Bit by bit, everyday computing tasks are moving onto the Internet. Working on my wife's laptop the other day, I loved being able to get into my own browser bookmarks through Web-based del.icio.us. And how handy, too, that I can call up the free Clipmarks (www.clipmarks.com) to access paragraphs and images I've clipped from the Web for research, with easy search capabilities for locating what I need.

The interface between a user's PC and the Internet is shifting, and although this transition was overhyped in its earlier incarnations, this time it seems to have staying power.

That made me curious about other ways to transfer work from a local PC or office network onto the Internet. My research took me to HyperOffice, a Rockville, Md.-based company that provides a full user desktop through a Web browser, so that no matter where you travel, you've always got the documents you need from any computer.

But documents are not all you can manipulate with HyperOffice, nor are you limited to single-user access. In reality, this intriguing product is an alternative to expensive workgroup and intranet services of the kind found in most corporate offices. A startup business can offer a wealth of features for employees without putting down big bucks for Microsoft Exchange Server or other workplace solutions that are out of reach for small firms.

The communications and collaboration tools available through HyperOffice are powerful, with an e-mail upgrade now in the works. The software's support for IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) means that users will be able to tap any e-mail program that supports this open standard, not just the built-in HyperOffice e-mail. And in a matter of weeks, they'll be able to synchronize data from Microsoft Outlook -- calendars, contacts, notes -- on a companywide basis.

The HyperOffice interface is itself reminiscent of Outlook, with tasks, reminders, notes and so on located in the sidebar. With a variety of daily, weekly and monthly views, the calendar is fairly standard, but its power is that it's online. And while it's convenient for a single user to be able to access such data from any PC, it's even more handy for a small company with personnel in the field to check shared calendars and schedules.

Such companies will appreciate the ability to drag and drop files from a user's hard disk to the online folders of HyperOffice, where they can be stored for personal use or set up as shared files for editing. The rights to various documents are easy to define in cases where you want only some users to have access, and version controls help you track changes and edit collaboratively. It's also useful to be able to link contacts, documents, messages and notes by individual user, task or project, all with continual updates.

Because these services are delivered through a Web browser, the user finds the cost drops sharply. A two-person office can subscribe to the starter package for $17.99 (www.hyperoffice.com) and bring additional users onboard for $9.15 each.

The portal each user sees can be customized; in fact, the person designated as "administrator" can choose a different set of features for each employee and can also offer a different interface to customers or suppliers. Such services used to demand big IT budgets and so did the kind of support that kept them running, all of which is part of the package here.

And that's the model that seems to be taking hold, an online infrastructure that supports smaller companies. It's a model that should thrive in today's broadband environment. I wondered whether a one-man office like mine could justify HyperOffice and decided that it was overkill -- its strengths really are collaborative -- but the Internet-based model makes abundant sense for startup companies and those needing to pool their data resources quickly and flexibly.