Business Collaboration Using Excel

March 11, 2007 9:52 AM

Business collaboration help - how to share an Excel file so that multiple users can edit it simultaneously without being on the same network???

I'm looking for a way to share a Microsoft Excel File so that different employees (not on the same network and separated by hundreds of miles) can all access one copy of the file and edit it simultaneously. I've got a networked version that alllows people at the main office to access it and allow multiple people to edit the file at once, but for the life of me I cannot figure out a good system to share it both securely and cheaply outside the network. To date, I've tried LogMeIn Hamachi (no good)...any help would be greatly appreciated!

posted by roundrock to education (7 comments total)

Google Docs can import and securely share XLS.
posted by jayCampbell at 10:03 AM on March 11, 2007

Xcellery ?
posted by jmnugent at 10:07 AM on March 11, 2007

Server-side Sharepoint.
posted by meehawl at 11:09 AM on March 11, 2007

Ditto the Google Docs recommendation. My partners and I use it all the time when working on forecasts and brainstorming budgets.
posted by phixed at 11:20 AM on March 11, 2007

Third google docs.
posted by JamesToast at 11:36 AM on March 11, 2007

At work, we use zoho.com's spreadsheet app over google's because zoho has a better privacy policy. As meehawl suggests, Excel services in SharePoint is fantastic--the best online spreadsheet I've used and has great security features--but requires the purchase of a SharePoint Server and setting it up to be accessed over the web.

Other option would to a use a source code control system--but again there would be some admin in setting up a repository.
posted by sexymofo at 11:48 AM on March 11, 2007

Google Docs would work great. If you can't do that or would rather stick with Excel, have you considered a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
posted by SuperNova at 1:24 PM on March 11, 2007