Jim Kaskade

Google Apps for business (including email, docs, calendar, sites, and groups) has a number of benefits over traditional business IT and desktop software. Using the full suite essentially places all of your data and entire workflow in the cloud, meaning you can access it all anywhere, any time, from any Internet connection. Google crossed the 1M customers (10M users) by the end 2008, and then 2M by the end of 2009.

Many companies are building businesses around Google Apps. It is estimated that these 3rd parties will create 50% of their revenue from consultation, implementation, and “other apps”, around Google Apps, and 50% from the recurring license fee revenue (namely, a 20% reseller discount).

As shown above, there are an emerging number of resellers of Google Applications who not only install, customize, and support Google Apps, but also offer up other complementary applications. This data is based on the directory of companies provided by Google as of March, 2010.

Other Apps Augmenting GApps

The following are some examples of alternative applications which are packaged around the Google Apps offering by resellers.

Single Sign-On (SSO) – Adding multiple layers of security to Google Apps, with features such as user selected security image and message for mutual authentication, a browser-based password, and roaming authentication with one time passwords for users on mobile phones.

P2P VPN Bridge – connects multiple computers via encrypted links and is creative extension to Google GTalk that is useful for remote control access, or a nice low cost VPN for your teleworkers. Has features such as allowing you sync folders, share files, chat and VNC. It offers a remote control that can even pass through your Network Address Translation; file sharing; auto-synchronization of large files and syncs folders; auto schedule and resume; easy back up of your files from one computer or Google Docs to corporate.

Business process workflow – that is tightly integrated with your Google Apps. Integrates with many other Google Services like YouTube, Picasa, Calendar, Gmail, Maps and Search. GStepOne helps you plan each step and track the progress of the task. It has applications with training, collaboration, or anytime multiple steps are needed to perform a task by multiple people. Some examples include writing contracts or proposals, creating budgets, managing travel.

Cloud-based project management – Project managers upload documents to Google Docs and then determine which project team members should have access to them. Once the documents are uploaded, team members can perform a variety of project management tasks with them such as distributing assignments to the team through Google Apps, while maintaining data on issues and resolutions.

Cloud-based briefcase / synchronized storage – Employees who travel a lot can establish a link between their desktop and laptop computers and cloud storage. They can synchronize files, folders, or entire drives to their cloud briefcase. This allows them to backup files created while traveling, or grabbing a subset of files that they want available from remote devices. This service is also tightly integrated into their Google docs.

Other potential applications include:

• Google Docs Backup
• Microsoft Office Sync To Docs
• EMC Documentum and IBM Filenet Integration
• Google Calendar sync for Outlook, iCal or Entourage

Here are a few Google Apps resellers: