Google may pose strongest long-term threat to Microsoft's dominance
By
Jon Brodkin, Network World April 28, 2010 07:02 AM ET
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Google Apps or Microsoft Office? That is the question on the minds of many CIOs today.
Microsoft has long dominated the e-mail, collaboration and office tools market, and its customer list dwarfs that of Google and all other competitors. But despite the presence of well-established alternatives such as OpenOffice and IBM's Lotus Notes, some industry analysts believe Google may pose the strongest long-term threat to Microsoft's office dominance.
"Google is still a wannabe, but they're Google so this is a very strong challenger," says Laura DiDio, lead analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp (ITIC).
"Microsoft is very worried in the sense that Google has a lot of recognition, momentum and is putting a lot of dollars and
effort into their newer business ventures that aren't related to search," McLeish says. "They're walking a very fine line.
While they're nervous and worried, they're not nervous and worried enough to dramatically reduce the cost of Office. They
clearly have some insight into their customer base and the potential risk they face. They're delicately managing the pricing
to protect their margins."
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