Shared Address Book

[Luna Tics]

Is it really as hard as it looks to get an address book hosted online?

I'm looking to create this address book of the companies email addresses, so the all the users have access to the same information. What I've been able to figure out as a solution is LDAP.

But all of the information I've found out about LDAP is it's a seemingly very complex process, unless you use Lotus notes. It this true?

Our associates use Thunderbird or a webmail portal. Thunderbird has LDAP address box, but I've yet to uncover how to create this database and where to save it on our web server. And of course our webhost has zero information about LDAP.

Thank you for any help in figuring this out.
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Luna

[wige]

Knowing the client platform (Thunderbird) is half the problem. The other half is, what is the server platform on which the global address book is stored? Exchange, Lotus, Novell?

[danlefree]

LDAP ... an application protocol for querying and modifying directory services running over TCP/IP.

- LDAP at Wikipedia

LDAP is analogous to a database server - it doesn't matter which platform the database is on (or which platform the client is running) so long as it obeys protocol and your application server can access the resource.

I'd recommend a Google search for ldap web interface - there are many existing solutions.

[Orion]

Use the Cloud!
We've moved many clients to Google Apps for their Mail, it allows shared address books, and calendars, as well as collaborations on documents! Easy to set up too!

[DaveSawers]

Originally Posted by Orion

Use the Cloud!

I wouldn't trust the cloud with my shopping list, and certainly not with any data I might consider private or proprietary.

No storage system on the internet is totally secure and many providers of online storage (Facebook for example) are blase about security.

[Icon Generator]

but somebody even use credit card information... then where is security provider?

[Luna Tics]

Originally Posted by danlefree

- at Wikipedia

LDAP is analogous to a database server - it doesn't matter which platform the database is on (or which platform the client is running) so long as it obeys protocol and your application server can access the resource.

I'd recommend a Google search for ldap web interface - there are many existing solutions.

Wikipedia is exactly where I started after seeing LDAP Directory in Thunderbird's Preferences for address books. Thanks Dan I'll check it out.

Originally Posted by Orion

Use the Cloud!
We've moved many clients to Google Apps for their Mail, it allows shared address books, and calendars, as well as collaborations on documents! Easy to set up too!

We have thought of Google. Costs extra money, though, right? This might be an option. But are the users able to the address book with Thunderbird? Or are they stuck using the google's webpage if they want acess to the address book??

Originally Posted by DaveSawers

I wouldn't trust the cloud with my shopping list, and certainly not with any data I might consider private or proprietary.

No storage system on the internet is totally secure and many providers of online storage (Facebook for example) are blase about security.

This is not too much of a concern, being just an address book, and you can take steps to back things up to recover easily from a failure.

Thanks for the replies, I'll reply back with how I get this figured out.