One ‘Mindful’ Way to Stay Organized in the Cloud
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Web-connected workers don’t just need first-rate collaboration tools–they must also navigate a sprawl of online business apps and shared documents without losing their heads in the cloud.
wants to help. The Marina del Rey, Calif.-based collaborative software firm recently introduced a web-enabled mind-mapping application called TeamBrain. It lets users store, categorize and share project-related information–documents, notes, images, web links, contacts and even calendar alerts–through a visual mind map.
What it does: TeamBrain is an extension of the company’s TheBrain desktop app, which links ideas, tasks and other data visually. Users start with a topic and link it to a succession of subthoughts, ideas, files and reference materials to make a so-called “mind map” of complex business problems. With TeamBrain, personal maps can be published, shared and synced with others via an account on .
The software, which includes access to WebBrain’s online services, starts at $300 per annual subscription.
Good thinking: We found the TeamBrain functionality to be a handy way to show the subtle relationships between information. It easily linked simple notes, images, PowerPoint presentations, e-mail addresses–the list goes on–to individual thoughts, tasks, projects and business goals, all grouped in a way that wouldn’t be possible with basic computer directories and websites.
Mind-altering: Though it looks cool–and it’s fun and easy to make the maps–a lot of effort and buy-in from all team members is required to keep TeamBrain thinking straight.
Bottom line: Tough call. TeamBrain is a fast on-ramp to building a web collaboration environment, so collaboration-savvy shops should like it. But to make the purchase pay off, a business would really need to commit to maintaining the tool.
For some, TeamBrain could prove more mind-bending than it’s worth.
Web-connected workers don’t just need first-rate collaboration tools–they must also navigate a sprawl of online business apps and shared documents without losing their heads in the cloud.
wants to help. The Marina del Rey, Calif.-based collaborative software firm recently introduced a web-enabled mind-mapping application called TeamBrain. It lets users store, categorize and share project-related information–documents, notes, images, web links, contacts and even calendar alerts–through a visual mind map.
What it does: TeamBrain is an extension of the company’s TheBrain desktop app, which links ideas, tasks and other data visually. Users start with a topic and link it to a succession of subthoughts, ideas, files and reference materials to make a so-called “mind map” of complex business problems. With TeamBrain, personal maps can be published, shared and synced with others via an account on .
