Outlook Synchronization, Drag-and-Drop File Capability and a User-Friendly Wiki Editor Makes Collaboration More Intuitive for Broader User Base

Qtask, the developer of a comprehensive and unified, SaaS-based collaboration and project management environment that adds transparency and accountability to everyday tasks, today announced an update to the Qtask platform. Designed to make integration with existing productivity tools even more intuitive, these enhancements include Outlook Synchronization, WebDAV support, a WYSIWYG wiki editor and compatibility with the most recent versions of the four most popular Web browsers.

"Qtask is at its most powerful and effective when it is easy to adopt and integrate throughout an entire organization, and each of these features has been added with that in mind," said Baron RK Von Wolfsheild, Chief Architect, CTO and co-founder of Qtask. "The beauty of being Web-based, is that we can stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and compatibilities, then roll them out instantly to our users."

The new Outlook plug-in enables users to sync their Outlook calendar with their global Qtask calendar and vice versa. By synching Outlook and Qtask calendars, users can ensure important meetings or deadlines aren’t missed. This feature helps users coordinate with other people within an organization or project such as vendors or clients, who may not be using Qtask yet while maintaining the communication history within the project. The Qtask Outlook plug-in allows Qtask features, such as the ability to assign a meeting to a specific project and to define meeting roles amongst attendees to appear in an Outlook meeting, while capturing the history of the meeting in Qtask. Access to Outlook email through Qtask and import of Outlook contacts were already available, as was access any email directly supporting IMAP.

In its latest update, Qtask has integrated support for WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning), enabling users to access and share files with drag-and-drop ease to and from Qtask via a network folder. For example, if Qtask users are utilizing the Windows operating system, they can simply add a Qtask folder to their Windows file manager, and then drag-and-drop multiple files from a local machine to Qtask, and vice versa. For further timesaving, this feature also makes it possible to print or upload files directly from a WebDAV-compatible copier or scanner. More importantly, WebDAV provides access to files located in Qtask that were previously inaccessible from an iPhone or other smartphones such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF. In addition to easy and mobile access to all important files, WebDAV provides a quick and effective way to upload and download multiple files while keeping key Qtask features such as version control, locking and history intact.

Another new Qtask feature that removes barriers to document collaboration and information sharing is the addition of a WYSIWYG editor for wikis within Qtask. Now it is easy to create and format wikis with this rich text editing interface without the use of wiki mark-up language. The new wiki interface provides common formatting tools similar to those in other popular word processing programs, making wiki creation more intuitive for a wider scope of individuals. Companies can leverage this simplified tool to build, share and archive institutional knowledge at every level of their organization. This wiki 2.0 feature also has a lock mechanism to avoid editing conflict.

Qtask is also one of the first such collaboration platforms compatible with the latest versions of all four leading browsers: Internet Explorer, FireFox, Chrome and Safari. Additionally, Qtask runs a system diagnostic each time a user logs into the system, informing users of browser updates and offering tips for optimal or fastest performance. Qtask even offers iQtask - a simplified or mobile interface - offering Qtask users the freedom to work on any PC or Mac when the connectivity is poor, or from any browser-enabled mobile device.

"Collaboration is more critical than ever in this economic climate as a means of reducing costs and increasing worker productivity. To ensure maximum adoption, new products and services need to integrate with existing tools and be accessible across entire organizations," said Mark Levitt, analyst, blogger, and business strategist for collaboration, social media and emerging emerging technologies. "Qtask's new features strike a welcome balance between integration with popular tools such as Outlook and introducing new capabilities such as drag-and-drop and WYSIWYG editing in intuitive ways that move people forward."

These new and enhanced features are available today in the latest version of Qtask, which will update seamlessly when Qtask users log into the site.

Girls in Tech, the premier social network enterprise focused on the empowerment of women in technology, today unveiled details of a partnership with Qtask, the developer of a unified collaboration and project management environment that increases productivity and eliminates the communication and organization problems that hinder successful results. Under terms of the agreement, Qtask will be the exclusive SaaS sponsor to the Girls in Tech (GIT) organization in exchange for speaking and co-marketing opportunities at GIT conferences, events and functions.

"Our organization has experienced rapid growth in the past few months, and we’ve been searching for a partner that could help us better communicate and collaborate across our 35 chapters. As the premier SaaS collaboration solution available today, Qtask was our first choice," said Adriana Gascoigne, founder, Girls in Tech. "We are excited to offer our members the best in collaboration and project management tools, which will enable us to work better as an organization and, in turn, reach more women interested in the field of technology."

With the partnership, Qtask will provide its collaboration and project management environment to the Girls in Tech staff and each of its 35 chapters globally, and will also be available to GIT members at a 20 percent discount. The partnership will also provide Qtask the opportunity to speak, exhibit and co-market at Girls in Tech’s numerous events, giving Qtask exposure to a diverse audience of technology professionals.

"Girls in Tech attracts the best and the brightest professionals interested in staying on the leading edge of technology and business to its events, so we are pleased to be partnered with such a top networking organization," said Russell Mix, CEO and co-founder of Qtask.

One of the primary goals in adopting Qtask is to streamline communications by moving away from a reliance on emails with attachments to a collaborative workspace that provides threaded discussions, file sharing and wikis. With Qtask’s support, Girls in Tech has already begun the process of staff training and implementing Qtask within their corporate management, transforming the way they work and get things done. Qualified Girls in Tech members can receive a 20% discount on a Qtask subscription by clicking on the Qtask banner on the Girls in Tech member site.

About Girls in Tech

Girls in Tech is a social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology. Founded in February 2007 by Adriana Gascoigne, Girls in Tech offers a variety of resources and tools for women to supplement and further enhance their professional careers and aspirations in technology, including educational workshops and lectures, networking functions, round table discussions, conferences, social engagements, and recruitment events. Visit us at http://girlsintech.net/.

Contact: Mel Bolton
     Director of Communications, Girls in Tech
     510.704.0870
     mel@girlsintech.net

Qtask, the secure, SaaS-based collaboration and project management tool that makes it easier to ‘get things done’ from one unified place, is proud to announce that it has been named a 2009 Red Herring Top 100 North America Award Winner.

Held at San Diego, California’s historic U.S. Grant Hotel from May 11-13, an audience of 350 industry visionaries, executives and investors gathered with the editorial staff of Red Herring to discuss the current state of technology and consider the most promising private tech companies in the U.S.

200 Finalists for the Red Herring Top 100 were selected from more than 2,000 entries and then invited to present their product and company vision. In addition to Qtask, this year’s finalists included web video ‘personal remote’ service ffwd; Outspark virtual playground; MixMatchMusic online community for music collaboration and creation; and Mob4Hire crowd sourced mobile application and usability testing.

Following two and a half days of presentations, keynote speakers and roundtable discussions, the Top 100 North American companies were selected from the 200 Finalists. Previous winners of this prestigious award include Google, Yahoo!, Skype, Netscape, SalesForce.com and YouTube.

“We are honored to be a recipient of the 2009 Red Herring Top 100 North America award, and to be in the company of fellow recipients like Twitter, YouSentIt, HubSpot and Zimbio,” said Russell Mix, Qtask Co-founder and CEO. “This acknowledgement validates not only the need for transparency and accountability in today’s workplace, but also all the hard work our global team has done to make Qtask as complete and intuitive as possible.”

The 2009 Red Herring Top 100 North America award winners will now have an opportunity to compete in a Global version of the awards against the Red Herring Top 100 from Asia, Europe and South America.

“Qtask technology aims at changing the way the world works,” said Alex Vieux, CEO of Red Herring. ”As economic pressures grow, Qtask could elevate the efficiency, transparency and accountability needed in today’s marketplace. That is why we selected the company as one of our Red Herring North America winners.”

About Red Herring

Red Herring is a global media company which unites the world's best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums: a leading innovation magazine, an online daily technology news service, technology newsletters and major events for technology leaders around the globe. Red Herring provides an insider's access to the global innovation economy, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy. More information about Red Herring is available at www.redherring.com.

Click here to see a complete list of the 2009 Red Herring Top 100 North America Finalists and Award Winners.

In a move that will positively impact the way corporations conduct business in the future, Qtask announced the launch of its Qtask Business School Program. The program will provide students at qualified college and university business programs in the US with free access to Qtask's secure, online (SaaS) unified collaboration environment that increases productivity and transparency, and eliminates the communication and organization problems that hinder successful results.

The Qtask Business School Program kicks off in March 2009 with students participating in the Global Business Project (GBP) Consortium offered jointly by the Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBERs) at 11 major universities: Columbia University, Duke University, George Washington University, Purdue University, San Diego State University, Temple University, University of Connecticut, University of Kansas, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, and University of Pittsburgh.

The goal of the GBP is to provide MBAs and other graduate students the opportunity to increase their ability to conduct business in cultures other than the US, and in languages other than English, by working in virtual and co-located teams on projects for multinational or local companies in markets critical to US competitiveness. The destination markets for 2009 include Brazil, China, Japan, and Poland.

Qtask will play a pivotal role in the program's success, as it will form the foundation for all of the communication and collaboration efforts among the teams that will work virtually for the first seven weeks of the project as part of their Spring semester courses, and then work together full time on the ground in the project's destination market for the last two weeks of the project.

"Qtask is a perfect tool for the GBP program as it allows team members, their faculty advisors, and their clients to share information and set timelines for deliverables and keep track of each other's progress as the project unfolds," comments Dr. Lynne Gerber, the director of the GBP Consortium and faculty director of the CIBER at the University of North Carolina. "We're very excited to provide Qtask with such an appropriate forum to test and grow their service and we look forward to working with the Qtask team as we seek to expand our program from its present size of 14 projects in 4 countries to 27 projects in 8 countries within the next two years."

Qtask will provide up to 130 free "seats" for the student members of GBP Consortium for three years. The program will also provide appropriate training to ensure all participants get the most out of the Qtask experience.

"We're extremely excited to offer Qtask to the young men and women who will be helping to shape the global economy of the future," comments Gabriel Blanc-Laine, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Qtask. "Business experts predict a shift toward remote or virtual teams and transparency as companies strive to find new and more efficient ways to do business, and we wish to provide some of the tools necessary to help today's business students prepare/get an advantage. Our hope is that business programs at colleges across the country will take advantage of what Qtask has to offer in building a better way of operating a business that's built on transparency and accountability."

Joining the Qtask Business School Program
Qtask is extending an opportunity for all qualified colleges and universities that have business programs to take advantage of the program. Interested parties may contact us for more information about Qtask and to register for the program.

About the Global Business Project (GBP)
GBP is a unique graduate-level course offered to MBAs and other graduate students at 11 member universities. Unlike other international consulting project courses, the GBP asks students to apply both cross-cultural awareness and foreign language skills to produce strategic advice for companies that is focused, compelling, and actionable. The course offers students the opportunity to increase their global business and language competency through guided hands-on business experience in global markets, while also introducing them to the challenges of virtual teaming. Teams are constructed through a competitive application process with members drawn from any of the member schools.

About CIBERs
The Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBERs) were created under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to increase and promote the nation's capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise. Administered by the U.S. Department of Education under Title VI, Part B of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the CIBER program links the manpower and information needs of U.S. business with the international education, language training, and research capacities of universities across the U.S. Thirty-one universities were designated as centers that serve as regional and national resources to business, students, and academics. Together, the CIBERs form a powerful network focused on improving American competitiveness and providing comprehensive service and programs that help U.S. business succeed in global markets.

A six-minute on-stage demonstration for some of the world's most respected technologists and journalists will kick off an evolution in the way people work, communicate and collaborate. Tomorrow, during the DEMOfall 08 conference in San Diego, Qtask, Inc. launches its unified collaboration environment that increases productivity and eliminates the communication and organization problems that hinder successful results.

"We've seen a flurry of new entrants in the project and portfolio management (PPM) space introduce new approaches to help businesses better manage themselves, their time and, ultimately their work output. As the newest entrant to the category, Qtask has taken a different approach, providing a complete framework built on transparency and accountability, two all-too-often rare and underappreciated practices in business today," comments Chris Shipley, executive producer of DEMO.

Qtask is a secure Web-based service that lets a team or an entire company share information and knowledge, communicate, collaborate, and remain focused on results. Its foundation for personal and team accountability removes confusion over who is or was responsible for undertaking and completing a task or assignment. Because of this transparent nature, Qtask fosters a higher level of work, ownership and trust among co-workers.

"The genesis of Qtask was born out of necessity - ours," comments Russell Mix, CEO and co-founder of Qtask, Inc. "It was imperative for us to get cross-disciplinary people in multiple locations working efficiently and swiftly to create technology products and services. Our solution, which became Qtask, provides a complete information environment so that every team member has instant access to all team members, instant access to all current and past information in a project or task, and instant delivery of their work product to the team. With Qtask, disparately located teams can collaborate and perform all tasks, have a complete record of all work, and have available a record of all communications, all in one application."

Increases Productivity and Bottom Line Results
By removing the communication and organization stumbling blocks that slow progress, Qtask allows workers to remain focused on completing on time the tasks that make up a successful project. It also helps forge a commitment, on the part of those who are assigned a task, to complete it as promised.

Tracks and Organizes All Tasks and Projects Over Time
With Qtask it's easy to know instantly the status of a task at any time over the course of a project. By enabling continuous and accurate updates of a task or project, every team member is just a click away from being "in the know." In addition to automatically logging information changes, Qtask immediately notifies the project team of those changes. Moreover discussions are automatically organized and pre-filed per project, services and topics. This helps enable compliance while making it easy to get new team members up to speed.

Eliminates Lost, Misplaced or Overwritten Documents
With Qtask's Automatic Version Control, it's virtually impossible to lose a document and its history. When changes are made to an existing file, those changes and the author of those changes are clearly identified and logged, while all the previous versions are saved and made available. Because information can never be permanently deleted, it can never be lost.

Easy to Implement and Accessible Anywhere, Anytime
A Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that can effortlessly scale to meet the needs of any size company or group, Qtask requires no customization, no implementation time and no resources to maintain. More importantly it requires no installation help from IT, so new users are up and running within minutes after being invited to a project.

Qtask works on any device that can access the Web, including PCs, Macs, and cell phones, ensuring that one can stay connected whenever they want and wherever they are.

A Private, Secure Unified Collaboration Environment
Qtask encompasses many of the tools that one expects from a PPM solution, while adding innovative global and project views of all services, including:

• Dashboard
• Discussions
• Wikis
• File sharing
• Forms and Compliance
• RSS Syndication to easily share information and documents outside the Qtask environment
• Calendaring
• Full Contextual Search

Pricing
Qtask is free for the first five users on a single account for the first year, and includes five hours of training. Each additional user is charged $50 per month. Also included in the pricing are unlimited number of projects, unlimited access to video lessons and online technical support, and a 60-day money back guarantee.

In celebration of its launch, Qtask is offering special pricing for the first year. Additional users on charter accounts will be charged only $25 per month for the first year if subscribed prior to December 31, 2008.

For more information visit: Qtask.com

Charting A Qtask Future
Over the next six months and beyond, Qtask will be adding new features and services that will make it the next killer app for the ways that knowledge workers in disparate places work and rely on each other to get the job done.

About DEMOfall
Produced by Network World Events and Executive Forums, the semi-annual DEMOfall conferences focus on emerging technologies and new products, which are hand-selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMOfall conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies, and have served as launch pad events for companies such as Palm, E*Trade, Handspring, and U.S. Robotics, helping them to secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters. Each DEMOfall conference features approximately 70 new companies, products and technologies. For more information, visit www.demo.com.