Web Office

Definition - What does Web Office mean?

A Web office is a hosted application for Web-based collaboration that allows individuals worldwide to collaborate on an international scale. Web office is a service offered by websites as a form of Software as a Service (SaaS).

Web office components normally include a broad array of applications, such as:

  • Word processors, spreadsheets and other document creation software
  • Web portal, content management system (CMS), blogs, forums and other publishing applications
  • Email, calendars and other collaborative software
  • Document, data and accounting applications
  • Customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) management applications

Web office is also known as virtual teamwork, geographically dispersed team, online office suite, online productivity suite and office 2.0.

Techopedia explains Web Office

The advantages of a Web office include:

  • Low or no cost for participants with an Internet connection and the required hardware and software
  • No requirement for software installation
  • Minimal hardware requirements
  • The ability to share documents without using a network server
  • No need for software upgrades or licenses
  • Operating system (OS) independence
  • Portability--only requires an Internet connection
  • Secure online remote document storage and security that is superior to most home PCs

The disadvantages of a Web office include:

  • Dependency on reliable Internet connectivity to ensure that content is accessible
  • The need for a high-speed broadband connection, which could be a problem for some participants with slow Internet connections
  • Sometimes a subscription charge for the service is applied.
  • Users have no control over the software version used.
  • The security and privacy of sensitive documents is at the control of the Web office service provider, not the user.

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