Cyn.in is a new Adobe AIR-based Enterprise 2.0 collaboration suite from Cynapse. Cyn.in connects an organization’s resources working on the same project with the organization’s collective knowledge, seamlessly. Cyn.in helps different teams build collaborative knowledge by sharing and discussing information through a unified application that is accessible through a web-based interface as well as a rich desktop client. It combines the features of different cooperation tools like wikis, blogs, twitter, file repositories, and instant discussions into one platform.

Cyn.in is distributed open source but can also be purchased on demand or as an enterprise appliance. Individual users are allowed to deploy the cyn.in open source appliance on their network or infrastructure to test, evaluate, customize and improve it. The on-demand application is hosted, managed and upgraded by Cynapse. Similarly, the Enterprise Appliance Edition of cyn.in is designed for businesses looking at cyn.in to manage highly sensitive content behind their firewall. It is also remotely supported, managed and upgraded by Cynapse.

The desktop client of cyn.in is intended to improve communication and collaboration within teams as well as between them through its real-time "Activity Stream" of events. This makes communication both quick and easy.

Talking in detail about the desktop client of cyn.in, Sarah Perez wrote in her blog New from Cynapse: Activity Streams on the Company Desktop at Read Write Web, “If you're thinking cyn.in's desktop client is just another Twitter clone for the enterprise, think again. The software is designed to integrate with the company's group collaboration suite, which includes wikis, blogs, and file repositories. When an item on one of those sites is updated, everyone is alerted through the desktop client. These aren't personal tweets - they're notifications.

What's even better is that you can click on the notification in the Activity Stream to see all the relevant details. If the item was an image, for example, you can preview it or download the original. For blog posts and wiki pages, you can click to read the item that was updated. Plus, you can download any files that have been added straight from the Activity Stream to your desktop.

The client also includes a threaded discussions feature. Any item in the stream can be commented on, whether it's an automated update or a personal status update. The replies can be viewed in a pop-up sidebar to the right of the original Activity Stream, just as with photos, wikis, and blog updates. When someone comments on an item, it bubbles up to the top so everyone is immediately alerted. When you need to find something that had been posted before and has since fallen off the page, you can enter in a query straight into the desktop client itself. The results returned are ranked for you according to the percentage match and you can scroll through them just as you can with the Activity Stream. ”

Besides Activity Stream, integrated search and threaded discussion users are also provided with one click status messages.

The cooperative information management system employed in cyn.in brings together the ideas of

• Document and knowledge management within an organization.
• Information and files sharing.
• Knowledge and data transfer.
• Content publishing.
• Personal information management.

Cyn.in employes a concept of Spaces and Notes for storage and retrieval of data and files. In the cyn.in application, information can be stored in four different locations named Personal Space, Shared Space, Intranet Space and Web Space. Each space has its own distinct rules regarding authorization and functionality. Information and files in cyn.in are stored together in a common container format called a Note. A user may create any number of notes but only one note can reside in a space at a time.

The core features of cyn.in identified in the v2 release are:

• An integrated WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Word Processor.
• Facility for editing and creation of HTML content tables.
• An integrated full text search (Supporting Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF Formats).
• RSS feed of contents and files.
• User-to-User collaboration and content editing based on granular rights.
• Ajax user interface based on access rights.
• A complete revision history of all contents and files is maintained.
• Public commenting access.
• Customizable change notifications through RSS and Mail.
• Sensible and easy-to-remember URLs.
• Multi-file upload option.
• Image resizing for preview and download.
• Gallery and Slideshow modes for viewing images.

Conclusion
The developer community is being attracted by the features and simplicity of Adobe AIR. Cyn.in has made another addition in the Customer Showcase of Adobe AIR. It proves the effectiveness and approval of AIR in Enterprise 2.0 arena.


References
Rob Christensen (2008). Adobe AIR powered cyn.in desktop fuses instant messengers and web based collaboration. Retrieved Dec. 30th, 2008 from blogs.adobe.com/air/2008/12/adobe_air_powered_cynin_deskto.html
Ryan Stewart (2008). Cyn.in - Adobe AIR in Enterprise 2.0 Retrieved Dec. 30th, 2008 from blog.digitalbackcountry.com/2008/12/cynin-adobe-air-in-enterprise-20/
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