The philosophy of Asana is communal, open work. By default, all team members can edit all information and content in the projects and tasks. Of course, clear rules should be set for doing so, as user freedom can always lead to errors such as data loss due to poor communication. The tool is ideal for less hierarchical teams that work openly with one another. Traditional work circles with clearly defined power structures are poorly served by Asana.
In addition to its main web-based tool, Asana also offers apps for Android and iOS, though they’re relatively rudimentary. With the mobile app, you can create and edit tasks, receive new personal messages, attach files, and gain access to your personal inbox. Without a doubt, though, Asana is optimized for browsers on the computer. Here, more experienced users of the tool can navigate with multiple keyboard shortcuts to work even more efficiently with Asana.
The integration of external tools is also commendable. Various different micro-tools can be quickly and easily activated by Asana, including popular cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox, developer tools like GitHub, CMS like WordPress, and many others.
In regard to data protection, Asana is considered secure. Regular server backups are intended to prevent data loss, and server hardware should be of the highest level. Additional firewalls also improve user security. The same goes for Asana and for most SaaS/PaaS apps: with your credentials, unauthorized people can easily gain access from anywhere. The user remains the main person responsible for their own data security and that of the company.
The free version of Asana can only accommodate up to 15 team members and offers all of the basic functions. For around 6-10 dollars per user each month, this limit can be eliminated and lots of features such as dashboards and the search function have their functions significantly increased. There’s one more version for large customers as well that comes with personal support and more data control. The price for this version must be negotiated directly with Asana.