7.1 Identification of online collaboration tools

Online collaboration tools let people who are in different places work on the same task at the same time, or one after another, through the internet. An ICT technician is usually the person who recommends these tools, installs them, sets up user accounts and supports staff when a meeting or shared file fails. Choosing the right tool depends on what the team needs to do: talk, share files, edit documents together or keep track of a project. Example: the ICT office of a TVET institution in Nyeri supports lecturers who teach some classes online, hold department meetings by video and share timetables and marks sheets in shared folders.

7.1.1 Definition of online collaboration

Online collaboration is the use of internet-based services to let two or more people communicate, share information and work together on a common task without needing to be in the same room. An online collaboration tool is the software or web service that makes this possible, such as a video meeting platform, a shared file store or a team messaging workspace. These tools combine several functions: real-time communication (voice, video, chat), file sharing and storage, simultaneous editing of documents, task and calendar sharing, and access control that decides who can see or change each item.

Collaboration can be synchronous, where everyone takes part at the same time (a live video meeting or two people editing a spreadsheet together), or asynchronous, where members contribute at different times (comments left on a shared document or messages in a team channel). Most tools are delivered as cloud services, so the data is held on the provider's servers and reached through a web browser, a desktop application or a mobile app.

Example: the procurement officer and the ICT technician of a county government office both open the same shared spreadsheet of computer equipment requests. One types the quantities while the other adds the specifications, and each sees the other's changes within seconds, although they sit in different buildings.

7.1.2 Importance of online collaboration

Online collaboration tools have become part of normal office work because they reduce the need for travel, paper and repeated copies of the same file. For an organisation, they make it possible to keep working when staff are away from the office, at another branch or working from home. For an ICT technician, understanding their value helps in advising management on which tools are worth paying for and supporting.

Benefits of online collaboration

• Saves time and travel costs: meetings that once needed staff to travel to a head office can be held by video, saving fares, allowances and hours on the road.
• Real-time teamwork: several people can edit one document at once, so a report is finished faster and there is no confusion about which copy is the latest.
• Access from anywhere: files stored in the cloud can be opened from an office computer, a laptop at home or a smartphone in the field, provided there is an internet connection.
• Better record keeping: chats, shared files and meeting recordings stay available, so decisions can be traced and new staff can catch up on past work.
• Version history and recovery: most tools keep earlier versions of a file, so a mistake or accidental deletion can be undone.
• Reduced paper use: documents are shared and signed off electronically instead of being printed and circulated by hand.
• Inclusion of remote members: staff at a satellite campus or a branch office can take part in meetings and decisions on equal terms with those at head office.

Example: a small internet service provider in Nakuru uses a shared folder and a team chat channel for its field technicians, who upload photos of completed installations from their phones so that the office can confirm the work and bill the customer the same day.

7.1.3 Factors to consider when choosing an online collaboration tool

No single tool suits every organisation. Before recommending a tool, the ICT technician should compare the options against the organisation's needs, budget and existing systems, and test the shortlisted tools with a few users. A poor choice wastes licence money and leads staff to fall back on personal accounts, which puts the organisation's data at risk.

Purpose and features

The tool must do what the team needs: video meetings, chat, file storage, document co-editing, task tracking or a combination of these. Check the maximum number of meeting participants, the meeting time limit, whether meetings can be recorded and whether screen sharing and breakout rooms are available.

Cost and licensing

Compare free plans with paid plans, the price per user per month or year and what is lost on the free plan (for example time limits on group meetings or limited message history). Payment methods matter too: some providers accept local card or mobile money payments through resellers, others only international cards.

Compatibility and integration

The tool should run on the operating systems and devices staff already use (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web browser) and work with existing systems such as the organisation's email and office suite. A tool that integrates with the email and calendar already in use saves a lot of support time.

Security and privacy

Look for encryption of data in transit and at rest, two-step verification, administrator controls over who can join meetings or share files externally, and where the data is stored. Under Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019, an organisation that handles personal data must protect it, so the tool's privacy terms should be read before student or customer records are placed in it.

Bandwidth and connectivity

Video meetings use a lot of data. In areas with weak or expensive internet, choose a tool that adjusts video quality automatically, allows audio-only participation and has a good mobile app.

Ease of use and support

Staff should be able to join a meeting or open a shared file with little training. Check the availability of help documentation, vendor support and the ease of administration for the ICT office.

Storage capacity and scalability

Check how much storage each user or the whole organisation gets and whether the tool can grow as more users and departments join.

7.1.4 Online collaboration tools

Several well-known services are used for online collaboration. Some are mainly for meetings, some for file storage and sharing, and some for team messaging. Many organisations use two or three of them together, for example a meeting tool, a cloud drive and a chat workspace.

7.1.4.1 Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform from Microsoft that brings chat, video meetings, calls, file sharing and shared apps into one workspace. Users are grouped into teams, and each team has channels for different subjects, for example a "Network Support" channel within an "ICT Department" team. Files shared in a channel are stored in SharePoint and personal files in OneDrive, so several people can edit the same Word, Excel or PowerPoint file inside Teams at the same time.

Teams is included in many Microsoft 365 business and education plans and also has a free version for personal use and small groups with limits on meeting length and participants. It runs as a desktop app on Windows and macOS, as a mobile app on Android and iOS, and in a web browser.

Common uses: scheduled and instant meetings with screen sharing and recording, group and one-to-one chat, shared calendars, assignments in the education version, and adding apps such as Planner for task lists.

Example: the ICT technician of a TVET college creates a team for each department, adds the lecturers, and sets up a channel per class so that notes and announcements are posted in one place instead of on personal phone groups.

7.1.4.2 Skype

Skype was one of the first widely used internet calling services. It offered free voice and video calls between Skype users, instant messaging, file sending, screen sharing and paid calls to ordinary phone numbers using Skype Credit. Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 and later offered Skype for Business for organisations, which was replaced by Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft retired the consumer Skype service in May 2025. Users were able to sign in to Microsoft Teams (free) with the same Microsoft account and keep their chats and contacts, or export their data. A technician today therefore meets Skype mainly in older documentation, old company procedures and devices that still have the app installed.

Points for the technician:

• Advise users still relying on Skype to move to Teams or another supported tool, because a retired service receives no security updates.
• Help users export old chat history and contacts where they need them for records.
• Uninstall the old Skype application from office computers as part of software clean-up.

Example: a small accounts office still has a written procedure that tells staff to "call the supplier on Skype". The ICT technician updates the procedure to use Teams and moves the office's contacts.

7.1.4.3 Google Drive

Google Drive is Google's cloud storage service. Each Google account gets 15 GB of free storage, shared between Drive, Gmail and Google Photos, and more can be bought through a Google One plan or provided by a Google Workspace subscription. Files can be uploaded from a computer or phone, organised in folders and opened from any device signed in to the account.

Drive works together with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms, which allow several people to edit the same file at once. Each change is saved automatically and recorded in version history. Files and folders are shared by entering a person's email address or by creating a link, with three main access levels: Viewer, Commenter and Editor. Shared drives in Google Workspace let a team own files together, so the files are not lost when one member leaves.

Common uses: sharing reports and forms, collecting data through Google Forms, backing up phone photos of work done, and co-editing documents.

Example: a hardware and computer repair shop in Eldoret keeps its job cards in a shared Google Sheet. The front desk records each machine received, and the technician updates the repair status from a phone in the workshop.

7.1.4.4 Zoom

Zoom is a video meeting platform known for handling large meetings and online classes well, even on modest internet connections. A host schedules a meeting and shares a link or a meeting ID and passcode; participants join from the Zoom app or a web browser. Features include screen sharing, chat, breakout rooms, hand raising, polls, a waiting room, recording to the computer or the cloud, and virtual backgrounds.

Zoom offers a free plan with a time limit on meetings (40 minutes at the time of writing) and paid plans that remove the limit, add cloud recording and allow more participants. Zoom Webinars and Zoom Events are used for large public sessions where most attendees only watch.

Security settings the technician should know: waiting room, meeting passcodes, allowing only authenticated users to join, locking a meeting once all participants are in, and controlling who may share their screen.

Example: an ICT training centre runs evening online classes on Zoom. The technician sets each class with a waiting room and passcode, and creates breakout rooms so that small groups can practise configuring routers while the trainer moves between rooms.

7.1.4.5 Google Meet

Google Meet is Google's video meeting service. It runs in a web browser without installing software, and also as a mobile app. Meetings can be started from meet.google.com, from Gmail or from a Google Calendar event, which adds a meeting link to the invitation automatically.

With a free Google account, one-to-one calls can run for a long time while group meetings of three or more people have a time limit (60 minutes at the time of writing). Google Workspace plans remove this limit and add recording, more participants, attendance tracking and breakout rooms, depending on the edition. Features include screen sharing (presenting), live captions, chat, hand raising, background blur and adjusting video quality to the connection.

Example: the ICT technician of a manufacturing company in Thika books a weekly Google Meet with the company's software vendor in Calendar. The meeting link is in the invitation, so the vendor's staff and the company's users join with one click.

7.1.4.6 Slack

Slack is a team messaging platform. Work is organised in a workspace, which contains channels for teams, projects or topics, plus direct messages between individuals. Messages can be threaded so that a discussion does not fill the whole channel, and files, links and code snippets can be shared and searched later. Huddles provide quick audio or video conversations, and Slack Connect lets an organisation share a channel with an outside partner.

Slack integrates with many other services, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, calendars and ticketing systems, so notifications from these systems appear in channels. The free plan limits message and file history (90 days at the time of writing) and some features, while paid plans keep full history and add administration controls.

Example: a software support company in Nairobi uses a Slack channel for each client. When a client's server monitoring raises an alert, it is posted automatically in the channel and the technician on duty acknowledges it in a thread.