What are the benefits of Software as a Service and Google Apps?

What are the advantages of Software as a Service (SaaS)?

Among many user benefits includes:

• Data accesibility from any place using any OS, 25 GB (Premier Edition) and 7 GB (Standard Edition) of E-Mail storage capacity per user with a powerful search function,
• Fast and Easy messaging and collaboration tools, 
• Your data will never get lost, even if you lose your computer or gets stolen.

Among many IT user benefits includes:

• Installation or maintenance of any hardware of Software is not required,
• Stable and low cost per user,
• Easy and familiar applications: little training needed,
• Capacity to migrate users gradually,
• Cost savings from licensing fees, hardware and data centers,
• Open platform for integration.

Among the company advantages includes:

• Low Cost,
• More productivity from your employees, which enables a faster decision making,
• Greater flexibility to implement changes and innovations more quickly and continue working,
• Attractive IT environment for the next generation employees.

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How much money can I save with Google Apps?

Most companys have a cost model for E-Mail and Productivity applications supply for each employee: normally, between 300 and 1000 USD by employee.

Gmail Benefits

Gmail has more than 10 million enterprise users. With Gmail, The inbox has more than enough capacity to minimize the need to delete E-mails. It also includes the powerful Google Search function, better E-Mail and instant messaging conversations organization. Gmail has an integrated instant messaging feature so you can reply to an E-Mail in Real Time. At the same time, you may access Gmail from any equipment, with google your only limitation is internet access. Gmail is easy to use, even though its functionality it's not simplist, so the learning curve for each user is a short one. 

Google Calendar Benefits

With Google Calendar you may see your collaborators and workmates calendar all from one online calendar.You may see their appointments right next to yours, which simplifies you event planning. Google Calendar can integrate with other Google Apps components. You may communicate, share and collaborate through Gmail, Google Talk and Google Calendar to reduce duplicated work and get better results. You can also decide who can or can't see your calendar.

Google Talk Benefits

Google Talk makes your communication easier, more effective and more efficient. You can reply to an E-Mail through Chat, this feature allows you to communicate in real-time, you and your workmates get a better productivity. Since it's integrated to Gmail, you don't need to install software. At the same time, with the cronological E-Mail and instant messaging you will get the whole picture of a conversation.

Google Docs Benefits

Google Docs elevates the quality of your work by allowing you to collaborate and discuss about a Document in real-time; Several people from different locations can see, analize and edit the same document any time. reduces duplicated work and document tracking, as well and the version tracking, at the same time that eliminates the problem of exceeding the hard disk space and the inbox quota. In addition, Google Docs shares documents reliably, it is required to sign in to access your documents, so you don't have to worry about information falling in the wrong hands.

Google Video Benefits

Sharing videos make communicate, internal courses and company releases, be more personal, attractive and efective. Your employees can share videos reliably with collaborators or with any person on the company without having to publish confidencial information. Google Video Premier Edition hosts and distributes videos reliably, so that employees do not have to share them by email or burdening the IT systems with a solution of video and can share videos instantly. watch them and taking notes does not require a specialized software, only a standard-compliant's browser.

Google Sites Benefits

Companys use Google Sites to access useful information. employees can create an intranet and allow team projects create sites to capture and share the department's knowledge. the version tracking gets don automatically, making simpler to update and getting the latest version. Among the permited formats are: .doc, .xls, .csv, .ppt, .txt, .pdf, etc. Users can see Google Docs, spreadsheets, presentations, Youtube videos, Picasa Albums, Gadgets, all of this with no programming knowledge. Google's search technology is integrated, allowing employees to find useful company information as easy as an internet search using google. No coding or IT experience is need to create or update webpages, so anyone can share its knowledge.

Companys using Google Apps

How many companies are using Google Apps?

Google was launched on february 2007, and there more than 1,000,000 companys and more than 10 million enterprise users. In addition, 3,000 companys register each day. The infraesctructure has matured, which is available from April 2004, the date Gmail was launched. Companys like, Genentech, Use Google Apps, and Google uses Google Apps for it's 20,000 employees. Companys know that Software as a Service (SaaS) is the future and assume the need to strive for that line. Secondly, realize that the notion of "one size fits all" is a very expensive solution.

Is there a specific segment where Google Apps makes more sense?

Google Apps offers the capacity to communicate and collaborate to any company. Having said that, we observed a fast adoption in companys with mobile work teams, teams all over the world with different time zones and big distances, as well, those dedicated to sales and manufacturing. Among the categories of additional users the following are included:

• Legacy E-Mail Users (e. g. commercial subsidiaries, customer service representatives and realtors),
• Users with no messaging and collaboration services (Manufacturing plants, Distribution centers, temporary strategic partners/consultants), 
• Collaborating users (teams / departments that share spreadsheets, project plans, etc.).

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Compatibility and Co-Existing with Google Apps

Is Google Apps compatible with Microsoft Products?

Google Docs: yes, Google Docs is compatible with Microsoft's Office file format and many other standards such as: PDF, OpenOffice and ODF. Microsoft's File format standard allow importing/exporting from any known format. Our product's design allows you to open standard files, and we assure you the compatibility between many products.

Messaging and collaboration: Google Apps was created over an Open and scalable platform thinking about integration. The Open Standard of Google's API, Gdata, offering an easy and secure programmatic access to aplications like Google Docs, Calendar, Gmail, etc. In addition, the Google's known gadget development platform is perfect to create enterpirse mash-ups and workflows integration to attend the companys needs in a fraction of the time and money of the traditional development environemnts (e. g. .Net, SOAP). More than 50,000 gadgets have been developed for this platform, many of them aimed for companys like CRM and ERP integration, as well as workflow management.

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Can Google migrate all my E-Mail and Calendar Events from Exchange or Lotus Notes?

Yes. Google Apps Premier Edition has a set of migration utilities and API to extract information from your current systems and migrate them to Google Apps. In addition, Google has a growing number of partners specialized in the development, migration, implemetation and co-existance of your current systems and Google Apps.

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When will Google have all the Microsoft Office/Exchange Features?

Our intention is not to resemble those products on its functions, Our Goal is to create a better global experience and offer some new functions based on the Web unique nature. Although there is always some level of distrust by the user to switch to next generation products, we believe that user experience is exceptionally strong as a whole.

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We already have several E-Mail systems, How can we automatically convert the users?

We can help you, or, you can use the API and utilities from Google. According to the organization's size, it is recommended to start with a pilot group. This product is designed to work in a mixed E-Mail and Calendar environment. With Google's coexistent tools you can continue working in a mixed E-Mail and calendar evironment as it is realized the full migration.

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Google Apps Use Capacity

What happens with the use capacity when offline?

We recognize that offline use capabilities remain fundamental in the business world today. While broadband connectivity is available almost anywhere, there are still situations where users need not be connected (e. g. airplanes). Google launched Gears, a set of Open Source and standard tools from the sector to allow the offline use of Web 2.0 based applications. Google applications are based on Open Standards. Gmail can be used offline through several known E-Mail clients, such as Outlook, Thunderbird and Mac Mail through POP3 and IMAP. Google calendar is available in the same manner through any application compliant to the iCal format (e. g. iCal, Outlook). Google Docs allows the export and import from all common file formats including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, OpenOffice, CSV, TXT and more.

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If I decide to stop using Google Apps, Can I get my information back?

Yes, Our solution provides open API for all applications and you can retrieve E-Mail, calendars and documents in any standard file format (IMAP, iCal, MS Office)

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Google Apps: Data Security and reliability

Will I get specialized servers?

No, Google is running in an environment called "multi-tenant". While there is a logical separation between users and companies, storage and computing power are shared across a vast array of computers. It is the core of the architecture of Google and is what provides the scalability, reliability and efficiency that distinguishes Google.

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What are the security benefits of Software as a service?

With traditional Software, easy access to employee data stored on unsafe USB drives, portable drives. With Google Apps, as employees can access information securely from any location, are less likely to locally save confidential data. Furthermore, with guaranteed uptime of 99.9% of Google Apps, you can be sure that employees have access to information whenever they need it. The Service Level Agreement uptime of 99.9% of Google Apps is offered to organizations using Google Apps Premier Edition, as described in the TOS of Google Apps Premier Edition.

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Why is Google Apps Secure?

Google has operations in one of the largest networks of distributed data centers in the world and made a hard work to protect information and intellectual property present on these servers. These facilities are protected at all times and we have a team of specialized security operations whose sole job is to maintain the security of our environment. The controls, processes and policies that protect these data have successfully passed an audit of SAS 70 Type II. Our security practices have three main components:

• People: Google has a team of information security full-time trained by some of the world's leading experts in information protection, application and network. This team is responsible for perimeter defense systems of the company, the review processes of the safety and personal security infrastructure and development, documentation and implementation of directives and security policies of Google.
• Process: safety is part of Google's DNA. Each application is developed from the start taking into account the safety. Google applications are subject to multiple security checks as part of the process of developing secure code. The application development environment is completely restricted and monitored closely to maximize security. External audits are also conducted periodically to provide additional security.
• Technology: Google Apps data and hide split between multiple servers and disks, which prevents reading. Also, data are replicated in several data centers that are redundant and are always available. To reduce the risks of exploitation, each Google server is created by custom and with only the necessary software components, while the homogeneous server architecture allows fast updates and configuration changes across the network when needed.

We depend on Google Apps

We trust our own data to the products we put at your disposal. Google employees use Gmail for all corporate email, Google Calendar to schedule meetings and events and Google Talk for instant messaging between project teams. We use Google Docs for sensitive content such as, product design specifications, and Google Sites to manage team projects.

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Who owns the data from Google Docs?

You retain copyright and any other rights you may have about the content that you submit, post or display. As we have established the conditions of service, do not claim ownership or control of the content that you develop with Google Docs. When you decide to share documents with others specifically, we have the proper license to display those documents to the selected users and give them the right format for different views.

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