Introduction 

Podio is another contender in the battle for cloud-based productivity suites. Where it differs is the users ability to develop own “apps” to customize it to their individual needs. This in my view is extremely powerful as most platforms impose their system on the users – Podio does it the other way round.

Podio lives in the cloud so integration of other cloud services seem natural and it does not fall short:

• Google Docs
• Dropbox
• Box
• Skydrive
• Evernote
• Instapaper
• RSS
• Freshbooks
• Zendesk
• Twitter

Existing resources in of these services can hence be leveraged quickly and easily.

App Store

Podio offers an „app“ store as well where various preconfigured apps can be imported into your own workspaces. The range of apps is already extensive: CRM, sales, project management, intranet, ticketing, task management – all covered and constantly extended by the growing customer base. Of course dedicated solutions for say CRM do have the one or another feature more, but the real strength though is this: Want another label or checkbox? Just add it yourself. Want a different language? Change the app yourself. It even imports your existing excel files and gets you up and running quickly.

The time I have been following Podio and playing around with it I noticed constant development, regular updates and a sensible addition of features. For instance in the very beginning I was unable to share only a part of an internal project with an external consultant. I did not take long and Podio Share was released allowing you to share single projects and tasks with anyone even outside Podio.

For mobile access there are native apps for IOS (Iphone and Ipad), Android. Dealing with Podio is less like trying to become a MS Project Professional but rather like updating your social network.

The only feature I am missing are workflows. You cannot define the routing of documents or design approval processes. There are only checkboxes available which can be turned on/off anytime. If that feature would be implemented as well Podio would have a killer offering. Watch out Yammer !

As Podio is free for a couple of users I highly recommend to give it a try. It might be one of the better decisions.

Verdict

What I think is great

– ability to develop own apps
– availability of mobile apps (IOS, Android)
– wide range of cloud services supported
– steady development with careful addition of features

What I am missing is:

– Workflows