The EPFL groups application lets you define groups of people who can then be used as :
Distribution list: all members of the group can be contacted by e-mail using the group’s e-mail address. For example, members of the my_project project can be contacted using the e-mail address my_projet@groupes.epfl.ch;
Access control: A tool can restrict access to certain parts of the group. For example, write access to a shared disk can be restricted to group members.