The acquisition of messaging security vendor Postini by Google for $625 was clearly a move toward the enterprise. It will let Google claim enterprise-level security to help lure big business to Google Apps. Big business clearly seems happy with Google’s enterprise search appliances. (Watch the video on Google’s Enterprise strategy.) So there’s reason to believe they would want more from Google in their networks.
Informationweek published an interesting story in which CIOs named the pros and cons of ditching Microsoft Office for Google Apps. Google Apps cost about $50 per person per year. But Microsoft Office can be had for as low as $100/seat – and most users will run on the same software for a few years. Then there’s the training issue. Making knowledge workers give up the software they know isn’t always the wisest move an IT executive can make.
That said, the CIOs quoted said they liked what they saw so far. Some big names are said to be testing Google Apps including Proctor & Gamble and General Electric.
Companies that are the best candidates for Google Apps are those that are using just a few features of it. Obviously, this is one of the reasons that Microsoft this week pounded on its partners to develop more custom applications for Office – or Office Business Applications (or OBAs in Microsoft-speak). Microsoft claims to have over 200 OBAs available today.
But this is the good side of competition. In this case, Microsoft wants to win and keep customers by making products more customized – better suited for customers. That’s a better way to go about it than stubbornly refusing to work with others – as is their stance with ODF.
