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The multiplication of emails and document sharing on a file server makes us counterproductive. In order to facilitate remote collaborative work, CEO-Vision offers a digital workplace platform based on established Open Source technologies. Christopher Potter, President and Founder, explains the strength of the concept.
How was the idea for GoFAST Digital Workplace born ?
Christopher Potter : Companies can no longer work with the obsolete file server and hundreds of emails a day. These habits, which have lasted for 30 years, are not very productive now. We lose versions, we take risks by storing sensitive files in our messaging system ... Therefore, we wanted to provide an integrated solution, designed for "use" but not a "suite of diverse applications". The GoFAST platform is a work environment that unifies document management, Teams or Slack type chat, web conferencing, workrooms, as well as an efficient search engine to not get lost among hundreds of thousands of documents. We offer a digitization of processes to better collaborate using a powerful workflow engine.
Your technology is based on Open Source. Why did you make this choice?
Christopher Potter : Open Source is free software, for example like Android or Firefox, whose sources are open to contribution. We have brought together the best of open source technologies into GoFAST to deliver a very powerful product. Without it, in Europe, we would not have been able to finance such a platform. We have less capital consumption, and this concept allows us to offer very competitive prices. Security is also enhanced: our customers can audit source files, which is impossible with proprietary licensed software. Open Source is a guarantee of independence and sustainability, unlike large software publishers who regularly abandon products.
What is your strength against GAFAM ?
Christopher Potter : First, data privacy. Our customers choose where they want to host their data, they control everything. GoFAST is operated either in their own data center or a sovereign cloud that is not subject to the "Cloud Act", that is hosted in France by companies with French or European capital. Also, our platform is dedicated to our users. It is integrated, there is no juggling between applications, and it meets all expectations, from the management of collaborative documents, tasks, visios, to electronic signature.
How has the digital workplace market changed since the health crisis ?
Christopher Potter : The pandemic and the democratization of teleworking have accelerated the overall growth of the sector. However, 2020 was a classic year of growth for us (+ 45%) because many companies panicked because of tools, rather than a complete platform. When we are not prepared, we go to what we know and the GAFAM have succeeded. We must enter a second phase, of consolidation, and try to group these tools for better homogeneity and security.
What are the other challenges in the sector ?
Christopher Potter : Not many people are aware of the current issues. For example, people may not know that Zoom will be under US Federal Trade Administration surveillance for 20 years due to the security and privacy issues in April 2020. There is a lack of user education. People are unaware that other safer solutions exist for collaborative work. The public sector is enlightening on the subject, it is trying to initiate a sovereign approach, to encourage European products against GAFAM, but it is more difficult in the private sector. Now Europe must react so as not to lose the digital battle against the American, Chinese or Indian giants.
Ref : Zoom lied to users about end-to-end encryption for years, FTC says | Ars Technica