If you’ve ever worked on a project that you just couldn’t finish by yourself, then you understand the need for a niche collaboration network. We’ve all asked coworkers for help, or sought advice from experts, these are just a few examples of collaboration.
These days, there are plenty of collaboration networks and applications that allow you to get expert advice from colleagues and professionals all over the globe. Still, there are just a few optimized to the needs of a specific industry. Might you be the one to create it?
Keep reading to discover more about collaboration networks and why developing one as a SaaS solution is a viable investment idea.
Collaboration Platform as a Service
A collaboration network is a group of autonomous people and organizations, using a computer network as a platform, that work together and share resources, like information. The individuals and organizations that make up the network may be located in different places geographically and may have a variety of professional backgrounds. Businesses create collaboration networks with other businesses and individuals to get a competitive advantage in certain niche markets, business, or technology.
In part, collaboration networks are the result of advances in technology. Thanks to the connectability provided by the internet and applications, people all over the world can collaborate in ways that would have been impossible just a few decades ago.
Both a way to develop your business and expand your professional connections, collaboration networks offer a plethora of advantages and make a great idea for a startup.
An example of industry-specific collaboration network software (and also a startup idea already generating good return on investment) is Gopher Leads, created for sales professionals. A collaboration tool designed by ITM House, a startup product development company allows companies to mobilize and motivate sales experts to collaborate on everything from sales leads to insights on the competition. What’s more, users of the collaborative network saw their sales grow by 221%, thus validating the need in niche-specific collaboration platforms.
Collaborative Software Trends
Networking hardware is a thing of the past and networking software has gotten rid of barriers to entry that collaboration network startups used to face. With current technology, even small IT startups have a chance to break through the networking market and make a big splash. This year’s trends give collaboration startups a unique opportunity to get ahead of the game and compete with big networking companies. If you’re looking to start a niche collaboration network this year, here are the trends you should pay attention to.
AI
One of this year’s hot topics is artificial intelligence and its impact on business intelligence. Advanced analytics is improving automation in leaps and bounds, while prediction-based AI lets the network make independent routing choices. This kind of networking includes cloud platforms, intent-based networking, and remote user access.
Interoperability
Another important trend for collaboration networks is interoperability with all networks and infrastructure. These days, interoperability is a must. Since a network’s infrastructure is the foundation for all other added features, all components must work together seamlessly.
Open Source
Collaboration startups can use open source technologies to build their own solutions. Today, people tend to get over the logo addiction, realizing that just because the software/hardware they purchased has a brand name on it doesn’t mean it’s special or not replicable. A small IT team can develop software that would be just as good as the one produced by a big-name vendor, so using open source tools to develop your program’s interoperability is a better choice in the long run.
A lot of networking startups are using reliable, tried-and-true networking tech and simply adding something of their own to change up the network. Current startups are using new, innovative methods to mix old tech with new functions, from DNS to WAN and beyond.
Final Thoughts
Companies and organizations can use collaboration networks to gain a competitive advantage in their specific niche. Of course, to create a winning product, you should focus on the industry you fully understand. Your goal should be to address the unique pains of end users and let them reach their goals with the help of your SaaS solution. This is something that makes niche-specific platforms for collaboration outperform well-established collaborative software tools. This is something that gives changes for your startup to scale up.
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, 2020 will be a year of continued exploration and development in niche collaborative network, apps, and software. Make sure you cease the opportunity this trend provides.
