Google fleshes out apps strategy

Stuart Corner
Monday, 22 November 2010 08:07

Business IT - Technology

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's new Lync unified communications server, Google is talking up the Google apps platform in Australia, detailing its strategy and revealing two significant new Australian customers that have moved from Microsoft platforms.

The company last week revealed that Flight Centre was deploying Gmail to 13,000 employees worldwide, replacing Microsoft Outlook, and that real estate franchisor, Ray White was deploying a customer application available to 10,000 staff in its 1000 franchisees after trying unsuccessfully to use Microsoft .Net.

Amit Singh, Google's vice president, international sales and operations, briefed reporters on Google's plans for Google Apps saying: "This is the first time we have shared our complete strategy, and it is in three parts: applications we will build: the second part is your applications: those specific to your business'¦You can now build those on our platform. We think people are increasingly going to want to move their existing applications into the cloud'¦

"The third part is marketplace applications where other people build apps in the cloud'¦We are not going to be able to build everything so we have built a marketplace where you can come in and buy apps from us. These are integrated with our base platforms, so they inherit security, etc and they are integrated with our base apps. To date we have about 200 apps available.

"Surrounding these are connectivity and integration tools that allow your existing applications to work with the cloud and administration and cloud management services that enable fine grain control so administrators can manage access and security etc."

Singh claimed: "Our products are getting wider and deeper. We are now a very real alternative to Microsoft for users who want to move into the cloud, rather than upgrading. We have added some significant new capabilities and we have new applications. In the past year we have added 120 new features, like priority inbox and two factor authentication. We are introducing a vast new set of services, things like Picasa and blogging."

Richard Suhr, head of enterprise for Google Australia and New Zealand, said: "We see this incredible momentum behind the cloud. We have some three million customers for Google apps and 30 million users in total. Although a large number are small businesses we are starting to see some very big global brands that have made the shift."

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