OpenGoo: An Open Source Answer To Google Apps

What's not to like about Google Apps? It has a ton of features, it's incredibly easy to collaborate with other people, and it's free. Well, how about the fact that your data is only as accessible as Google decides to make it? If you're looking for the usefulness of a Web-based collection of office apps but want complete control over your data, OpenGoo might be just the answer you're looking for.

OpenGoo is free and open source server-side software with a collection of apps that are perfect for small businesses. It includes a word processor, task lists, calendaring, an address book, and an email client. A hosted option is also available for various monthly fees, depending on your storage needs and number of users.

I took a demo of OpenGoo for a test spin and it performed really well. I made lists of tasks, complete with nested sub-tasks, then easily assigned them to my imaginary friends. Documents were easy to create and edit, and even included a revision tracker. I used the timesheet feature to track time spent on various projects I made up and then used it to generate various custom reports. The email portion of the suite is still in beta, but looks like it will be very useful once it sees its first release.

A resource like Google Apps may seem like an easier choice for collaborative office applications, but some businesses can't or won't risk their company's data to resource it can't fully control. OfficeGoo lets users enjoy the functionality of other popular office apps without worrying it will one day be inaccessible or, worse yet, disappear altogether.