Cotap, a company focused on bringing mobile messaging to the enterprise, has launched its iOS app. With this release, business users can have quick and easy conversations with their colleagues just like they would have with services like GroupMe, WhatsApp, and TextPlus.
Started by Yammer’s former Chief Product Officer Jim Patterson and its senior director of engineering Zack Parker, Cotap certainly has the right experience on board to target the enterprise. In fact, one could say that it’s part of a growing number of companies trying to take the consumerization of IT to a whole new level — just look at what Tomfoolery is doing with its Anchor app.
Patterson says that a “company-wide mobile messaging system increases collaboration and depends workplace relationships simply by leveraging the device in everyone’s pockets.” Cotap’s iOS app offers employees features like one-to-one and group messaging, a crowdsourced company address book, email interoperability, and the ability to “message a meeting”.
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So what makes this so different than using something like Google Talk, WhatsApp, Skype, iMessage, or a slew of other messaging services? Perhaps it is made specifically for the enterprise, while the more mainstream products are primarily geared for consumer use. Many businesses seek technologies with enterprise-specific security and reliability, which are strengths that CoTap is aiming to play to.
One could look at recent issues with Google Talk and Hangouts as issues why consumer-focused products aren’t necessarily suitable for the workplace, or perhaps any complications with iMessage that might be looked at unfavorably by companies. Cotap’s advantage in these situations could be that it’s more secure and reliable specifically for the needs of the enterprise.
Users can download Cotap for free on iOS devices. An Android version is in the works. The company also says that it plans to release another product to cater towards organizations of various sizes and industries. As part of this effort, Cotap will include premium features such as user and device management, analytics, and even integration with the business’ IT system.
Photo credit: MEHDI FEDOUACH/AFP/Getty Images
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