RSSGoogle Moves into Business Software
By Ed Oswald | Published August 28, 2006, 1:30 PM
Google made moves Sunday to enter the business software market by introducing a suite of applications that include e-mail, communications and calendaring capabilities that are already offered separately by the search provider.
The Web-based applications will be offered for free, and seem to be a competitor to Microsoft's Office Live product.
Google Apps for Your Domain includes the e-mail service Gmail, a Web-based version of its Google Talk software, Google Calendar, and Google Page Creator, a Web site design application. While in beta the service would be free, although Google may charge those who sign up for the product after the beta ends.
In its current form, Google Apps is intended for small businesses and organizations. However, by the end of the year the company plans to offer a version of the service useable by large corporations and government agencies.
While IT administrators would have complete control over branding, color scheme and content, all data would be stored by Google on their own servers. The services would use a company's own domain name, which Google said would require some changes to domain settings in order to accomplish.
In a further challenge to Microsoft, the search giant is considering adding both its Writely Web-based word processing application as well as Google Spreadsheet to the service. If Google does include those applications, and markets it widely, it would be the first serious challenge to Microsoft's Office productivity suite in several years.
However, Google executives are quick to play down any talk of "replacing" Office, saying the services would likely run side-by-side on many office computers. Instead of replacing, executives say they are "looking for new ways" to solve common productivity issues.
Analysts disagree with the executives, however, saying Google's moves clearly position it to directly compete with Microsoft in the business software industry.
Talk about hype!
Google Talk (Had for a while) and a calendar app.
But they will now host your website and throw in a creator.
Not being funny, but isn't this the same as every other domain / web hosting company out there plus Google talk and a calendar? (My hosting company does all of the above minus Google Talk)
Where's the attack on Microsoft / move into business software.
God only knows what the media will be saying if Google ever launched a branded desktop or bundled the Spreadsheet / Word Processor / Mail into some sort of application come Office take on.
Please - Google's just web development company who has just started getting into hosting.
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|i wonder what the catch would be? they gave 1 gig of email, but they use that information to improve searches and learn about user trends.
what will be signing away?
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|I trust on google, and Google has the ability to beat other in software. Now other software industries need to remain be aware about the request response time (speed) of their application.
Good luck google. Have a smoother steps ahead.
Thanks
Ashok Mor
Software Engineer, Bangalore.
TriVium System Inc. – USA.
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|Much to do about nothing. This is minor stuff. Few will ever try it seriuosly. Google will need to do a LOT more before any interest will be sparked by this. By then microsoft will be moving on to intergrated assets tracking, network intrascruture, etc.
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|LOVE GOOGLE!!
GOOGLE GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!
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|Love Google Hosted.. Works great for my domains email. Would hate to have to switch. Always up and working, never any problems.
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|I, for one, have no use for Google Talk. I've tried it and can't stand it. I need functionality that it does not have.
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|Care to elaborate on what that functionality is?
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|Candy colored buttons and animated smilies, I am sure.
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|I use Google talk regularly and wish it had a multi-user chat function... also, being able to connect to multiple protocols like the Trillian client would be convinient.
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|If you've seen Google's apps — like Writely — then you know what a joke this whole marketing campaign really is. Web 2.0 is code for stealing your money and data for something you already own.
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|Eh....
Writely wasn't created by Google. It's also still in Beta. It's also quite useful. It's also free.
So, you;re using a free, useful, and incomplete beta app as your basis to posit that a made-up phrase describing the latest trend in web development is stealing your money?
I'd *really* love to see the logic there. Honestly.
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|The Bell Tolls For Microsoft
Today Google released a new service named Google Apps for Your Domain. Notice I didn't say software package. Reffering to this new service as a software package would be doing it a disservice.
This is not merely a collection of free software/services that Google is offering. That in itself is pretty nice for small business owners. I owned a small company during the late 1980's through the late 1990's, and I would have loved not having to spend all the money I did on software packages, that were no more functional than what Goolge is offering now for free. What Google is offering business owners, is the chance to re-think the way they do business, at no financial cost.
How nice would it be to buy "packaged" software, and then get your money back a month later when you discover it really doesn't meet your needs? If you're anything like me, you have a lot of software collecting dust, because it's didn't do what you thought it would. Google is offering the chance to try a new business model for free, and if doesn't work, you can always go back to over paying Microsoft for average software.
Every day the web-centric world moves a little further away from the desktop as we know it. Every day Microsoft pretends that they still are a player. Every day the true web players, distance themselves further from the desktop world. The bell tolls a little longer, a little louder, every day. I'm guessing Microsoft can hear the ringing in their ears.
I’m Guessing
http://imguessingblog.blogspot.com
imguessingblog@gmail.com
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|"Google made moves Sunday to enter the business software market by introducing a suite of applications that include e-mail, communications and calendaring capabilities that are already offered separately by the search provider."
HOW? How did they make moves on Sunday? Was it just by adding a page with 4 existing products in one place? Or was there a press release? PLEASE PROVIDE REFERENCES AND LINKS.
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"The Web-based applications will be offered for free, and seem to be a competitor to Microsoft's Office Live product."
Why does it seem to be a competitor to MS Office Live? Where is the authority on this? Has someone stated such, or is this inferred by the writer?
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"Analysts disagree with the executives, however, saying Google's moves clearly position it to directly compete with Microsoft in the business software industry."
Who are these analysts?
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BetaNews is usually very thorough in citing sources after statements such as these.
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|Although I see no use of this Google's suite, and dont think that it will be seriuos MS office's competitor. This is clearly a move: marketing move, business move, not product development move.
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|"all data would be stored by Google on their own servers"
Why would any business owners want to store their information on someone else server?
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|Google Apps is intended for small businesses and organizations.
See, most of those folks know *nothing* about data security or business privacy laws.
In effect, it's marketed, in it's current form, to complete idiots.
Why would a small business need a Dell Small Business Server when they can get all of their services free from Google?
The securtiy and privacy part isn't discussed or even thought of until the first lawsuit....and even then, it's a crap-shoot.
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|"In effect, it's marketed, in it's current form, to complete idiots"
So true. LOL!
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|By the end of the year it will also include Writely and Google Spreadsheets (After additional functionality has been added to both).
Coporate Applicances to host these services within a corporate network, not requiring a connection to Google or the internet will also be made available at this time.
...
...and now back to reality:
Yeah, it'd be nice, but...
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