SmallBizResource Blog -- Productivity

An Easy Way To Share Excel Spreadsheets

Posted by Gayle Kesten Monday, Mar 10, 2008, 09:30 AM ET

Life's what happens while you're making plans. And as it turns out, the same applies to business.

EXpresso is the latest company I've spoken to that was founded for a very different reason than it operates today. Just two years ago, the Menlo Park, Calif., company designed a Web-based platform to help a client badly in need of tracking its inventory. From there, eXpresso CEO and startup veteran George Langan hoped to bring the solution to the broader market, but had no luck getting funding from VCs, and large manufacturers said they were already happy with their supply-chain software from the likes of IBM and SAP.

"In December 2006 I thought the world was over and no one wanted the product," Langan said, joking that he thought the lack of interest meant his best days were behind him.

But a VP at an electronics manufacturer liked the way Langan's platform allowed handled Excel spreadsheets -- and brought him back from the edge. By the summer, eXpresso put into public beta a hosted spreadsheet management application that lets you post, share and edit Excel files uploaded to its server. Some features to know:

If you're ready to hit the road or prefer using your own desktop version of Excel (maybe you have some shortcut keystrokes you rely on), you can download an add-on that lets you work offline. The file becomes locked on the eXpresso server until you're done.

Sign-up involves the one-time download and activation of an MS Office Web component -- no big deal (yes, I did it). The basic application, which lets you upload up to five Excel files, is free, but for added functionality and the ability to upload as many files as you want, eXpresso last week debuted a Pro version of its software that costs $79 per year per user, or $15 per month per user. You can compare the offerings here.

By month's end, eXpresso will work within WebEx's and Salesforce's online platforms, Langan said. By the summer, the solution will extend to PowerPoint, and early next year, Word.

Let me know if you think eXpresso's application could be useful to your business.

Productivity

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