US Marine Corps

GroveSite Connects Marine Families

GroveSite teamed up with the IT solutions company Ensynch and an Intel employee to bring its collaboration technology to Marines stationed in Iraq and their families back home.

The project came about when Intel employee Tony Kasovich volunteered his off hours to custom program a secure, password-protected website for a friend's Marine squadron scheduled for deployment to Iraq. Ensynch offered free hosting for the site, and introduced Tony to GroveSite, a user-friendly collaboration software tool that would erase the need for custom html programming and would make the secure site available in hours rather than months.

The result was a secure, hosted, collaboration website that can help American GI's feel a little closer to their families back home. "This is an awesome way to stay connected with each other and with our Marines," says Diane Jebens, the CO's wife and a HMH466 Key Volunteer. "Are we just really lucky to have this website? Every unit should be doing this," says another spouse.

Whether Commanding Officer LtCol Mark Jebens is boasting about the excellence and dedication of his troops, or family member are sharing pictures of their newborns and posting on the message boards, GroveSite's collaboration solution provides a way for families to stay in touch over a long distance and through trying times.

"Partnering with Ensynch and GroveSite has been great for the team of Marines and volunteers," adds Tony Kasovich, the volunteer who started it all. "I was able to quickly create the site, and the GroveSite collaboration software allowed Marines and volunteers alike to become productive within an hour, managing both content and users.