Introducing Collabio Spaces: Cloudless Co-Authoring for Enhanced Data Control

Collabio Spaces is a novel office suite application offering a unique approach to document co-authoring. It distinguishes itself by eliminating the need for cloud storage, providing a solution for users prioritizing data security and change tracking.

Peer-to-Peer Collaboration: A New Paradigm

This P2P software allows multiple users to co-edit documents directly, either from a mobile device or desktop computer. This bypasses the risks associated with uploading sensitive data to cloud services, such as those offered by Google Docs, and avoids the complexities of managing changes through email exchanges.

Expanding Horizons: Internet-Based Collaboration

Collabio’s development roadmap includes extending collaboration capabilities beyond local networks. A significant update, scheduled for release next month, will introduce P2P collaboration functionality over the internet, maintaining data privacy by avoiding remote server involvement.

Platform Availability and Future Expansion

Currently, Collabio’s app is available exclusively for MacOS and iOS. However, the developers, XCDS, are actively working on Android and Windows versions, with a projected release timeframe within this year.

Supported File Formats and Additional Features

The application currently supports a range of common text formats, including DOCX, ODT, XLSX, and ODS. Beyond co-authoring, Collabio offers features like camera-based text and image recognition, PDF annotation with audio comments, digital signatures for documents and PDFs, and presentation viewing.

The Team Behind Collabio

XCDS, headquartered in London, U.K., with a research and development center in Prague, Czech Republic, has been dedicated to office tool development for approximately seven years. CTO Egor Goroshko views Collabio as a distinct startup venture within the company.

Funding and Future Development

The app is currently funded by private investors, with plans to seek further investment to accelerate development and capitalize on growing product momentum.

Addressing the Remote Work Revolution

The surge in remote work, particularly over the past year, has highlighted the need for improved collaboration and productivity tools. Collabio aims to address this demand by offering a secure and efficient solution, overcoming workflow barriers created by geographically dispersed teams.

Origins and Development Philosophy

The Collabio team includes developers who previously worked on Quickoffice but chose not to join Google during the 2012 acquisition. They focused on enhancing the user experience surrounding document collaboration, ultimately launching their P2P document collaboration product last fall.

A Gradual Approach to Feature Implementation

“When we started with Collabio, we were prepared for a long-term commitment,” explains Goroshko. “We recognized the need to implement features familiar to office suite users before introducing our own innovative ideas.”

Seamless Cloudless Collaboration

“In essence, our cloudless collaboration functions identically to a cloud-based system,” Goroshko continues. “The primary difference lies in the connection method, but the user experience remains consistent.”

Early Adoption and User Feedback

Since its launch, Collabio has garnered nearly 15,000 installs and valuable user feedback, informing ongoing improvements and feature development. The team intensified marketing efforts in February 2021, acquiring over one thousand users during that month.

Key Distinctions of P2P Cloudless Collaboration

There are notable differences between Collabio’s P2P approach and traditional upload-to-server collaboration methods.

Managing Document Access and Availability

One key difference is the limited, on-demand access to the document during co-authoring. This can be advantageous for maintaining strict control over collaborative access to sensitive data.

“Ad-Hoc Collaboration” and Occasional Updates

“We refer to cloudless collaborative editing as ‘Ad-Hoc collaboration’,” Goroshko notes. “Without a cloud, peers don’t have constant access, making it ideal for occasional document discussions and updates.”

Data Ownership and Security

Another crucial aspect is that the shared document remains solely on the owner’s device, with copies only savable by the owner, at least initially. Collaborators have session access but do not receive file transfers.

Local Network Connectivity and AirDrop Analogy

Given the local network operation, Collabio doesn’t require an internet connection for collaboration, offering utility in situations with unreliable connectivity, such as during business travel.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Integration

For local P2P connectivity, Collabio utilizes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth “to achieve better discovering quality,” similar to AirDrop technology. Wi-Fi is then used for faster and higher-quality data exchange.

Inspired by Apple’s “It Just Works” Philosophy

Goroshko states that Collabio’s team draws inspiration from Apple’s technology and its commitment to seamless user experiences. They are dedicated to extending the product’s availability to non-Apple platforms later this year.

Ambitious Goals and Market Opportunities

“It is a large, complex, and ambitious project, but we believe we can introduce game-changing approaches,” Goroshko asserts. “The office software market is conservative, with high expectations for new software. However, this creates significant opportunities.”

Efficiency Gains Through Ground-Up Development

Collabio’s development from scratch, with collaborative editing as a core principle, has enabled efficiency gains compared to suites that added collaboration as an afterthought. This allows for collaborative editing algorithms to operate with minimal resource consumption, even on mobile devices.

Collaboration Session Capacity

A Collabio user can host a collaboration session with up to five peers simultaneously on a mobile device, with desktops supporting more connections. All participants can edit the document concurrently.

Initiating and Joining Collaboration Sessions

“You launch a collaboration session with a honeycomb icon, and nearby devices with the Collabio Spaces app display shared documents,” Goroshko explains. “It functions similarly to AirDrop or AirPlay, requiring a security code for access.”

Security Measures and Encryption

P2P connections are encrypted using “standard end-to-end encryption,” with additional measures to facilitate trusted connections within local networks. Further security enhancements are planned for the future.

A Note of Caution: Security Considerations

As with any new and independently untested product, users should exercise caution and carefully consider the sensitivity of their data before using Collabio for co-editing purposes.

Potential for Growth in the Remote Work Landscape

The startup anticipates significant growth driven by the increasing demand for smarter remote work solutions.

Focus on Teamwork and Collaboration

“Our goal is to create an editor specifically designed for teamwork, helping people maximize the benefits of collaboration,” says Goroshko. “Collaboration offers numerous advantages but requires effort to synchronize and manage.”

Competitive Landscape and Positioning

“We identify two main types of competitors: traditional office suites like MS Office, Google Docs, and Libre Office, and newer entrants like Notion or Airtable,” Goroshko adds. “We don’t see ourselves as direct competitors to the former due to their extensive feature sets, but rather as a bridge between them and the latter.”

Pricing and Trial Availability

Collabio Suites requires a subscription, but a free trial version is available for up to one week. A free usage option is also offered, allowing users to view and edit documents as peers without hosting a collaboration session.

May Release: Expanding Utility with Internet-Based P2P

The upcoming release in May promises to significantly expand Collabio’s utility by enabling P2P collaboration over the internet, without relying on a remote server.

Operations Transformation Algorithm for Data Consistency

This functionality will be powered by an Operations Transformation algorithm, ensuring document consistency during co-editing without requiring true real-time operations.

Guaranteed Consistency, Even with Delays

“Regardless of what co-editors type, they will all have the same content in the end,” Goroshko explains. “The algorithm ensures that changes are synchronized, even with delays, maintaining consistency regardless of cloud or cloudless mode.”