Yesterday we went through a brief overview of Google Apps, and my opinion of it after using it for about 5 months now. It really is pretty nice and can be a big win for any small business that doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on company infrastructure. Being that the standard version of Google Apps is free, it’s hard to complain about the opportunity to use all those tools without even having to pay. There are some areas where Google Apps could be improved though, and some of them are addressed with the Premier version of the service. If you choose to go with the Premier version, you’ll have to pay $50 per year, per user. Still an unbelievably low cost compared to what it would usually cost to set up a complete infrastructure for your company. Here are the extra items you get with the Premier package:
- 99.9% uptime guarantee for email
- 25 GB email storage/account
- Optional ads
- Conference room and resource scheduling
- APIs to integrate more closely with your current environment
- Email routing controls
- 24/7 assistance including phone support
That’s a lot of additional stuff for only $50 a year. The ability to have conference room and resource scheduling is a big win, as that is a crucial need for any business on a daily basis. The ability to integrate with Google Apps via APIs also really expands the horizons for any business that already has an existing infrastructure. Even with the Premier edition, there are a few little nuances that can be somewhat irritating.
No inline gadgets
Google Apps restricts you from using any inline gadgets on your start page. We’re sure it’s due to security issues, but it would be nice if you had the option to choose, and possibly allow certain inline gadgets that are approved by the domain administrator. Google announced that they are deprecating inline gadgets, but it can be frustrating when some of the coolest (and most useful) gadgets are inline gadgets.
Domain pages with Google URLs
Changing the CNAME records will allow you point certain URLs from your own domain to specific Google Apps pages, but once it redirects, it keeps Google’s URL. It’s really not a big deal, but it would be nice if there was a way to make it stay on your domain. You could do things like framing, or possibly use the API in the Premier edition, but if there was a way to integrate tighter with the standard version it would be a plus.
Frequency of new features/updates
This is more of a question than anything. I’m wondering how much work Google plans to put into adding new features to Google Apps, and if they’ll continue to try and build the standard version. Offering a free version gives you an opportunity to get clients using the product, then offering paid services once they’re already hooked on your infrastructure, it’s a basic business model. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the future with Google Apps.
All in all, Google Apps is a great tool set that at the very least is worth trying out for your business. If you’re able to trust using an internet based business infrastructure, Google Apps offers an extremely mobile workspace that allows you administer your business from just about anywhere, without the high startup costs of building your own. Depending on what your business model is Google Apps may or may not be a good fit for you, but if you’re looking for a easy to use business infrastructure for your small business that’s free (or at the very least cheap), Google Apps might be right up your alley.
