Google Apps

From Googles web site:

Reliable, secure web-based office tools for any size business

Powerful, intuitive applications like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs can help reduce your IT costs and help employees collaborate more effectively – all for just $50 per user per year.

Check out Googles savings calculator here

 

 

DCB.NET.AU Use Google Apps

After 10 years of using Lotus Notes email and collaboration suit DCB.NET.AU moved to Google Apps suit. This change has been wholly successful. Google Apps is a great Cloud based service for small business.

You can read all the Google hype at your leisure on their web site what has proved to be important to our clients is:

• No mail server is required reducing your IT footprint, administration and power usage
• Using your own domain name maintains your branding
• Searching for emails and documents is very powerful
• Each character you type is saved protecting you from poor Internet connections or accidentally closing your browser window.
• A very large amount of email space gives you confidence to store messages and label them correctly

Google Docs Or Not?

Google Docs has some issues while being a great product in itself. There are quite small limits on the number of documents and their size. The editing and integration features do not yet provide a professional level of functionality. Use Google Docs by all means on a personal basis but not for business critical documents or as part of the core processes for your business. Stick with your existing skills and continue using MS Office or Open Office. Note that Google Docs is a quickly maturing product (as are the whole suit of Apps).

One Document Repository

Having a single filing system for your documents is critical to small business.

Using MS Office or Open Office you save your documents to your C: drive or possibly to a network attached server or storage device (NAS). Software Choice Pty Ltd recommend sticking with your existing practices but moving them to the Cloud. To do this our clients have implemented Cloud based document storage and backup using Jungle Disk. This design maintains a single repository for important business documents with familiar folder structures while keeping it simple for the end user.

Our Clients In The Cloud

• Superior Wealth Management Services are using Google Apps for email and calendar. They have laptops and smart phones and can access their email, calendar and contacts from any device. They have switched easily from Novell Groupwise email and collaboration.

Go Pro For $US50, Why Not?

DCB.NET.AU recommend selecting the "Pro" version of Google Apps for all our clients. We also recommend Googles Postini services for email archiving and Google Sites for Intranet.

Googles Other Products

It's a little confusing to start with but Google have two types of accounts a Google Account and a Google Apps Account. These are slowly merging but currently our clients need both accounts. Other Google services that are important for small business are:

• Google Maps - Google can verify your companies profile on Google Maps. Once "owner verified" they use these details throughout all their systems including their search engines when they require details for your business.
• Google Analytics - measure visits to your web sites which may include your main site, your blog and other Google Sites that may be made public.