Mobile and desktop based group messaging system

Abstract

Communication is an essential factor in any activity and in any community. Sharing and transferring information in a group is needed in many instances addressing both personal and corporate usage. Many studies and applications have attempted to overcome this barrier with the usage of mobile communication which is a fast growing medium at present. Our solution is to have an integrated communication system using both mobile and desktop applications with security. The Android mobile application and desktop application connects to the Open Fire server of the organization and via the server groups can communicate simultaneously. A SMS gateway is connected to the server to notify the message to offline users. Encrypting mechanism implemented in this application ensures the safety of the data transmitted in the network. A survey was conducted among corporate and also among general public to identify their needs and issues in communication. From the survey it was highlighted that a secure group messaging system within the company is essential and employees are reluctant to use their own mobiles and prefer a company group communication system. Further this application was tested in real time corporate environment and was proven very user friendly and useful. This research paper describes the importance and necessity of such communication system for efficient and safe sharing of information between groups of people and provides a solution addressing integrated communication to overcome the existing barriers of communication.