new integration options which come with WebApp 2.2. More configuration options regarding sound and window handling will be made easily accessible for the user. Based on user feedback and our talks with partners at the Zarafa Tour 2015, we enhanced the framework with the option to start Web Meetings in an external browser window. This makes it easier to keep working with WebApp during a web meeting. Work together with screen sharing USER FRIENDLY INTERACTION WITH EXTERNALS In a future release of Web Meetings we will focus on improving the experience for external attendees to a web meeting. When you arrive in the lobby after joining a web meeting, knock-knock features will allow you to show the organizer of the meeting that you have arrived. It will also be possible to invite externals to join the web meeting while it s already running. 11

11 Files Acces your files straight from WebApp Integrated with groupware features Share files in (cross-organisational) teams FILE ACCESS INTEGRATION WITH GROUPWARE Increase productivity by enabling access to your files from anywhere using WebApp. The Files add-on works with any system that supports WebDAV or FTP protocols and it allows you to store and retrieve files within WebApp. Integration with groupware features lets you create new s with attachments without having to download them first and vice versa: store received attachments easily in your storage system. Easy file sharing from a single interface Q ADVANCED SHARING FROM EXISTING STORAGE SOLUTIONS After creating the core of the Files addon which ensures accessibility to your personal files, the next version of Files will add more collaboration features. To reflect this new functionality we ll be calling it Files for Teams. In this version, file sharing will have a more controlled environment using a backend like OwnCloud and the SMB/CIFS driver to connect to your local storage device using just WebApp. A new module for large attachments will also reduce the load on your mail server just send a link instead of the entire file. Boost productivity with file access IMPROVED COLLABORATION ON MULIPLE STORAGE SOLUTIONS After the introduction of Files for Teams we will continue development along the collaboration path. The driver model allows us as well as our partners to build additional integration options for storage solutions, whether on-premises or in the cloud. More focus will also go towards lowering the threshold for integration with other collaboration products with the files used in the Files for Teams storage backend. 12

12 S/MIME Private using S/MIME encryption Ensure authenticity and identity with digital signatures Easy to use: available at the click of a button AUTHENTICITY AND PRIVACY IN WEBAPP The S/MIME plugin brings secure to WebApp. A S/MIME digital signature confirms the sender s identity and encryption provides privacy a man in the middle will not be able to read any of the content while in transit or in your mailbox. Keep control with S/MIME Incoming signed and encrypted is automatically verified, and decrypted after you enter the key passphrase. The automatic import of incoming public certificates and the certificate manager complete the feature set you need for a secure environment. Q CENTRALIZED CERTIFICATE MANAGEMENT The next version of the S/MIME addon for WebApp will support the use of keys and certificates stored in LDAP/AD, making life easier for administrators that set up S/MIME in their organisations. Improvements in certificate uploading and adding support for multiple private keys are also on the agenda. Sign and encrypt your USABILITY FOR USERS AND ADMINISTRATORS The WebApp S/MIME plugin will continue to improve in future releases. The focus will be on ease of use for both users and administrators, which leads to advanced certificate management and easy certificate exchange. Continuing support for newer certificate authorities (CAs) will also be important as we develop new releases. 13

13 Featured WebApp add-ons Add-ons available from the Kopano Marketplace Extend Groupware with Python Zarafa Develop add-ons for WebApp FEATURED ADD-ON: FILE PREVIEWER We have added some great improvements to our File Previewer plugin, which lets you quickly check the contents of files including PDFs, Open Office documents, images, videos and audio files. Q Kopano can be extended FEATURED ADD-ON: MOBILE DEVICE MANAGEMENT Thanks to Z-Push, Zarafa s customers have been able to make use of , calendaring and contacts on their mobile devices for quite a while. Administrators need to keep track of all of these devices, while users are de-manding more insight in and control of their information and devices as well. The new File Previewer has greatly enhanced the preview quality, supports content selection and it will even dis-play tracked changes from ODF files. Files can be downloaded or printed directly from the preview window. Zoom or rotate the content you are previewing and even go straight into presentation mode. With Mobile Device Management (MDM) this functionaility will become available in WebApp. The MDM plugin provides a list of all devices associated with an account on a Z-Push server. You can check the most recent connection time, resync a device, wipe it remotely, and remove old devices from the configuration with one click. CREATE ADD-ONS FOR KOPANO! Due to Kopano s modular architecture, it can be extended with add-ons such as the ones featured above. Not only plugins for WebApp can be developed, but you can also integrate with the Groupware using Python Zarafa. Kopano and its third party add-ons will become available in the Marketplace in the future. 14