Capgemini to offer Google Apps to enterprise clients

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 12 September 2007 12:17

Business IT - Technology

Google Apps, Google's office productivity tools delivered online have received a huge boost with Capgemini, one of the world's leading providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, deciding to offer and support the apps to large scale enterprises.

Capgemini will offer Google Apps Premier Edition  which includes Docs & Spreadsheets, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and Start Page for what it says will be "a low annual fee". They will be offered as an extension to Capgemini Global Outsourcing's desktop offering which encompasses procurement, installation, deployment and management through to disposal of desktop PCs. Capgemini has over one million desktops under management worldwide.

Capgemini claims considerable experience managing the challenges and opportunities of incorporating new applications into existing, complex IT infrastructures and says that, through its transition services it "can extend the value of Google Apps for large-scale enterprises by maximising adoption and fostering real-time collaboration – even for mobile workers, partners and other user groups that were previously disconnected from corporate email and applications."

Widespread uptake would be a significant blow to Microsoft whose tools dominate the corporate desktop environment. According to Capgemini, "SaaS solutions, such as Google Apps Premier Edition, provide a cost-effective, easy-to-deploy alternative to installed, licensed desktop software; they are delivered over the Internet via a Web browser and do not require companies to install or maintain software locally, or to tap into internal IT resources."