After starting the week at UNC Greensboro, the Google Apps Road Trip was off to its next stop at my alma mater and home of the Cavaliers, the University of Virginia. Needless to say, as an alum, I was both giddy and nostalgic as we headed north on 29 to the ole' stomping grounds. When we reached the UVa campus in the heart of Charlottesville, all of these great memories came rushing back - Saturday afternoon tailgating, delicious Bodo's bagels, and late nights at the Biltmore. I took a walk around campus to see TJ's "lawn" and grab dinner at the Corner.
I also visited the gorgeous, new building for the McIntire School of Commerce, where I spent 2 years studying finance and management. Recognized as one of the country's premier undergraduate business programs, the Comm School emphasizes a case-based and collaborative learning culture. To simulate a real-world professional environment, we primarily worked in small teams to evaluate the net present value of a product launch or develop a new marketing campaign.
Therefore, I was happy to talk with students about how Google Apps can make their lives and schoolwork a little easier. On Wednesday morning, we pulled the bus right into Newcomb Hall plaza between the book store and student center. UVa recently deployed Virginia mail, so we demoed the cool features of some other Google Apps technology. Students were excited to learn about the real-time collaborative functionality of Google Docs. They appreciated that group work can become less annoying, because they can work on the same paper simultaneously, rather than having to save and send back and forth multiple times. We also heard from graduate students and first-years how they create their own surveys to conduct opinion polls in a Politics class or ask friends about the next trip to Wintergreen.
Overall, it was just a phenomenal visit to Charlottesville. We got to chat with really energetic students, faculty, and administrators and had a lot of fun too - tossing frisbees around the plaza and rocking out to "Say It Ain't So" on the bus. Thanks to everyone at the University of Virginia for "getting on the bus!"
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Millions of people worldwide use Google Apps
Google Apps to School
Millions of people worldwide use Google Apps Education Edition to make life easier on and off campus. This Fall we're heading "App to School" (in a bio-fuel bus) to visit a few of the thousands of campuses using Google Apps to hear from the technology experts themselves -- the students. If you're a student, get to know Google Apps and learn how it can help.
We'll continue to update this page from the road, so follow our route, read posts from the road, and see photos and videos along the way.
http://www.google.com/apps/edu/bus/index.html
Millions of people worldwide use Google Apps Education Edition to make life easier on and off campus. This Fall we're heading "App to School" (in a bio-fuel bus) to visit a few of the thousands of campuses using Google Apps to hear from the technology experts themselves -- the students. If you're a student, get to know Google Apps and learn how it can help.
We'll continue to update this page from the road, so follow our route, read posts from the road, and see photos and videos along the way.
http://www.google.com/apps/edu/bus/index.html
Google Apps with IPhone - Getting better & faster
Just a month after optimizing the entire array of Google apps for the iPhone, Google is making them even better with a quicker, slicker UI, more customization, iGoogle gadget integration and more speed across the board. If only Google's magic powers could speed up AT&T's network, we'd be golden. Details:
Today, the first day of Macworld, Google announced new improvements to the integrated Google experience on iPhone. The previous version, launched just over a month ago, brought together our suite of web applications—including Search, Gmail, Calendar, Reader, and more—into one easy-to-use interface. Since then, we've streamlined the interface even further, making the applications faster and improving their usability. Some of the improvements announced today include:
* Improved UI: The applications look and feel slicker, and they are easier to activate, navigate and use via a touch-screen.
* Customization of default tabs: Now Google users can have easy access to their favorite applications by customizing the applications that appear on the Google.com menu bar. Users simply choose their favorite Google applications to bring them to the front menu, ensuring that they'll be close at hand whenever they're needed. Switching between applications is effortless, as users only need to sign in once to access their Gmail, Calendar, Reader, Docs, and Picasa accounts.
* Speedier Gmail: New emails will automatically show up so there's no need to manually refresh inboxes. And the new auto-complete feature for contacts makes composing emails faster than ever.
* Speedier Calendar: With our new month view, users can glance at an entire month of appointments.
* iGoogle: Now Google users can access their iGoogle gadgets on the iPhone. Everything they've customized on their iGoogle homepage including weather, stocks, and news feeds now appear on their iPhones. To go to iGoogle, simply click on the iGoogle link on the Home tab. You can customize your iGoogle page on your computer at www.igoogle.com.
These new features provide iPhone users with a desktop-like Google web application experience in terms of ease-of-use, speed, and feature richness but optimized for the iPhone. This experience is made possible by the iPhone's general usability and the capabilities of its web browser, combined with Google's innovative mobile web applications. We plan to expand this experience to international versions of the iPhone and to other platforms that offer similar usability and browser capabilities. One of our goals is to support platforms that are fulfilling the promise of the mobile web - like the iPhone - and to ultimately deliver unique and compelling mobile experiences that improve people's daily lives.
New Gmail code base available in IE
New Gmail code base available to IE6 users
Users of Internet Explorer 6 can now access significant Gmail performance improvements as well as new features like colored labels, group chat, an updated contact manager, remote sign out and more.
Editions impacted:
Standard, Premier, Education, Team and Partner Editions
Languages impacted:
US English
How to access what's new:
Simply sign in to Gmail. If you don't see these new features immediately, you may still need to get the latest IE6 updates from Microsoft.
Users of Internet Explorer 6 can now access significant Gmail performance improvements as well as new features like colored labels, group chat, an updated contact manager, remote sign out and more.
Editions impacted:
Standard, Premier, Education, Team and Partner Editions
Languages impacted:
US English
How to access what's new:
Simply sign in to Gmail. If you don't see these new features immediately, you may still need to get the latest IE6 updates from Microsoft.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Google Search Appliances Launched in Malaysia
Google Mini
The blue color Google Mini is designed to crawl and index intranets, file servers and business applications reachable by web URLs. Yes, Google Mini crawls to any content and document, as long as it is identifiable by URL.
For example, let say you have a news portal, which is featuring news publishing, blogs, image & video gallery, and forum, then you may deploy Google Mini to empower your portal, to deliver search results from all these web contents, with Google’s algorithm.
Google Search Appliance
On the other hand, Google Search Appliance provides universal search across variety of internal and external sources – including file shares, intranets, databases, applications, hosted services and content management systems. This yellow cheese supports searching of a lot more sources, practically anything that you can think of for enterprise needs.
In a knowledge-driven organization, it’s common to see the whole organization being flooded with hundreds of thousand to millions of documents, residing in many internal business applications and databases. Hectic problem arises when someone is trying to look for relevant information.
In situation like this, Google Search Appliance is more applicable, comparing to Google Mini, as your content sources are not just confined to web contents. Besides, intranet portals can also integrate with Google Search Appliance via a set of API.
Pricing
Google Mini: RM20,999 (for 50,000 documents, including hardware, software and 2 years support)
Google search Appliance: RM197,300 (for 500,000 documents, including hardware, software and 2 years support)
The blue color Google Mini is designed to crawl and index intranets, file servers and business applications reachable by web URLs. Yes, Google Mini crawls to any content and document, as long as it is identifiable by URL.
For example, let say you have a news portal, which is featuring news publishing, blogs, image & video gallery, and forum, then you may deploy Google Mini to empower your portal, to deliver search results from all these web contents, with Google’s algorithm.
Google Search Appliance
On the other hand, Google Search Appliance provides universal search across variety of internal and external sources – including file shares, intranets, databases, applications, hosted services and content management systems. This yellow cheese supports searching of a lot more sources, practically anything that you can think of for enterprise needs.
In a knowledge-driven organization, it’s common to see the whole organization being flooded with hundreds of thousand to millions of documents, residing in many internal business applications and databases. Hectic problem arises when someone is trying to look for relevant information.
In situation like this, Google Search Appliance is more applicable, comparing to Google Mini, as your content sources are not just confined to web contents. Besides, intranet portals can also integrate with Google Search Appliance via a set of API.
Pricing
Google Mini: RM20,999 (for 50,000 documents, including hardware, software and 2 years support)
Google search Appliance: RM197,300 (for 500,000 documents, including hardware, software and 2 years support)
Google Apps: Now With Video Sharing
Google Apps is simple online office package aimed primarily at small businesses, now has support for videos. Users can post and embed videos, tag them, and leave comments - just like having your own mini YouTube. According to CNET, the technology used was actually developed by YouTube for corporate clients, and although it’s quite similar to what you get on YouTube, some features stand out. Scene Browser, for example, lets you browse through the video using thumbnails which refer to certain keyframes.
It might seem like a small upgrade, but it’s actually quite significant; hosting videos costs money and resources, and many companies will be relieved to have a simple solution such as this within Google Apps. Granted, the storage offered within Google Apps Premier Edition (which costs $50 yearly) is 3 GB per user, which is not that much when it comes to video. The videos themselves, however, are without standard YouTube restrictions: up to 300 MB in size and without a time limit.
Google Video is an interesting test for Google. Depending on its success, we can probably expect additional features like more storage, live video streaming and video conferencing, which will make it much more interesting to enterprise customers. Perhaps Google has an idea how to make money out of video sharing after all?
It might seem like a small upgrade, but it’s actually quite significant; hosting videos costs money and resources, and many companies will be relieved to have a simple solution such as this within Google Apps. Granted, the storage offered within Google Apps Premier Edition (which costs $50 yearly) is 3 GB per user, which is not that much when it comes to video. The videos themselves, however, are without standard YouTube restrictions: up to 300 MB in size and without a time limit.
Google Video is an interesting test for Google. Depending on its success, we can probably expect additional features like more storage, live video streaming and video conferencing, which will make it much more interesting to enterprise customers. Perhaps Google has an idea how to make money out of video sharing after all?
Why Google Apps is a Serious Threat to Microsoft Office
This is the perspective of a “skeptical, later early adopter”; the sort of person who Microsoft needs to retain and should have been able to retain easily. I don’t spend time on productivity tools that may at some date make me more productive, but which today are just a frustrating time sink. That describes the majority of people. MS Office can be annoying, but it does work. So any serious alternative has to offer a significant advantage and at the same time make adoption a total breeze.
I think Google Apps has reached that point. The significant advantage is collaboration.
Since I started working on a new project where we all agreed to use Google Docs from the start, I have hardly used MS Office at all - even on other projects.
The lead product in Google Apps for me is their word processing product - i.e. the MS Word alternative. That may be because I am a wordsmith, but also because it is the most mature. I still use Excel, as Google Spreadsheet is both a pain to learn and not good enough for power users. Also there are better ways to collaborate with Excel, such as eXpresso. I don’t use Google Presentation, but that is because I am weaning myself off Powerpoint - as I think it is no longer the best presentation medium. If I want to persuade with words, I use words. If I want to persuade with multimedia, then it is time for video such as YouTube or maybe Seesmic and screencasting tools to show off an app. A PPT deck is very flat by contrast.
Google was very smart to take a loosely coupled approach. So I can use Document and ignore the others. I assume that the Spreadsheet product will be ready for prime time pretty soon. Google may buy/build services that make video plus screencasting plus a bit of standard presentation stuff a breeze for everyone. But until then, I can use Gmail and Documents and gradually get enticed into the other stuff.
The one big missing piece has been offline access. It was clear that Gears would enable this at some stage. It now appears that is not so far away. That will be a major driver for me to standardize more on Gmail; currently I split between Gmail and Outlook; and that is a pain to manage.
Not only is Google miles ahead of MS on collaboration, they have moved ahead on mobile access. I have long believed that mobile would be a key driver for Web Office. Now I can get access to my Docs from my Blackberry. When I switch to an iPhone with that bigger screen, I will be able to say “sayonara” to my laptop even more. In that world, MS Office looks like a real dinosaur.
The latest aha moment for me came when I started using Remember The Milk. I was very skeptical at first. The last thing I needed was the distraction of learning another way of managing to do lists; first to do, learn new way to list to do items, grrr! When I saw RTM load into Gmail as a sidebar I warmed. Then I saw that RTM was very mobile friendly and I was sold (well took the free version at any rate, I do feel I should send that $25 for Pro as Bob T. Monkey is clearly an amazing developer and a huge inspiration to coder-monkeys everywhere).
Seriously, the point is that Google Docs is a platform. The two smart people in Australia (Ed, what is it about you guys in the Southern Hemisphere?) who created RTM can plug into Docs as if they owned it.
The other platform out there for wordsmiths is Wordpress. It's free, open source, has a plug-in architecture and there is a Dummies book about the software (a sure sign of market traction). So the looming real battle is maybe Google Docs/Blogger versus Wordpress. Or, Mozilla Thunderbird versus Gmail. Microsoft really does look like they have the classic “Innovator’s Dilemma“. I thought that Ray Ozzie’s mission was to cannibalize Office before somebody else did it; if that is the play, they are leaving it a bit late!
There is one other reason why Google will win this battle. They have the economic engine. I am not just talking about cross subsidization from their search engine cash cow; Google do that just like Microsoft did it from their Windows/Office cash cow. What is interesting is that Google has figured out how to make ads in Gmail at least vaguely relevant. Sure there is some dumb stuff there, but quite a few that are relevant. The point is that the search engine has more to work on, all of my text and not just my search query. Our expectations on search are so low, that just “not totally dumb and occasionally slightly relevant” gets a cheer. I have actually clicked on a Gmail ad.
They can clearly also insert ads in Docs. Do I care? It is a bit spooky, but as long as Google really takes the high road on privacy, I have the freedom to ignore and I may occasionally even find something useful. I assume I can always opt to pay a subscription and be ad free.
Solid economic engine, good on collaboration/mobile, increasingly mature/ready for prime time…Yes, Google Docs looks like a major winner.
I think Google Apps has reached that point. The significant advantage is collaboration.
Since I started working on a new project where we all agreed to use Google Docs from the start, I have hardly used MS Office at all - even on other projects.
The lead product in Google Apps for me is their word processing product - i.e. the MS Word alternative. That may be because I am a wordsmith, but also because it is the most mature. I still use Excel, as Google Spreadsheet is both a pain to learn and not good enough for power users. Also there are better ways to collaborate with Excel, such as eXpresso. I don’t use Google Presentation, but that is because I am weaning myself off Powerpoint - as I think it is no longer the best presentation medium. If I want to persuade with words, I use words. If I want to persuade with multimedia, then it is time for video such as YouTube or maybe Seesmic and screencasting tools to show off an app. A PPT deck is very flat by contrast.
Google was very smart to take a loosely coupled approach. So I can use Document and ignore the others. I assume that the Spreadsheet product will be ready for prime time pretty soon. Google may buy/build services that make video plus screencasting plus a bit of standard presentation stuff a breeze for everyone. But until then, I can use Gmail and Documents and gradually get enticed into the other stuff.
The one big missing piece has been offline access. It was clear that Gears would enable this at some stage. It now appears that is not so far away. That will be a major driver for me to standardize more on Gmail; currently I split between Gmail and Outlook; and that is a pain to manage.
Not only is Google miles ahead of MS on collaboration, they have moved ahead on mobile access. I have long believed that mobile would be a key driver for Web Office. Now I can get access to my Docs from my Blackberry. When I switch to an iPhone with that bigger screen, I will be able to say “sayonara” to my laptop even more. In that world, MS Office looks like a real dinosaur.
The latest aha moment for me came when I started using Remember The Milk. I was very skeptical at first. The last thing I needed was the distraction of learning another way of managing to do lists; first to do, learn new way to list to do items, grrr! When I saw RTM load into Gmail as a sidebar I warmed. Then I saw that RTM was very mobile friendly and I was sold (well took the free version at any rate, I do feel I should send that $25 for Pro as Bob T. Monkey is clearly an amazing developer and a huge inspiration to coder-monkeys everywhere).
Seriously, the point is that Google Docs is a platform. The two smart people in Australia (Ed, what is it about you guys in the Southern Hemisphere?) who created RTM can plug into Docs as if they owned it.
The other platform out there for wordsmiths is Wordpress. It's free, open source, has a plug-in architecture and there is a Dummies book about the software (a sure sign of market traction). So the looming real battle is maybe Google Docs/Blogger versus Wordpress. Or, Mozilla Thunderbird versus Gmail. Microsoft really does look like they have the classic “Innovator’s Dilemma“. I thought that Ray Ozzie’s mission was to cannibalize Office before somebody else did it; if that is the play, they are leaving it a bit late!
There is one other reason why Google will win this battle. They have the economic engine. I am not just talking about cross subsidization from their search engine cash cow; Google do that just like Microsoft did it from their Windows/Office cash cow. What is interesting is that Google has figured out how to make ads in Gmail at least vaguely relevant. Sure there is some dumb stuff there, but quite a few that are relevant. The point is that the search engine has more to work on, all of my text and not just my search query. Our expectations on search are so low, that just “not totally dumb and occasionally slightly relevant” gets a cheer. I have actually clicked on a Gmail ad.
They can clearly also insert ads in Docs. Do I care? It is a bit spooky, but as long as Google really takes the high road on privacy, I have the freedom to ignore and I may occasionally even find something useful. I assume I can always opt to pay a subscription and be ad free.
Solid economic engine, good on collaboration/mobile, increasingly mature/ready for prime time…Yes, Google Docs looks like a major winner.
7 Things You Should Know About Google Apps
Google Apps is a collection of web-based programs and file storage that run in a web browser. The applications include communication tools (Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar), productivity tools (Google Docs: text files, spreadsheets, and presentations), a customizable start page (iGoogle), and Google Sites (to develop web pages). Google stores all of the files and content centrally and keeps a record of the different versions of a file. With Google Apps, sharing content is as simple as granting someone access, which facilitates collaboration, peer review of academic materials, and the collective generation of knowledge.
The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.
In addition to the "7 Things You Should Know About…" briefs, you may find other ELI resources useful in addressing teaching, learning, and technology issues at your institution. To learn more, please visit the ELI Resources page.
http://www.educause.edu/ELIResources/10220
The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.
In addition to the "7 Things You Should Know About…" briefs, you may find other ELI resources useful in addressing teaching, learning, and technology issues at your institution. To learn more, please visit the ELI Resources page.
http://www.educause.edu/ELIResources/10220
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Google News in Malaysia
http://news.google.com.my/?ned=en_my&topic=t
Google News comes to town
Search giant Google has just introduced yet another new product — this time it’s the localisation of its news aggregation site, Google News.
Officially live on Sept 18, the localised site, which is accessible from http://news.google.com.my, gives the user a page of constantly updated local news of the day.
“Our mission is to organise the world’s news info and make it accessible to everyone,” says Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, product manager for Google News.
Rahul said that the intent of the Google News site is not to take content away from publishers but to help people find what they’re looking for as fast as possible.
Hopefully, this will also channel traffic as quickly as possible to the publisher’s website, he says.
The main advantage of Google News Malaysia is to give readers a choice of a wide range of articles and views on the same story.
The technology that runs Google News is much like the one used for its search engine, i.e. webpages are ranked based on their popularity and certain predefined patterns of traffic on the Internet.
Currently, Google News Malaysia culls news snippets from more than 4,500 English-language sources such as The Star and The Borneo Post.
Like the US version, Google News Malaysia is split into several categories, ranging from technology to sports, all of which offer news from local sources.
Google News comes to town
Search giant Google has just introduced yet another new product — this time it’s the localisation of its news aggregation site, Google News.
Officially live on Sept 18, the localised site, which is accessible from http://news.google.com.my, gives the user a page of constantly updated local news of the day.
“Our mission is to organise the world’s news info and make it accessible to everyone,” says Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, product manager for Google News.
Rahul said that the intent of the Google News site is not to take content away from publishers but to help people find what they’re looking for as fast as possible.
Hopefully, this will also channel traffic as quickly as possible to the publisher’s website, he says.
The main advantage of Google News Malaysia is to give readers a choice of a wide range of articles and views on the same story.
The technology that runs Google News is much like the one used for its search engine, i.e. webpages are ranked based on their popularity and certain predefined patterns of traffic on the Internet.
Currently, Google News Malaysia culls news snippets from more than 4,500 English-language sources such as The Star and The Borneo Post.
Like the US version, Google News Malaysia is split into several categories, ranging from technology to sports, all of which offer news from local sources.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Mobile Access for Docs
Mobile access for Docs
Google Apps Docs can be accessed by users of iPhone, Blackberry, and other mobile phones with rich-browser support. The access is all through the mobile device's web browser.
iPhone
Specifically, iPhone users can view (not edit) their documents, spreadsheets, and presentations by bookmarking http://www.google.com/m/a/[customer_domain.com] Accessing this URL will give these users integrated access to the Docs service along with the Google Apps Mail and Calendar services as well as Google search and other applications.
BlackBerry
Meanwhile, BlackBerry users can view (not edit) their documents and spreadsheets by bookmarking http://docs.google.com/a/[customer_domain.com]/m
Others
Although not specifically supported by Google, other mobile phones with rich-browser support should have the same level of access as BlackBerry users at the same URL (http://docs.google.com/a/[customer_domain.com]/m).
Creating, editing, and deleting docs are not supported at this time on any mobile device.
Here are some popular topics and FAQs from our administrative help center:
Accessing Google Docs on your mobile phone
What can I do with Google Docs on my mobile browser?
Minimum phone requirements
Google Docs in multiple languages on your mobile device
Problems signing in to Docs or accessing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations from a mobile device
Google Apps Docs can be accessed by users of iPhone, Blackberry, and other mobile phones with rich-browser support. The access is all through the mobile device's web browser.
iPhone
Specifically, iPhone users can view (not edit) their documents, spreadsheets, and presentations by bookmarking http://www.google.com/m/a/[customer_domain.com] Accessing this URL will give these users integrated access to the Docs service along with the Google Apps Mail and Calendar services as well as Google search and other applications.
BlackBerry
Meanwhile, BlackBerry users can view (not edit) their documents and spreadsheets by bookmarking http://docs.google.com/a/[customer_domain.com]/m
Others
Although not specifically supported by Google, other mobile phones with rich-browser support should have the same level of access as BlackBerry users at the same URL (http://docs.google.com/a/[customer_domain.com]/m).
Creating, editing, and deleting docs are not supported at this time on any mobile device.
Here are some popular topics and FAQs from our administrative help center:
Accessing Google Docs on your mobile phone
What can I do with Google Docs on my mobile browser?
Minimum phone requirements
Google Docs in multiple languages on your mobile device
Problems signing in to Docs or accessing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations from a mobile device
Technical Guide
The following pages guide service providers through the ins and outs of setting up, customizing, managing, and troubleshooting Google Apps for their customers. The focus is primarily on technical implementation, although there is a bit of "what is this feature capable of" information mixed in. But we've tried to separate out the product marketing content into a separate sales & marketing topics guide.
A great benefit that we get from using Google Sites is that this can be a collaborative effort. Everyone with access to this site also has the ability to edit the content and/or create new pages. So if you see an opportunity to share and document what you've learned in the field, we hope you'll do so. Google monitors the page edits and will keep the article content as accurate and readable as possible.
Provisioning an account
Choosing an edition
Assigning a domain name
Creating an administrator account
Paying for Premier Edition
Basic setup
Verifying domain ownership
Creating user accounts
Configuring the control panel
Customizing access URLs
Docs setup
Importing, exporting, and migration
Customizing Docs
Providing access to Docs
Mobile access for Docs
Calendar setup
Migration of events and shared resources
Customizing Calendar
Providing access to Calendar
Mobile access for Calendar
Start Page setup
Customizing Start Page
Installing and creating Google Gadgets
Providing access to Start Page
A great benefit that we get from using Google Sites is that this can be a collaborative effort. Everyone with access to this site also has the ability to edit the content and/or create new pages. So if you see an opportunity to share and document what you've learned in the field, we hope you'll do so. Google monitors the page edits and will keep the article content as accurate and readable as possible.
Provisioning an account
Choosing an edition
Assigning a domain name
Creating an administrator account
Paying for Premier Edition
Basic setup
Verifying domain ownership
Creating user accounts
Configuring the control panel
Customizing access URLs
Docs setup
Importing, exporting, and migration
Customizing Docs
Providing access to Docs
Mobile access for Docs
Calendar setup
Migration of events and shared resources
Customizing Calendar
Providing access to Calendar
Mobile access for Calendar
Start Page setup
Customizing Start Page
Installing and creating Google Gadgets
Providing access to Start Page
Training On Google Apps
http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews/welcome/topicWelcome/page02.html
Google Apps overview
Here are some pointers to material that collectively provide a very brief overview of Google Apps features and benefits.
Short introductory video (2 mins)
Overview presentation including product positioning (12 mins)
Intro and more detailed discussion on the benefits to small businesses
Intro and more detailed discussion on the benefits to families & small groups
Value propositions to users of each of the applications
Value propositions to administrators and solution providers
Comparison of features between product editions
Overview eLearning walkthrough of the Mail, Calendar, Docs, Talk, Start Page, & Sites (~45 min total)
Detailed presentations on setup, administration, and support
To get further clarification on the product and positioning, Google Apps product specialists host several interactive online seminars each week where you can get your questions answered by the experts and hear their insights.
Short introductory video (2 mins)
Overview presentation including product positioning (12 mins)
Intro and more detailed discussion on the benefits to small businesses
Intro and more detailed discussion on the benefits to families & small groups
Value propositions to users of each of the applications
Value propositions to administrators and solution providers
Comparison of features between product editions
Overview eLearning walkthrough of the Mail, Calendar, Docs, Talk, Start Page, & Sites (~45 min total)
Detailed presentations on setup, administration, and support
To get further clarification on the product and positioning, Google Apps product specialists host several interactive online seminars each week where you can get your questions answered by the experts and hear their insights.
Who is using Google Apps and why?
Thousands of small businesses around the world are signing up for Apps every day. Hundreds of thousands since launch, thousands of those on Premier Edition. Here's how you can find out the who, what, where, and why.
Of course you could take a look at how Google describes the benefits of Apps for small businesses and for groups, but it may be more telling to hear it from the customers directly.
Some of the most successful customers have given us testimonials describing why and how they're using Google Apps. Browsing through that should give you an idea of what people are saying.
Sign up for an interactive online seminar to hear why organizations have switched to Google Apps, how they're using it, and what business value they're deriving from it.
Finally Google hosts a series of Google Groups where you can find users, administrators, and service providers discussing topics related to various aspects of Google Apps. Browse the latest discussion topics in the Google Apps administrator discussion group as well as the discussion groups relating to Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Talk, and Page Creator.
Of course you could take a look at how Google describes the benefits of Apps for small businesses and for groups, but it may be more telling to hear it from the customers directly.
Some of the most successful customers have given us testimonials describing why and how they're using Google Apps. Browsing through that should give you an idea of what people are saying.
Sign up for an interactive online seminar to hear why organizations have switched to Google Apps, how they're using it, and what business value they're deriving from it.
Finally Google hosts a series of Google Groups where you can find users, administrators, and service providers discussing topics related to various aspects of Google Apps. Browse the latest discussion topics in the Google Apps administrator discussion group as well as the discussion groups relating to Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Talk, and Page Creator.
SLA and Support
Does Google offer 24/7 support for Google Apps?
Yes, Google provides the following support resources for Google Apps Premier Edition customer administrators:
Toll free phone number within the US and international numbers available
Live answer from 1AM to 6PM PST
During off hours, we have pager support and will call back within 1 hour for critical issues
Does Google offer support for end users?
While there is a wealth of helpful information available online for end users (starting with the user help center) for each of the apps in the suite, Google only explicitly provides 1:1 support for the designated customer administrator. [Note that this certainly leaves opportunity for comprehensive end user support & helpdesk coverage from a service provider]
Does Google have any experience providing support to customers?
Yes, Google Enterpise provides services and support to many corporate customers including:
Supporting 10,000 Google customers, including the largest of the Fortune 500
Supporting 35,000 business customers with Postini, including the largest of the Fortune 500
Is there a service level agreement included with Google Apps Premier Edition?
Yes, Google provides a written SLA for your review which includes a 99.9% uptime SLA for Gmail.
Does the SLA cover all apps in the suite?
No. Presently we only provide SLA for our Gmail and Postini soutions within Google Apps. This is something Google is working on to provide a similar SLA for all of our services.
When will the SLA cover other apps?
This is in progress right now, but there is no date that we can announce.
The world of business is always on and always connected. As such, having access to technical support 24/7 is essential. If a company deploys Google Apps and there is a technical issue at 8pm PST, will they hear "Sorry. Google’s tech support is open M-F 1AM-6PM PST"? Are these the new hours of global business? And if a customer’s “designated administrator” is not available (a requirement) does business just stop?
Google is 24/7. We have a 1 hour response time to all critical inquiries and issues. [Note that Google's support plans of course leave opportunity for comprehensive support coverage from a service provider]
With Google apps in perpetual beta and Google controlling when and if they rollout specific features and functionality, customers have minimal if any control over the timing of product rollouts and features – how do 1) I know how to strategically plan and train and 2) get the features and functionality I have specifically requested? How much money does not knowing cost?
Features are developed incrementally. For example, 50M+ users use Gmail daily, and Google would know instantly if a new feature was negatively affecting users. Google has a system of checks and balances. We have all the incentives to do it right, we can be corrected if we're wrong. We don't do the old world "service pack" model. New features are updated constantly.
Yes, Google provides the following support resources for Google Apps Premier Edition customer administrators:
Toll free phone number within the US and international numbers available
Live answer from 1AM to 6PM PST
During off hours, we have pager support and will call back within 1 hour for critical issues
Does Google offer support for end users?
While there is a wealth of helpful information available online for end users (starting with the user help center) for each of the apps in the suite, Google only explicitly provides 1:1 support for the designated customer administrator. [Note that this certainly leaves opportunity for comprehensive end user support & helpdesk coverage from a service provider]
Does Google have any experience providing support to customers?
Yes, Google Enterpise provides services and support to many corporate customers including:
Supporting 10,000 Google customers, including the largest of the Fortune 500
Supporting 35,000 business customers with Postini, including the largest of the Fortune 500
Is there a service level agreement included with Google Apps Premier Edition?
Yes, Google provides a written SLA for your review which includes a 99.9% uptime SLA for Gmail.
Does the SLA cover all apps in the suite?
No. Presently we only provide SLA for our Gmail and Postini soutions within Google Apps. This is something Google is working on to provide a similar SLA for all of our services.
When will the SLA cover other apps?
This is in progress right now, but there is no date that we can announce.
The world of business is always on and always connected. As such, having access to technical support 24/7 is essential. If a company deploys Google Apps and there is a technical issue at 8pm PST, will they hear "Sorry. Google’s tech support is open M-F 1AM-6PM PST"? Are these the new hours of global business? And if a customer’s “designated administrator” is not available (a requirement) does business just stop?
Google is 24/7. We have a 1 hour response time to all critical inquiries and issues. [Note that Google's support plans of course leave opportunity for comprehensive support coverage from a service provider]
With Google apps in perpetual beta and Google controlling when and if they rollout specific features and functionality, customers have minimal if any control over the timing of product rollouts and features – how do 1) I know how to strategically plan and train and 2) get the features and functionality I have specifically requested? How much money does not knowing cost?
Features are developed incrementally. For example, 50M+ users use Gmail daily, and Google would know instantly if a new feature was negatively affecting users. Google has a system of checks and balances. We have all the incentives to do it right, we can be corrected if we're wrong. We don't do the old world "service pack" model. New features are updated constantly.
Legal Compliance, Security, and Privacy
My company and data is governed by export controls requiring that certain data is not allowed to reside in other countries, can Google accommodate this?
Postini (the leader in the hosted security and compliance space whose tools we recently acquired) Postini hosts 12 datacenters around the world and will house a customer's data in the data center that most closely matches its geographical needs. Additionally, Postini understands that the regulations of certain countries may provide an added requirement to restrict operationally the viewing or manipulating of data by personnel outside of the country and will work to accommodate those needs as necessary.
I have HIPPA, SOX, GIBA, SAS 70, xyz compliance/regulations that I must follow. How does your offering support this?
We help customers comply with a host of regulations. Postini provides a suite of services under its Communications Compliance solutions that include archiving, encryption and web filtering services. Message Archiving enables customers to implement, monitor and enforce appropriate records retention policies and to discover and produce relevant information when a litigation situation or regulatory issue arises. Our Encryption services support our customers' efforts to protect and secure sensitive consumer information, for example: patient health information, personal finance records or credit card account numbers. Our Web Compliance service helps companies reduce or avoid liability by ensuring that employees are not using company resources to engage in illegal activities (gambling, child porn), illicit content (porn in general) or unproductive activities (personal chat, webmail, shopping). In addition, we are working on certifying Google Apps with SAS 70 certification.
What happens if the NSA serves you with a criminal subpoena? Under the Patriot Act, are you going to give the requested data and will you let us know?
Google has demonstrated that it's dedicated to protecting our users' and customers' data. But there are certainly cases where Google is legally obligated to turn data over to law enforcement authorities. In reality, if the customer account is a large, known corporate entity, law enforcement would subpoena it directly, rather than coming to Google or any data/service provider. As such, Google provides tools that allow responses as the customer deems appropriate.
How can you show me that my policies (relating to security, process, compliance) can be enforced and audited?
Google Apps Premier Edition has a variety of functionality to allow you to implement and administer data data security and compliance policies. This includes rules on how information can be shared, filtering of messaging information for secure and sensitive data, and control over user accounts. Our recently acquired security and compliance tools from Postini (the leader in the hosted security and compliance space) can add an additional level of security, policy administration, and archiving at a fraction of the cost of on-premise capabilities.
Google is in the process of obtaining a SAS 70 certification for Google Apps. SAS 70 represents a full documentation and audit of key operational policies. We are happy to share with you detail on how we run our operations, our data and security policies.
Our Communications Compliance suite of solutions provides reporting that can help a company show how it has standardized policies, implemented and enforced them.
Message Archiving - Audit reporting can show who has accessed the company archive at what times and what operations they may have performed - search, view, restore, export
Encryption - A report that shows every encrypted email with time, addresses and subject and confirmation of its encrypted status
Web Compliance - Monitoring reports show who has accessed blocked web sites and when or just shows usage in general
Our Technical Backgrounder on postini.com will also have more on our SAS and WebTrust, etc, certifications, in addition to our internal security practices (ex. restricted access only for Ops personnel).
We block Gmail and Instant Messaging on our corporate network today.
You have a policy to block the consumer versions of some of Google's products to ensure data retention and data privacy. However, we are discussing Google Apps Premier Edition, the business versions of these consumer products. With Google Apps Premier Edition, you can give your users the power of Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Docs with the safety, security, and policy control that your business demands.
In addition, our recently added security and compliance tools acquired with Postini (the leader in the hosted security and compliance space) can add an additional level of security, policy administration, and archiving at a fraction of the cost of on-premise capabilities. Postini's Web Compliance service blocks employee access to client-based IM applications, webmail accounts as required by company policy. Its granular policies allow customers to set time of day restrictions vs. broad-based blocking and provide ongoing monitoring to enable customers to tweak and refine policies on an ongoing basis.
What measures is Google taking to protect the privacy and security of my content?
Rest assured, your documents, spreadsheets and presentations will remain private unless you publish them to the Web or invite collaborators and/or viewers. Once you're logged in, you can grant access to whomever you'd like. Until then, your documents, spreadsheets and presentations are private.
Who owns the data in Docs?
You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in content which you submit, post or display. As stated in our terms of service, we don't claim ownership or control over your content in Google Docs. For documents you expressly choose to share with others, we have the proper license to display those documents to the selected users and format documents properly for different displays. To be clear, Google will not use your documents beyond the scope that you and you alone control. Nothing will be shared with the world unless you want it to be.
Do the end users own the data or the corporation?
Google does not own users' data. We do not take a position on whether the data belongs to the institution signing up for Apps, or the individual user (that's between the two of you), but we know it doesn't belong to us! The data which you put into our systems is yours, and we believe it should stay that way. We won't share your data with others except as noted in our Privacy Policy.
Where can I find more detail on Google's security, privacy, and compliance measures?
See our Google Apps security whitepaper for more details on Google's security features. And this article has answers to more commonly asked questions around security & privacy, and compliance.
Postini (the leader in the hosted security and compliance space whose tools we recently acquired) Postini hosts 12 datacenters around the world and will house a customer's data in the data center that most closely matches its geographical needs. Additionally, Postini understands that the regulations of certain countries may provide an added requirement to restrict operationally the viewing or manipulating of data by personnel outside of the country and will work to accommodate those needs as necessary.
I have HIPPA, SOX, GIBA, SAS 70, xyz compliance/regulations that I must follow. How does your offering support this?
We help customers comply with a host of regulations. Postini provides a suite of services under its Communications Compliance solutions that include archiving, encryption and web filtering services. Message Archiving enables customers to implement, monitor and enforce appropriate records retention policies and to discover and produce relevant information when a litigation situation or regulatory issue arises. Our Encryption services support our customers' efforts to protect and secure sensitive consumer information, for example: patient health information, personal finance records or credit card account numbers. Our Web Compliance service helps companies reduce or avoid liability by ensuring that employees are not using company resources to engage in illegal activities (gambling, child porn), illicit content (porn in general) or unproductive activities (personal chat, webmail, shopping). In addition, we are working on certifying Google Apps with SAS 70 certification.
What happens if the NSA serves you with a criminal subpoena? Under the Patriot Act, are you going to give the requested data and will you let us know?
Google has demonstrated that it's dedicated to protecting our users' and customers' data. But there are certainly cases where Google is legally obligated to turn data over to law enforcement authorities. In reality, if the customer account is a large, known corporate entity, law enforcement would subpoena it directly, rather than coming to Google or any data/service provider. As such, Google provides tools that allow responses as the customer deems appropriate.
How can you show me that my policies (relating to security, process, compliance) can be enforced and audited?
Google Apps Premier Edition has a variety of functionality to allow you to implement and administer data data security and compliance policies. This includes rules on how information can be shared, filtering of messaging information for secure and sensitive data, and control over user accounts. Our recently acquired security and compliance tools from Postini (the leader in the hosted security and compliance space) can add an additional level of security, policy administration, and archiving at a fraction of the cost of on-premise capabilities.
Google is in the process of obtaining a SAS 70 certification for Google Apps. SAS 70 represents a full documentation and audit of key operational policies. We are happy to share with you detail on how we run our operations, our data and security policies.
Our Communications Compliance suite of solutions provides reporting that can help a company show how it has standardized policies, implemented and enforced them.
Message Archiving - Audit reporting can show who has accessed the company archive at what times and what operations they may have performed - search, view, restore, export
Encryption - A report that shows every encrypted email with time, addresses and subject and confirmation of its encrypted status
Web Compliance - Monitoring reports show who has accessed blocked web sites and when or just shows usage in general
Our Technical Backgrounder on postini.com will also have more on our SAS and WebTrust, etc, certifications, in addition to our internal security practices (ex. restricted access only for Ops personnel).
We block Gmail and Instant Messaging on our corporate network today.
You have a policy to block the consumer versions of some of Google's products to ensure data retention and data privacy. However, we are discussing Google Apps Premier Edition, the business versions of these consumer products. With Google Apps Premier Edition, you can give your users the power of Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Docs with the safety, security, and policy control that your business demands.
In addition, our recently added security and compliance tools acquired with Postini (the leader in the hosted security and compliance space) can add an additional level of security, policy administration, and archiving at a fraction of the cost of on-premise capabilities. Postini's Web Compliance service blocks employee access to client-based IM applications, webmail accounts as required by company policy. Its granular policies allow customers to set time of day restrictions vs. broad-based blocking and provide ongoing monitoring to enable customers to tweak and refine policies on an ongoing basis.
What measures is Google taking to protect the privacy and security of my content?
Rest assured, your documents, spreadsheets and presentations will remain private unless you publish them to the Web or invite collaborators and/or viewers. Once you're logged in, you can grant access to whomever you'd like. Until then, your documents, spreadsheets and presentations are private.
Who owns the data in Docs?
You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in content which you submit, post or display. As stated in our terms of service, we don't claim ownership or control over your content in Google Docs. For documents you expressly choose to share with others, we have the proper license to display those documents to the selected users and format documents properly for different displays. To be clear, Google will not use your documents beyond the scope that you and you alone control. Nothing will be shared with the world unless you want it to be.
Do the end users own the data or the corporation?
Google does not own users' data. We do not take a position on whether the data belongs to the institution signing up for Apps, or the individual user (that's between the two of you), but we know it doesn't belong to us! The data which you put into our systems is yours, and we believe it should stay that way. We won't share your data with others except as noted in our Privacy Policy.
Where can I find more detail on Google's security, privacy, and compliance measures?
See our Google Apps security whitepaper for more details on Google's security features. And this article has answers to more commonly asked questions around security & privacy, and compliance.
Data Security and Reliability
Do I get dedicated servers?
No. Google operates what is called a "multi-tenant" environment. While there is logical separate between users and corporations, storage and compute power are shared across a vast computing array. This is at the heart of Google's architecture and it's what provides the scalability, reliability, and cost effectiveness for which Google is known.
How would I get a customer's security team feeling comfortable that hosting their data on Google servers is a good idea?
Every large company has security-driven processes and checkpoints they must complete before using any hosted service. This may include a formal response to security questions, interviews, or a site visit. We have gone through this evaluation and accreditation process with several global companies and are prepared to disclose the information that will give your security team the information they need to provide a recommendation. We are in the process of getting SAS Type II certification that will provide a complete 3rd party audit of our internal processes, but we're prepared to share our assertions with you directly until that is completed.
So my email might be on the same servers as another company's? How can this possible be secure and safe?
Your data is actually safer with Google because we spread out all the data and distribute across numerous servers to improve storage efficiency and performance as well as increase security through encryption.
Why doesn't Google encrypt data at rest?
The answer to this is analogous to the paper shredder concept. We don't encrypt at rest such that functionality of the applications can operate based on that data (for example, search in Gmail). However, our patented Google File System (GFS) is safer because all data is broken into tiny chunks and distributed across numerous servers with secure encryption. An unlawful person intending to access data they should not would not be able to reassemble the data in any meaningful way.
Why should I feel comfortable trusting Google to protect my data?
Privacy and data security are the linchpin of Google's business. Google's success is based on users and trust that their data is safe with us. The success of Google's advertising business is also at risk if Google were to ever jeopardize end-user trust by allowing any data to be compromised. Google invests billions of dollars in technology, people, and process to ensure data in Google Apps is safe, secure, and private. Google’s dedicated team of security professionals is responsible for designing in security from the onset, reviewing all design, code, and finished product to ensure it meets strict Google security and data privacy standards. The same infrastructure used to host Google Apps and secure hundreds of thousands of user’s data is also used to manage millions of consumers’ data and billions of dollars in advertising transactions. With Google Apps, information is safe and secure. Increasingly, companies are moving to hosted, managed, and outsourced services that have their data residing on 3rd party servers and in control of those not employed by their company. This includes companies like Proctor and Gamble who have fully managed IT services (provided by HP) and the 1000's of companies including Merrill Lynch who use Salesforce.com to power their CRM systems.
Is this SaaS model of email as reliable as the alternatives?
In all likelihood, Gmail will be considerably more reliable than the current solution. We are regularly improving the performance, scalability, and reliability of Gmail and the other applications. By way of example, all Gmail accounts are now served simultaneously out of 2 data centers. This is virtually impossible to replicate in an installed solution and results in Gmail quickly becoming more reliable than any installed product.
How do you handle disaster recovery?
Google Apps runs on the same platform and data center infrastructure that powers Google.com, Gmail, and our other Google services. These services are available 24x7, 365 days a year. Our powerful data center architecture ensures that applications are always up and highly redundant with dual-homing and regular backups to magnetic media.
Why are your products all in "beta"?
Google doesn't take the common convention and meaning of "beta." In traditional software, the "beta" label tends to mean "unfinished" or not ready for full usage. However, Google "beta" represents the location our products are in their life cycle. Google believes in iterative development, getting our products out quickly and getting feedback from our users to drive constant improvement. From day 1, our products are built for reliability and scale - two of the things 'beta' typically does not cover. In some sense, our products are always in 'beta' as they are constantly evolving and changing with user feedback, technology innovation, and business needs. Google's deployment model (hosted, SAAS) and large user base makes this possible. You will see some of our products coming out of 'Beta' very soon, representing a level of product maturity and massive market adoption, however this doesn't mean you won't continue to see ongoing innovation across all of Google Apps. In addition to all of this, Google Apps Premier Edition includes a 24x7 support package and 99.9% up-time guarantee to ensure your business needs are served.
No. Google operates what is called a "multi-tenant" environment. While there is logical separate between users and corporations, storage and compute power are shared across a vast computing array. This is at the heart of Google's architecture and it's what provides the scalability, reliability, and cost effectiveness for which Google is known.
How would I get a customer's security team feeling comfortable that hosting their data on Google servers is a good idea?
Every large company has security-driven processes and checkpoints they must complete before using any hosted service. This may include a formal response to security questions, interviews, or a site visit. We have gone through this evaluation and accreditation process with several global companies and are prepared to disclose the information that will give your security team the information they need to provide a recommendation. We are in the process of getting SAS Type II certification that will provide a complete 3rd party audit of our internal processes, but we're prepared to share our assertions with you directly until that is completed.
So my email might be on the same servers as another company's? How can this possible be secure and safe?
Your data is actually safer with Google because we spread out all the data and distribute across numerous servers to improve storage efficiency and performance as well as increase security through encryption.
Why doesn't Google encrypt data at rest?
The answer to this is analogous to the paper shredder concept. We don't encrypt at rest such that functionality of the applications can operate based on that data (for example, search in Gmail). However, our patented Google File System (GFS) is safer because all data is broken into tiny chunks and distributed across numerous servers with secure encryption. An unlawful person intending to access data they should not would not be able to reassemble the data in any meaningful way.
Why should I feel comfortable trusting Google to protect my data?
Privacy and data security are the linchpin of Google's business. Google's success is based on users and trust that their data is safe with us. The success of Google's advertising business is also at risk if Google were to ever jeopardize end-user trust by allowing any data to be compromised. Google invests billions of dollars in technology, people, and process to ensure data in Google Apps is safe, secure, and private. Google’s dedicated team of security professionals is responsible for designing in security from the onset, reviewing all design, code, and finished product to ensure it meets strict Google security and data privacy standards. The same infrastructure used to host Google Apps and secure hundreds of thousands of user’s data is also used to manage millions of consumers’ data and billions of dollars in advertising transactions. With Google Apps, information is safe and secure. Increasingly, companies are moving to hosted, managed, and outsourced services that have their data residing on 3rd party servers and in control of those not employed by their company. This includes companies like Proctor and Gamble who have fully managed IT services (provided by HP) and the 1000's of companies including Merrill Lynch who use Salesforce.com to power their CRM systems.
Is this SaaS model of email as reliable as the alternatives?
In all likelihood, Gmail will be considerably more reliable than the current solution. We are regularly improving the performance, scalability, and reliability of Gmail and the other applications. By way of example, all Gmail accounts are now served simultaneously out of 2 data centers. This is virtually impossible to replicate in an installed solution and results in Gmail quickly becoming more reliable than any installed product.
How do you handle disaster recovery?
Google Apps runs on the same platform and data center infrastructure that powers Google.com, Gmail, and our other Google services. These services are available 24x7, 365 days a year. Our powerful data center architecture ensures that applications are always up and highly redundant with dual-homing and regular backups to magnetic media.
Why are your products all in "beta"?
Google doesn't take the common convention and meaning of "beta." In traditional software, the "beta" label tends to mean "unfinished" or not ready for full usage. However, Google "beta" represents the location our products are in their life cycle. Google believes in iterative development, getting our products out quickly and getting feedback from our users to drive constant improvement. From day 1, our products are built for reliability and scale - two of the things 'beta' typically does not cover. In some sense, our products are always in 'beta' as they are constantly evolving and changing with user feedback, technology innovation, and business needs. Google's deployment model (hosted, SAAS) and large user base makes this possible. You will see some of our products coming out of 'Beta' very soon, representing a level of product maturity and massive market adoption, however this doesn't mean you won't continue to see ongoing innovation across all of Google Apps. In addition to all of this, Google Apps Premier Edition includes a 24x7 support package and 99.9% up-time guarantee to ensure your business needs are served.
Compatibility and Co-existence
Is Google Apps compatible with Microsoft products?
Docs: Yes, Docs is compatible with Microsoft Office file formats and many other standards such as PDF, OpenOffice, and ODF. Standard Microsoft file formats are supported for import/export from and to all these popular formats. Our products are designed to open standards and are compatible with many other products, including Microsoft.
Messaging and Collaboration: Google Apps are built on an open and extensible platform with extensibility and integration in mind. Google's open API standard, Gdata, provides easy and secure programmatic access to data within applications such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, Gmail, etc. In addition, Google's popular Gadget development platform is ideal for creating mashups and workflow integrations to serve business needs in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional development environments (e.g., .NET, SOAP). Over 50,000 gadgets have been developed on this platform, many of them are specific applications such as CRM and ERP integrations as well as workflow management.
Is Google Docs (documents, spreadsheets, presentations) compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint? Do you support macros and other power user features?
Not only are Google Docs more than adequate, but it provides additional features to suit today's model of collaboration in the workplace. And yes, our product is compatible with Microsoft Office file formats in addition to many other standards.
My Google Apps users need to be able to co-exist and interoperate with my Exchange or Notes users. Is Gmail & Google Calendar compatible with Microsoft and/or IBM products?
Yes. Google Apps Premier Edition includes an Exchange add-on allowing for sharing of free/busy information between Google Calendar and Microsoft Exchange users. Invitations and email seamlessly pass between the systems giving users a unified experience in a "mixed" environment. This is in limited release right now.
With Lotus Notes, we rely on partners for migration and possibly interoperability.
Can you migrate all my mail and calendar events from MSFT Exchange and/or Lotus Notes?
Yes. Google Apps Premier Edition has a set of migration utilities and APIs to pull data from your existing systems and migrate that data to Google Apps. In addition, Google has a growing number of partners who specialize in Google Apps roll out, system migration, implementation and co-existence including Cap Gemini and others.
Does Google Docs support all the same features of Microsoft Office?
Google has built functionality for the general user of collaboration, focusing on the features most people need to get their work done. For niche financial uses (e.g., Solvers, Pivot tables) and complex form and workflow document programs (e.g., publishers, data entry forms) Google Docs is not meant to be a replacement for other specialized tools. For the general user, it is more than adequate and provides additional collaboration features.
When will Google Apps support all the features of Microsoft Office/Exchange?
It's not our intention to try to match those products feature for feature. Our goal is to create a better overall experience and to enable some new capabilities based on the unique nature of the Web. While there will always be some level of user angst in moving from last-generation products, we're confident that the user experience will be exceptionally strong overall.
My email is integrated into my voicemail, is this possible with Apps? What are the telephony and video conferencing integration features?
Google doesn't currently offer an integrated communications suite beyond Gmail and Google Talk which combines IM, Email, and VOIP (pc-to-pc).
We have multiple mail systems now, how would we convert users in an automated way?
Google has a set of APIs and utilities for migrating user data from existing systems to Google Apps. We generally recommend that larger organizations start with a pilot group of users ranging from 100 to 1000 users. Ideal groups for this are stand-alone divisions, "early adopter" users (e.g., IT, Innovation group) and deskless workers (e.g., factory workers, field workers).
Google's co-existence tools allow for you to continue to operate in a mixed environment for email and calendaring as you proceed with the full migration. Our API and utilities will assist you with this. Depending on the size of the organization, it may be recommended to start with a pilot group. This product is designed to operate in a mixed environment of email and calendaring.
Docs: Yes, Docs is compatible with Microsoft Office file formats and many other standards such as PDF, OpenOffice, and ODF. Standard Microsoft file formats are supported for import/export from and to all these popular formats. Our products are designed to open standards and are compatible with many other products, including Microsoft.
Messaging and Collaboration: Google Apps are built on an open and extensible platform with extensibility and integration in mind. Google's open API standard, Gdata, provides easy and secure programmatic access to data within applications such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, Gmail, etc. In addition, Google's popular Gadget development platform is ideal for creating mashups and workflow integrations to serve business needs in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional development environments (e.g., .NET, SOAP). Over 50,000 gadgets have been developed on this platform, many of them are specific applications such as CRM and ERP integrations as well as workflow management.
Is Google Docs (documents, spreadsheets, presentations) compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint? Do you support macros and other power user features?
Not only are Google Docs more than adequate, but it provides additional features to suit today's model of collaboration in the workplace. And yes, our product is compatible with Microsoft Office file formats in addition to many other standards.
My Google Apps users need to be able to co-exist and interoperate with my Exchange or Notes users. Is Gmail & Google Calendar compatible with Microsoft and/or IBM products?
Yes. Google Apps Premier Edition includes an Exchange add-on allowing for sharing of free/busy information between Google Calendar and Microsoft Exchange users. Invitations and email seamlessly pass between the systems giving users a unified experience in a "mixed" environment. This is in limited release right now.
With Lotus Notes, we rely on partners for migration and possibly interoperability.
Can you migrate all my mail and calendar events from MSFT Exchange and/or Lotus Notes?
Yes. Google Apps Premier Edition has a set of migration utilities and APIs to pull data from your existing systems and migrate that data to Google Apps. In addition, Google has a growing number of partners who specialize in Google Apps roll out, system migration, implementation and co-existence including Cap Gemini and others.
Does Google Docs support all the same features of Microsoft Office?
Google has built functionality for the general user of collaboration, focusing on the features most people need to get their work done. For niche financial uses (e.g., Solvers, Pivot tables) and complex form and workflow document programs (e.g., publishers, data entry forms) Google Docs is not meant to be a replacement for other specialized tools. For the general user, it is more than adequate and provides additional collaboration features.
When will Google Apps support all the features of Microsoft Office/Exchange?
It's not our intention to try to match those products feature for feature. Our goal is to create a better overall experience and to enable some new capabilities based on the unique nature of the Web. While there will always be some level of user angst in moving from last-generation products, we're confident that the user experience will be exceptionally strong overall.
My email is integrated into my voicemail, is this possible with Apps? What are the telephony and video conferencing integration features?
Google doesn't currently offer an integrated communications suite beyond Gmail and Google Talk which combines IM, Email, and VOIP (pc-to-pc).
We have multiple mail systems now, how would we convert users in an automated way?
Google has a set of APIs and utilities for migrating user data from existing systems to Google Apps. We generally recommend that larger organizations start with a pilot group of users ranging from 100 to 1000 users. Ideal groups for this are stand-alone divisions, "early adopter" users (e.g., IT, Innovation group) and deskless workers (e.g., factory workers, field workers).
Google's co-existence tools allow for you to continue to operate in a mixed environment for email and calendaring as you proceed with the full migration. Our API and utilities will assist you with this. Depending on the size of the organization, it may be recommended to start with a pilot group. This product is designed to operate in a mixed environment of email and calendaring.
Functionality and Usability
My users don't want to learn something new, nor do we have the time or bandwidth to train them.
Google Apps is very viral and we understand that IT faces a huge challenge of user adoption. Because we come from the consumer side we have to manage to the lowest common denominator and we’re all about usability. A good example of Apps' viralness is Google itself. We announced Docs and Spreadsheets to the Google and within a week we had 7000 active users out of 10,000 employees. Over 70% adoption in a week with no training and one introductory email.
I want to maintain the status quo application experience of my email provider (Outlook, Notes, etc.) for my end users.
Running a dual environment is an option, but to be more cost-effective you may want to use the Outlook/Notes front end and the Google back end. This will save costs like the cost of storage, but maintains the front end user experience.
What about offline?
We recognize that offline capabilities are still critical in today's business world. Although broadband connectivity is becoming more ubiquitous, there are still scenarios where users need to be offline (e.g., airplanes). Google has released Google Gears, an industry standard and open-source toolkit to offline-enable Web 2.0, browser-based applications. Gmail can be used offline in popular client applications such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and Mac Mail through the use of POP3 or IMAP. Similarly, Google Calendar is available offline in any client application that supports the standard iCal format (e.g., Outlook, iCal, etc.). Google Docs supports export to and import from all popular desktop file formats including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, OpenOffice, CSV, TXT, and many more. We've received many requests for more offline capability and are looking into ways to enable this.
The product does not have the features/functions I need.
Google Apps is focused on cutting edge technology and innovation. The rate at which we can deploy new features and functions is incredible. And because it is SaaS, you will experience the continual benefit of new feature releases, unlike alternatives that release new versions years apart.
Can I control when new features are rolled out to my users?
Communication with our clients is priority of Google . You will be able to control whether or not to roll new applications out to users. The applications themselves will get incremental updates, but these are rolled out in such a way that we don't disrupt the overall user experience for our millions of users.
Can Google Apps scale to handle my business?
Absolutely. Google Apps supports tens of millions of users and we add hundreds of thousands of users to these applications on a daily basis. We use the same Google infrastructure that is used for the most popular search engine in the world.
If I decide to stop using Google Apps, can I get my data back?
Yes our solution has open APIs to all applications and you can get email, calendars, and documents back in industry standard formats (IMAP, iCal, MS Office).
Google Apps is very viral and we understand that IT faces a huge challenge of user adoption. Because we come from the consumer side we have to manage to the lowest common denominator and we’re all about usability. A good example of Apps' viralness is Google itself. We announced Docs and Spreadsheets to the Google and within a week we had 7000 active users out of 10,000 employees. Over 70% adoption in a week with no training and one introductory email.
I want to maintain the status quo application experience of my email provider (Outlook, Notes, etc.) for my end users.
Running a dual environment is an option, but to be more cost-effective you may want to use the Outlook/Notes front end and the Google back end. This will save costs like the cost of storage, but maintains the front end user experience.
What about offline?
We recognize that offline capabilities are still critical in today's business world. Although broadband connectivity is becoming more ubiquitous, there are still scenarios where users need to be offline (e.g., airplanes). Google has released Google Gears, an industry standard and open-source toolkit to offline-enable Web 2.0, browser-based applications. Gmail can be used offline in popular client applications such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and Mac Mail through the use of POP3 or IMAP. Similarly, Google Calendar is available offline in any client application that supports the standard iCal format (e.g., Outlook, iCal, etc.). Google Docs supports export to and import from all popular desktop file formats including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, OpenOffice, CSV, TXT, and many more. We've received many requests for more offline capability and are looking into ways to enable this.
The product does not have the features/functions I need.
Google Apps is focused on cutting edge technology and innovation. The rate at which we can deploy new features and functions is incredible. And because it is SaaS, you will experience the continual benefit of new feature releases, unlike alternatives that release new versions years apart.
Can I control when new features are rolled out to my users?
Communication with our clients is priority of Google . You will be able to control whether or not to roll new applications out to users. The applications themselves will get incremental updates, but these are rolled out in such a way that we don't disrupt the overall user experience for our millions of users.
Can Google Apps scale to handle my business?
Absolutely. Google Apps supports tens of millions of users and we add hundreds of thousands of users to these applications on a daily basis. We use the same Google infrastructure that is used for the most popular search engine in the world.
If I decide to stop using Google Apps, can I get my data back?
Yes our solution has open APIs to all applications and you can get email, calendars, and documents back in industry standard formats (IMAP, iCal, MS Office).
Customer Adoption
Are companies using Google Apps?
We launched Google Apps Premier Edition in February of 2007 and have seen an incredible rate of market adoption - including more than 500,000 businesses and millions of users. We are signing up over 2,000 businesses per day on the Google Apps platform. The infrastructure is mature, having been available since April of 2004 when we first launched Gmail.
We have a couple dozen large companies such as Proctor and Gamble and GE in pilot mode, and other large companies moving to full deployment. Also, Google is running its company of 15,000+ employees on Google Apps.
Why are large companies interested in Google Apps?
First, they understand that software-as-a-service (SaaS) is the future and they realize they need to start heading down that path. Second, they realize that the notion of "one size fits all" is a very expensive solution and there are big parts of the employee base who would be better served by a simple hosted solution such as:
Users on web/legacy email (ex. retail branches, customer service reps, real estate agents)
Users with no messaging or collaboration services (manufacturing plants, distribution centers, strategic partners/temporary consultants)
Collaboration users (teams/departments that share spreadsheets, project plans, etc).
Why haven't more large companies adopted Google Apps?
Given this product was only launched in early 2007, we've been surprised and very pleased with the strong level of interest of large businesses in Google Apps. More and more companies are evaluating and piloting the product each week. Fortune 1000 companies typically go through a comprehensive evaluation phase before rolling technology out at scale. We're working closely with a few dozen companies who are doing just this.
What is your largest deployment to date?
We have ISP partners that have more than a million users on the system. We have universities with tens of thousands of users, including Arizona State University which has 65,000 students. Google is our own largest corporate deployment to date, with more than 15,000 Googlers using Apps every day. Scale is not an issue for us - we can easily add your entire company to Google Apps tomorrow.
Do you expect that many larger companies will adopt Google Apps? When?
Yes. We would expect that there will be many global companies adopting Google Apps by the end of 2008. We are working closely with the first adopters to make sure their experience is good, but we have full expectations that there will be countless larger businesses using Google Apps within a year.
Are there any particular industries where Google Apps makes more sense?
Google Apps provides core communication and collaboration capabilities that are fundamental to every business. Having said that, we're seeing rapid adoption in industries with mobile workforces, global teams separated by timezones and great distances, and all flavors of non-traditional office workers who haven't been particularly well-served by traditional installed solutions (retail, manufacturing, etc).
We launched Google Apps Premier Edition in February of 2007 and have seen an incredible rate of market adoption - including more than 500,000 businesses and millions of users. We are signing up over 2,000 businesses per day on the Google Apps platform. The infrastructure is mature, having been available since April of 2004 when we first launched Gmail.
We have a couple dozen large companies such as Proctor and Gamble and GE in pilot mode, and other large companies moving to full deployment. Also, Google is running its company of 15,000+ employees on Google Apps.
Why are large companies interested in Google Apps?
First, they understand that software-as-a-service (SaaS) is the future and they realize they need to start heading down that path. Second, they realize that the notion of "one size fits all" is a very expensive solution and there are big parts of the employee base who would be better served by a simple hosted solution such as:
Users on web/legacy email (ex. retail branches, customer service reps, real estate agents)
Users with no messaging or collaboration services (manufacturing plants, distribution centers, strategic partners/temporary consultants)
Collaboration users (teams/departments that share spreadsheets, project plans, etc).
Why haven't more large companies adopted Google Apps?
Given this product was only launched in early 2007, we've been surprised and very pleased with the strong level of interest of large businesses in Google Apps. More and more companies are evaluating and piloting the product each week. Fortune 1000 companies typically go through a comprehensive evaluation phase before rolling technology out at scale. We're working closely with a few dozen companies who are doing just this.
What is your largest deployment to date?
We have ISP partners that have more than a million users on the system. We have universities with tens of thousands of users, including Arizona State University which has 65,000 students. Google is our own largest corporate deployment to date, with more than 15,000 Googlers using Apps every day. Scale is not an issue for us - we can easily add your entire company to Google Apps tomorrow.
Do you expect that many larger companies will adopt Google Apps? When?
Yes. We would expect that there will be many global companies adopting Google Apps by the end of 2008. We are working closely with the first adopters to make sure their experience is good, but we have full expectations that there will be countless larger businesses using Google Apps within a year.
Are there any particular industries where Google Apps makes more sense?
Google Apps provides core communication and collaboration capabilities that are fundamental to every business. Having said that, we're seeing rapid adoption in industries with mobile workforces, global teams separated by timezones and great distances, and all flavors of non-traditional office workers who haven't been particularly well-served by traditional installed solutions (retail, manufacturing, etc).
Why Google Apps?
Why should we care about Google Apps?
Google Apps is at the center of two major trends that are reshaping corporate IT. First, the consumerization of IT suggests that consumer technology is driving most of the innovation happening today, and that businesses could benefit from the pace of innovation, and the simplicity that consumer driven products embody. Second, software-as-a-service means that businesses can outsource email, collaboration and other basic productivity functions to third parties who deliver them over the Web at a fraction of the cost of installed systems.
Put together, these trends offer unparalleled improvements in speed, productivity, and cost effectiveness, which should be important to all businesses.
What are the user benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS)?
Some basic user benefits of SaaS are as follows:
Can access data from anywhere in the world, on any computer platform
Have an unlimited email inbox with powerful search capability
Provided a simple and fast collaboration tool which enables them to communicate with colleagues around the world
Integrates their personal lives and professional lives in one view (calendar)
Data is never lost, even if your laptop dies or is stolen
Simple Apps (but not simplistic in their functionality) are a pleasure to use
Some basic IT user benefits include:
Absence of hardware or software to install or maintain
Very low fixed cost per user
Simple apps that users are already familiar with- little/no training necessary
Ability to move users incrementally, when they're ready
Enormous savings of license fees, hardware and data center costs
Open platform for integration
Natural for multi-OS environment (PC, Mac, Linux, etc.)
What are the business benefits for Software as a Service?
Decreased cost
Increased employee productivity, which enables faster decision making and tighter execution
More flexibility to deploy changes and innovations fast and get on with business
Available instantly around the world, always on and reliable
Attractive IT environment for the younger generation of employees
If my users are happy with Microsoft, why should I use anything else?
Many of your users are already using Google Apps in their personal lives and even at work. Given a choice, we find that many employees will choose our products because they are simple, reliable, and fun. Most users have never been given an alternative to Microsoft products, so you might be surprised how they would respond if given the option.
We’re not saying change what you have if you’re totally happy with it, but there’s some innovative Web2.0 applications that are in this package, to enhance the collaboration tools you offer to your users that enhances communication across your organization.
How much money can I save with Google Apps?
Simplistically, we provide 10X the storage at 1/10th the cost - this represents two orders of magnitude improvement. Most companies have a cost model for provisioning email and productivity applications to employees - usually somewhere between $300 and $1000 per employee. Because our pricing model is so simple, and all-inclusive, it's easy to calculate the savings you can expect from putting some or all of your employees on Google Apps.
There is clear value in having viable alternative vendors when you are negotiating pricing with your suppliers.
Will Gmail be as reliable as my current solution?
In all likelihood, Gmail will be considerably more reliable than your current solution. We are regularly improving the performance, scalability, and reliability of Gmail and the other applications. By way of example, all Gmail accounts are now served simultaneously out of 2 data centers. This is virtually impossible to replicate in an installed solution and results in Gmail quickly becoming more reliable than any installed product.
Why is Google the right provider for my communication and collaboration needs?
Google continues to demonstrate its industry leadership in terms of web-based innovation. Driving this platform forward, we have the leading computing platform and have assembled the strongest team of computer scientists in the industry. Google Apps is the fastest growing part of Google and it continually receives significant investments.
Why Gmail?
Gmail is the fasted growing email product in the world with tens of millions of users. With Gmail, productivity will be significantly increased because you receive enough storage that you never have to delete email. Furthermore, there's no need to organize email because of the powerful search function and email/IM threading. Instant messaging is embedded in Gmail so you can respond to an email in real-time. Also, your Gmail is available from any computer, at any time so you're no longer limited to answering email at your desk. Gmail is simple to use, but not simplistic in its functionality, which mean less time required for user training.
Furthermore, Gmail is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Calendar?
With Google Calendar, you get a universal view of all the events in your life-- and we really mean all. With Google Calendar, you can view the calendars of coworkers, family, and friends from one online calendar. Their appointments are viewable right next to yours which streamlines event planning. Gone are the days of flipping through different calendars in the attempt to schedule. Google Calendar just made coordinating your life that much easier. Google Calendar is also integrateable with other components of Google Apps, including Apps components and information saved in other calendar applications. You can communicate, share and collaborate via Gmail, Talk and Calendar to drastically reduce duplicate work and improve output efficiency and quality. Additionally, Google Calendar maintains the access control settings that you specify. You decide who can see your calendar and which details they are permitted to view.
Furthermore, Google Calendar is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Talk?
Google Talk enables you to communicate more effectively and efficiently. You can respond to an email via chat; this allows you to truly have real-time communication and increase the productivity of you and your work force. It really is an "instant" messaging solution. Because it is integrated with Gmail, a client provider is not required. Also, the chronological email/IM discussion thread enables you to comprehend the full conversation history and context.
Unlike other chat providers, Google Talk was built with security and compliance (internal and external regulatory policies) in mind so you can check that off your list of concerns. To further impact your business collaboration, Group Chat enables your users to more effectively collaborate on projects and coordinate meetings. They can even transfer files and have a voice chat through Google Talk.
Furthermore, Google Talk is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Docs?
Google Docs replaces the inefficient use of other collaboration tools. It improves the quality of output by enabling collaboration and discussion of the document simultaneously-- multiple people in multiple locations can view, discuss, and edit the same document from anywhere at any time. Google Docs eliminates inefficient check-in / check out procedures and publishing makes it easier to disseminate information across the whole domain so you can leverage one of your most important business assets-- your intellectual property. It also reduces duplicate work and confusing document tracking and version control issues while simultaneously eliminating the concern of exceeding disk space and inbox quotas with the standard back and forth emailing procedure. Google Docs are simple, but not simplistic in their functionality, which mean less time required for user training. Furthermore, Google Docs has secure sharing. Each Doc requires a login so you don't have to worry about information getting into the wrong hands.
Furthermore, Google Docs is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why iGoogle?
iGoogle is a secure, personalized start page that enables you to build your own gadgets--both personal and corporate. iGoogle was designed with ease-of-use in mind so the user can create gadgets that matter to them which improves adoption rate. Once they are created, users can share them with others enabling collaboration efforts amongst your team. iGoogle is also used as the launch pad to intranet sites and has the company branding which improves the dissemination of business information while maintaining a unified appearance.
Furthermore, iGoogle is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Sites?
Today, information is created in all types of formats, such as documents, presentations, and even videos, and one thing we hear a lot from our customers is how hard it is for a company to organize all that information in one place. We know that making information easily accessible is an essential part of knowledge-sharing, so we've added Google Sites to our suite.
Google Sites makes creating a team website as easy as editing a document. Users can quickly gather a variety of content – videos, documents, presentations, spreadsheets, calendars and more – and securely share it for viewing or editing with a few colleagues, your entire organization, or the world.
At the same time, we give administrators the control and security they need to ensure private content is kept private. And you get the benefits of Google's hosted platform: no hardware or software to install or maintain, so your organization can focus on your core business tasks.
Google Apps is at the center of two major trends that are reshaping corporate IT. First, the consumerization of IT suggests that consumer technology is driving most of the innovation happening today, and that businesses could benefit from the pace of innovation, and the simplicity that consumer driven products embody. Second, software-as-a-service means that businesses can outsource email, collaboration and other basic productivity functions to third parties who deliver them over the Web at a fraction of the cost of installed systems.
Put together, these trends offer unparalleled improvements in speed, productivity, and cost effectiveness, which should be important to all businesses.
What are the user benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS)?
Some basic user benefits of SaaS are as follows:
Can access data from anywhere in the world, on any computer platform
Have an unlimited email inbox with powerful search capability
Provided a simple and fast collaboration tool which enables them to communicate with colleagues around the world
Integrates their personal lives and professional lives in one view (calendar)
Data is never lost, even if your laptop dies or is stolen
Simple Apps (but not simplistic in their functionality) are a pleasure to use
Some basic IT user benefits include:
Absence of hardware or software to install or maintain
Very low fixed cost per user
Simple apps that users are already familiar with- little/no training necessary
Ability to move users incrementally, when they're ready
Enormous savings of license fees, hardware and data center costs
Open platform for integration
Natural for multi-OS environment (PC, Mac, Linux, etc.)
What are the business benefits for Software as a Service?
Decreased cost
Increased employee productivity, which enables faster decision making and tighter execution
More flexibility to deploy changes and innovations fast and get on with business
Available instantly around the world, always on and reliable
Attractive IT environment for the younger generation of employees
If my users are happy with Microsoft, why should I use anything else?
Many of your users are already using Google Apps in their personal lives and even at work. Given a choice, we find that many employees will choose our products because they are simple, reliable, and fun. Most users have never been given an alternative to Microsoft products, so you might be surprised how they would respond if given the option.
We’re not saying change what you have if you’re totally happy with it, but there’s some innovative Web2.0 applications that are in this package, to enhance the collaboration tools you offer to your users that enhances communication across your organization.
How much money can I save with Google Apps?
Simplistically, we provide 10X the storage at 1/10th the cost - this represents two orders of magnitude improvement. Most companies have a cost model for provisioning email and productivity applications to employees - usually somewhere between $300 and $1000 per employee. Because our pricing model is so simple, and all-inclusive, it's easy to calculate the savings you can expect from putting some or all of your employees on Google Apps.
There is clear value in having viable alternative vendors when you are negotiating pricing with your suppliers.
Will Gmail be as reliable as my current solution?
In all likelihood, Gmail will be considerably more reliable than your current solution. We are regularly improving the performance, scalability, and reliability of Gmail and the other applications. By way of example, all Gmail accounts are now served simultaneously out of 2 data centers. This is virtually impossible to replicate in an installed solution and results in Gmail quickly becoming more reliable than any installed product.
Why is Google the right provider for my communication and collaboration needs?
Google continues to demonstrate its industry leadership in terms of web-based innovation. Driving this platform forward, we have the leading computing platform and have assembled the strongest team of computer scientists in the industry. Google Apps is the fastest growing part of Google and it continually receives significant investments.
Why Gmail?
Gmail is the fasted growing email product in the world with tens of millions of users. With Gmail, productivity will be significantly increased because you receive enough storage that you never have to delete email. Furthermore, there's no need to organize email because of the powerful search function and email/IM threading. Instant messaging is embedded in Gmail so you can respond to an email in real-time. Also, your Gmail is available from any computer, at any time so you're no longer limited to answering email at your desk. Gmail is simple to use, but not simplistic in its functionality, which mean less time required for user training.
Furthermore, Gmail is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Calendar?
With Google Calendar, you get a universal view of all the events in your life-- and we really mean all. With Google Calendar, you can view the calendars of coworkers, family, and friends from one online calendar. Their appointments are viewable right next to yours which streamlines event planning. Gone are the days of flipping through different calendars in the attempt to schedule. Google Calendar just made coordinating your life that much easier. Google Calendar is also integrateable with other components of Google Apps, including Apps components and information saved in other calendar applications. You can communicate, share and collaborate via Gmail, Talk and Calendar to drastically reduce duplicate work and improve output efficiency and quality. Additionally, Google Calendar maintains the access control settings that you specify. You decide who can see your calendar and which details they are permitted to view.
Furthermore, Google Calendar is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Talk?
Google Talk enables you to communicate more effectively and efficiently. You can respond to an email via chat; this allows you to truly have real-time communication and increase the productivity of you and your work force. It really is an "instant" messaging solution. Because it is integrated with Gmail, a client provider is not required. Also, the chronological email/IM discussion thread enables you to comprehend the full conversation history and context.
Unlike other chat providers, Google Talk was built with security and compliance (internal and external regulatory policies) in mind so you can check that off your list of concerns. To further impact your business collaboration, Group Chat enables your users to more effectively collaborate on projects and coordinate meetings. They can even transfer files and have a voice chat through Google Talk.
Furthermore, Google Talk is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Docs?
Google Docs replaces the inefficient use of other collaboration tools. It improves the quality of output by enabling collaboration and discussion of the document simultaneously-- multiple people in multiple locations can view, discuss, and edit the same document from anywhere at any time. Google Docs eliminates inefficient check-in / check out procedures and publishing makes it easier to disseminate information across the whole domain so you can leverage one of your most important business assets-- your intellectual property. It also reduces duplicate work and confusing document tracking and version control issues while simultaneously eliminating the concern of exceeding disk space and inbox quotas with the standard back and forth emailing procedure. Google Docs are simple, but not simplistic in their functionality, which mean less time required for user training. Furthermore, Google Docs has secure sharing. Each Doc requires a login so you don't have to worry about information getting into the wrong hands.
Furthermore, Google Docs is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why iGoogle?
iGoogle is a secure, personalized start page that enables you to build your own gadgets--both personal and corporate. iGoogle was designed with ease-of-use in mind so the user can create gadgets that matter to them which improves adoption rate. Once they are created, users can share them with others enabling collaboration efforts amongst your team. iGoogle is also used as the launch pad to intranet sites and has the company branding which improves the dissemination of business information while maintaining a unified appearance.
Furthermore, iGoogle is part of Google Apps, so you get all the benefits of using Software as a Service. This includes decreased TCO; improved functionality, usability and efficiency in your day-to-day activities; and a fast and effective search function to reduce time spent searching. You also get to experience the Google speed of innovation with new features coming out all the time so you have the most up-to-date service.
Why Google Sites?
Today, information is created in all types of formats, such as documents, presentations, and even videos, and one thing we hear a lot from our customers is how hard it is for a company to organize all that information in one place. We know that making information easily accessible is an essential part of knowledge-sharing, so we've added Google Sites to our suite.
Google Sites makes creating a team website as easy as editing a document. Users can quickly gather a variety of content – videos, documents, presentations, spreadsheets, calendars and more – and securely share it for viewing or editing with a few colleagues, your entire organization, or the world.
At the same time, we give administrators the control and security they need to ensure private content is kept private. And you get the benefits of Google's hosted platform: no hardware or software to install or maintain, so your organization can focus on your core business tasks.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Australian opts for Google Apps
In a first for the region, resellers are bringing the software suite, Google Apps, to Australian businesses with a version specially created for marketing through a channel rather than direct marketing.
Web development firm DevNet and leading domain provider Netregistry are teaming up as the first resellers in Australia, and will evangelise and increase adoption of the Google Apps Premier Edition for businesses.
Google Apps is a package of business-oriented software that includes domain hosting, email and instant messaging, and collaborative calendar and document sharing.
Until now, businesses around the world could only host with the .com or .org domains, but the Australian Google Apps will give businesses the option of using a .com.au domain.
Google said it made this move as a response to the growing prevalence of hosted applications in the Australian business sector.
“Online applications are really becoming main stream for Australian businesses and we're seeing great momentum,” said Richard Suhr, Google Australia spokesperson.
“Users are fully embracing cloud computing in their personal lives and enterprises are now following suit by exploring cost-saving, collaborative, web-based office solutions.”
Netregistry, which provides domain hosting to 250,000 Australian organisations, believes the Google Apps partnership is a sign of trends to come in the business-world, particularly for SMEs.
“I think for small businesses, ultimately, what it really represents is a lower cost and increased productivity,” said Netregistry CEO Larry Bloch.
“For small businesses in general, what we’re seeing, is a drift towards hosted applications for a preferred computing environment.”
“I think to some extent, the dinosaur days of desktop applications will pass, and the future will largely comprise of hosted applications that will be delivered centrally, and all you need on the desktop is literally a browser and an internet connection to gain access.”
Bloch said the Google Apps suite will be available soon and will be offered to Netregistry’s 250,000 SME customers, or can be purchased through the Google website.
Web development firm DevNet and leading domain provider Netregistry are teaming up as the first resellers in Australia, and will evangelise and increase adoption of the Google Apps Premier Edition for businesses.
Google Apps is a package of business-oriented software that includes domain hosting, email and instant messaging, and collaborative calendar and document sharing.
Until now, businesses around the world could only host with the .com or .org domains, but the Australian Google Apps will give businesses the option of using a .com.au domain.
Google said it made this move as a response to the growing prevalence of hosted applications in the Australian business sector.
“Online applications are really becoming main stream for Australian businesses and we're seeing great momentum,” said Richard Suhr, Google Australia spokesperson.
“Users are fully embracing cloud computing in their personal lives and enterprises are now following suit by exploring cost-saving, collaborative, web-based office solutions.”
Netregistry, which provides domain hosting to 250,000 Australian organisations, believes the Google Apps partnership is a sign of trends to come in the business-world, particularly for SMEs.
“I think for small businesses, ultimately, what it really represents is a lower cost and increased productivity,” said Netregistry CEO Larry Bloch.
“For small businesses in general, what we’re seeing, is a drift towards hosted applications for a preferred computing environment.”
“I think to some extent, the dinosaur days of desktop applications will pass, and the future will largely comprise of hosted applications that will be delivered centrally, and all you need on the desktop is literally a browser and an internet connection to gain access.”
Bloch said the Google Apps suite will be available soon and will be offered to Netregistry’s 250,000 SME customers, or can be purchased through the Google website.
1.3 million students in Australia make the switch from Exchange to Google
On the heels of New South Wales Department of Education and Training’s announcement that it would dump its Microsoft’s Outlook/Exchange platform to migrate to Google Apps, other organizations across Australia are flirting with the notion of handing over their antiquated systems to Google as well. Google has seen slower than anticipated adoption of its corporate suite, but that all might be changing in the near future.
According to ZDNet Australia, IT services firm SMS Management and Technology is seeing a much larger interest in Google than in recent times. The firm sponsored the switch for the Dept. of Education and Training that saw nearly 1.3 million students make the switch from Exchange to GMail. The firm also led Macquarie University in a similar initiative which signifies a distinct push for change across not only government and education departments, but for large enterprises as well.
"There’s been a fair bit of interest from the other education services around Australia," SMS industry director of business solutions Paul Cooper said. "My sense is that there’s a number of eyes on the NSW solution, and I get the feeling that they [other groups] will certainly want to have a look at the success and how that operates first," he added.
The main advantage over Exchange and other proprietary solutions, is the fact that Google has the ability to link its tools with other applications in a technique known as creating "mashups". Out-of-the-box solutions from Google automatically support this scenario, which is highly desirable by large enterprise. This combined with fact that Google offers a significant cost reduction overall, especially with larger corporations, makes it a viable candidate for adoption.
I see the switch as nothing but good news for anyone who adopts it. A web-based environment, where the systems can be updated in real-time without costly over-hauls and security fixes like Microsoft requires, would be all I need to see before going forward. I realize a switch of this magnitude could be a nightmare for IT executives, but once it’s all said and done, the benefits would greatly outweigh the strain.
http://www.freeaccess.com.au/Structure:%20/2008/08/11/australian-enterprise-flirting-with-google-apps-adoption/
According to ZDNet Australia, IT services firm SMS Management and Technology is seeing a much larger interest in Google than in recent times. The firm sponsored the switch for the Dept. of Education and Training that saw nearly 1.3 million students make the switch from Exchange to GMail. The firm also led Macquarie University in a similar initiative which signifies a distinct push for change across not only government and education departments, but for large enterprises as well.
"There’s been a fair bit of interest from the other education services around Australia," SMS industry director of business solutions Paul Cooper said. "My sense is that there’s a number of eyes on the NSW solution, and I get the feeling that they [other groups] will certainly want to have a look at the success and how that operates first," he added.
The main advantage over Exchange and other proprietary solutions, is the fact that Google has the ability to link its tools with other applications in a technique known as creating "mashups". Out-of-the-box solutions from Google automatically support this scenario, which is highly desirable by large enterprise. This combined with fact that Google offers a significant cost reduction overall, especially with larger corporations, makes it a viable candidate for adoption.
I see the switch as nothing but good news for anyone who adopts it. A web-based environment, where the systems can be updated in real-time without costly over-hauls and security fixes like Microsoft requires, would be all I need to see before going forward. I realize a switch of this magnitude could be a nightmare for IT executives, but once it’s all said and done, the benefits would greatly outweigh the strain.
http://www.freeaccess.com.au/Structure:%20/2008/08/11/australian-enterprise-flirting-with-google-apps-adoption/
Friday, September 5, 2008
Google chases Microsoft with new Web browser
Google chases Microsoft with new Web browser
Search giant ups the ante in the race to be the dominant Internet player with a free browser.
Last Updated: September 1, 2008: 8:56 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (AP) -- Google is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its Internet-leading search engine.
The Mountain View-based company took the unusual step of announcing its latest product on the Labor Day holiday after it prematurely sent out a comic book drawn up to herald the new browser's arrival.
The free browser, called "Chrome," is supposed to be available in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft's Windows operating system. Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) said it's still working on versions compatible with Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) Mac and the Linux operating system.
Although Google is using a cartoonish approach to promote Chrome, the new browser underscores the gravity of Google's rivalry with Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500), whose Internet Explorer is used by about 75 percent of Web surfers.
Google for several years has been trying to take advantage of its search engine's popularity to loosen Microsoft's grip on how most people interact with personal computers.
The assault so far has been focused on a bundle of computer programs, including word processing and spreadsheet applications, that Google offers as an alternative to one of Microsoft's biggest money makers, its Office suite of products.
Google has tried to make its alternatives more appealing and accessible by hosting them for free over Internet connections instead of requiring users to pay a licensing fee to install them on individual computers
Meanwhile, Microsoft has been trying to thwart Google by investing billions in the development of its own search engine and making an unsuccessful attempt to buy Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) for $47.5 billion.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/01/technology/google_browser.ap/index.htm
The tensions between Microsoft and Google now seem likely to escalate with Google's foray into Web browsing.
In a Monday blog posting, Google touted Chrome as a more sophisticated Web browser better suited for displaying the more dynamic and interactive content blossoming on the Web as people migrate from television, radio and newspapers.
"The Web gets better with more options and innovation," Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google's engineering director, wrote in the posting. "Google Chrome is another option, and we hope it contributes to making the Web even better."
Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
First Published: September 1, 2008: 5:50 PM EDT
Search giant ups the ante in the race to be the dominant Internet player with a free browser.
Last Updated: September 1, 2008: 8:56 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (AP) -- Google is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its Internet-leading search engine.
The Mountain View-based company took the unusual step of announcing its latest product on the Labor Day holiday after it prematurely sent out a comic book drawn up to herald the new browser's arrival.
The free browser, called "Chrome," is supposed to be available in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft's Windows operating system. Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) said it's still working on versions compatible with Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) Mac and the Linux operating system.
Although Google is using a cartoonish approach to promote Chrome, the new browser underscores the gravity of Google's rivalry with Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500), whose Internet Explorer is used by about 75 percent of Web surfers.
Google for several years has been trying to take advantage of its search engine's popularity to loosen Microsoft's grip on how most people interact with personal computers.
The assault so far has been focused on a bundle of computer programs, including word processing and spreadsheet applications, that Google offers as an alternative to one of Microsoft's biggest money makers, its Office suite of products.
Google has tried to make its alternatives more appealing and accessible by hosting them for free over Internet connections instead of requiring users to pay a licensing fee to install them on individual computers
Meanwhile, Microsoft has been trying to thwart Google by investing billions in the development of its own search engine and making an unsuccessful attempt to buy Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) for $47.5 billion.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/01/technology/google_browser.ap/index.htm
The tensions between Microsoft and Google now seem likely to escalate with Google's foray into Web browsing.
In a Monday blog posting, Google touted Chrome as a more sophisticated Web browser better suited for displaying the more dynamic and interactive content blossoming on the Web as people migrate from television, radio and newspapers.
"The Web gets better with more options and innovation," Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google's engineering director, wrote in the posting. "Google Chrome is another option, and we hope it contributes to making the Web even better."
Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
First Published: September 1, 2008: 5:50 PM EDT
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