Taking two markedly different approaches, Alexsys' Team 2 and Itensil's Teamlines give organizations a way to put workflow and rules behind workgroup applications.

Alexsys' Team 2, priced starting at $155 per user, has both Windows and Web interfaces on the front of a forms- and rules-based application that can deliver custom workgroup applications. A version that connects to SQL-based databases, Team-SQL 2, is priced starting at $295 per user. The Team-Web component, which can be used with either version, costs $125.

Click here to find out why the software developer of the future will look like a bricklayer.

Itensil's Teamlines—a Web-based hosted application priced starting at $5,000 for a one-year, 10-named-user conference— provides a graphical environment for creating a workgroup application with more of a focus on document-driven processes.

Itensil also is working with partners to create custom solutions built around each partner's area of expertise. The partners will market these solutions, but they will be hosted by Itensil.

For teams and workgroups that need to automate a particular workflow or process, both Team 2 and Teamlines will require minimal assistance from IT staff.

Team 2, released in October, puts the application development environment in a single Windows-based application that allows someone with limited database development experience to build the forms and rules that will drive the application.

In contrast, Teamlines, updated in January, uses AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) to create an interface that allows the user to graphically map an application and associate document-based data with each process stage. Teamlines has a built-in forms template, while Itensil does all the forms development for customers.

eWEEK Labs' tests show that Team 2 will be a good fit for companies with more technically savvy or ambitious staff members who want to build a database application. Teamlines' document focus, on the other hand, makes it a fit for companies that process documents—such as applications or contracts—and need to automate document workflow.

Click here to read the full review of Team 2.

Click here to read the full review of Teamlines.

Technical Analyst Michael Caton can be reached at michael_caton@ziffdavis.com .

This article was originally published on eWEEK.com.

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