Content Circles uses a hybrid "private cloud"/peer-to-peer (P2P) distributed network architecture to ensure that only authorized users can ever access the shared content. Content is automatically encrypted and replicated among users computers so everyone always has access to the latest content, even when offline. Content Circles does not store content in the “public cloud”; instead, Content Circles supports a “private cloud” setup that automatically backs up all content and facilitates content exchange between online and offline users. This hybrid “private cloud”/P2P architecture ensures complete privacy, security and control.
To get started with Content Circles, you must register your e-mail address first and then download and install Content Circles software on your Mac or Windows PC. Typically, you receive an invitation to do so from another Content Circles user. However, you can also register on Content Circles web site.
To create a Circle, you simply click on the Create Circle button in the application, give the Circle a name, invite people you want to invite to that Circle (type in e-mail addresses), assign either a collaborator or a reader role to each invitee, and copy whatever files you want to share with those invitees. If an invitee already has Content Circles software installed, the invitee is notified within the software and can accept the Circle. If an invitee is new to Content Circles, then that invitee receives an invitation email to download and install the application first to receive the Circle. In either case, the invitee becomes a member of the Circle after receiving it.
Content Circles provides all of the basic content management functionality, or what Gartner Research refers to as Basic Content Services (BCS) – access control, versioning, check-in, check-out, search, backup, recovery. But the key difference is that Content Circles provides this functionality for managing distributed content, that is, content that resides on multiple networked computers. For instance, when you share a file, you simply copy it to a Circle and it immediately gets replicated across all Circle members’ computers. When the file is modified, a new version of the file automatically gets created and sent to every member of that Circle. Similarly, if the file is deleted from the Circle, the file automatically gets deleted from all members’ computers as well. In essence, Content Circles helps you keep everyone literally always on the same page while retaining complete control over that page!
Content Circles helps you keep track of your content in three ways. Email notifications are delivered to each member when the content of a Circle changes based on their user and Circle level preferences. Status indicators are displayed for unread updates within the application. Lastly, Content Status on the members tab shows the activities of other members of the Circle for each file.
Content Circles relies on peer-to-peer content exchange, which means content can only be exchanged between Circle members when they are online at the same time. For content exchange between online and offline users, workgroups can setup a Private Team Cloud, which automatically backs up all content and makes it always available. With this setup, you continue to maintain complete privacy and control of your content without having to post it to some external, hosted site.
Content Circles supports out-of-the-box integration with Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems such as Microsoft SharePoint, Xerox DocuShare and Alfresco Enterprise. With this integration, a Content Circles user can access content from an ECM system and securely share it in a Circle with others who do not have access to the same ECM system. As content gets reviewed and changed in the Circle, Content Circles keeps track of the changes and lets the user know when the content in the Circle is out of sync with the ECM system. The user can then push the changes back to the ECM system with a single click.