Currently available is Groove's free, basic client. However, it's not appropriate for many business applications, because it lacks centralized management and control. The managed client will offer this control, enabling administrators to define and implement specific policies, such as restricting Internet sites from which clients can download tools. The managed client will also be more scalable, facilitating management of large numbers of shared spaces. But Groove's synchronization goes well beyond what appears on the screen.
Users can work with the same tools, files, and other resources, such as contact lists.
Groove also supports shared, coordinated Web browsing, as well as communication media, including live voice over the Internet, instant messaging, text-based chat, and threaded discussions. Groove Networks calls its user interface the transceiver. Each transceiver stores all of its content and activities locally on a PC in an XML object store. Groove doesn't require any central, shared data store. Groove compresses the XML content to minimize local storage requirements and to conserve bandwidth.