Google's new web-based office software suite, which the company announced recently, is a swift kick to the teeth delivered squarely in the direction of Microsoft.
Google Apps Premier Edition is a collection of office tools for businesses -- word processor, spreadsheet, e-mail, calendar and web page creator -- all of which are accessible through a web browser. Pricing is set at £35 per user per year for the premier edition, there is also a free option available. This is obviously less expensive than Microsoft Office but with much the same functionality. Microsoft has its own web-based suite of tools in Office Live, but the company's offering doesn't match Google's. And Google isn't going after Office Live, it's going after Office.
The suite and others like it are visions of a possible future when all software will be delivered over the internet. Does the arrival of Google Apps Premier Edition signal the death of desktop software dinosaurs like Microsoft Office?
Reasons to switch to Google's web-based office suite:
Cost. Compared to the £299 list price for the full version of Microsoft Office Professional 2007, Google's £35-per-year price tag is cheap and even cheaper if you take the free edition. Telephone, e-mail and web support are included in that price, so organizations could see a drop in IT support costs as well. Companies may be faced with a bump in training costs when the switch first happens, but Google offers some interactive training presentations that could help tilt the learning curve.
Centralized data storage. Documents are available from any web browser, upping the convenience ante for remote workers. Plus, 25 GB is plenty of room. For most users, that's more than they'll ever need.
Security. Data is accessed through secure connections and stored redundantly, and Gmail uses SSL for mail connections. On paper, that's just as secure as Microsoft's desktop solutions. Google also offers enterprise customers the ability to push all mail traffic through a self-hosted gateway. Users get Gmail's slick interface and corporations get to fold in existing procedures like traffic monitoring and archiving. A bonus: Gmail arguably has the best spam and virus filters of all the web-based e-mail services. Gmail automatically bounces executable files (even if they are wrapped in an archive) and employs platform-wide spam filters kept current by the user community.
24/7 access to the work space. The beauty of web-based applications is that they are accessible from any computer with an internet connection, anywhere in the world. Also, every worker in the company gets the same tool set -- like a standard corporate software install without the production and installation costs.
Cut the Microsoft leash. Any company switching to Google Apps will be free of Microsoft's sluggish upgrade cycle and confusing, restrictive licensing requirements.
Purple Penguin Media will now be offering all customers the option of integration with Google Apps either free edition or premier. We believe the google apps email solution alone sells itself either on the free or premier edition. You will also have the option to keep your online mailbox, wiresless device (iPhone or other IMAP device) and your desktop client if you choose to be completly sync'd. If you are a new customer contact us today, if you are an exisiting customer, please contact your account manager to discuss the use of Google Apps.
