Google Apps for small businesses

MENTION Google and many would say it is only a tool for searching things on the Internet. But if you care to explore further – particularly if you’re a small and medium-sized business (SMB) operator – Google has cost-effective applications for collaboration and communication that could be used in these tough times.

Ramanathan says Google Apps not only offers cost savings, but also includes tools that are simple to use, easy to learn and reliable.

According to Google Asia-Pacific’s enterprise marketing head Deepak Ramanathan, the company is able to help SMBs cut costs with Google Apps.

On the communications side, there’s Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk. For collaboration, Google Docs and Google Sites are useful to boost employee productivity.

“Our communications tools are good alternatives to what’s already out there where Webmail, calendaring and instant messaging are concerned. As for our collaboration applications, we see them as effective complements to pre-existing desktop tools,” Ramanathan said.

While travel may be constrained by a tight budget, users would probably still need to speak to colleagues who might be in different offices or locations.

“This is where Gmail and Google Talk come in. No phone calls are necessary; just add them to your Gmail or Google Talk contact list and either IM or call them from your PC. Our new video feature allows you to have the next best thing to face-to-face conversation by letting you have video calls anytime, anywhere, free of charge,” Ramanathan said.

And if a document needs to be edited and shared with multiple users, instead of sending countless copies of the document back and forth within a group, group participants can all edit it at once in real time, keeping track of the changes without losing the updated version.

“This is possible because of the greater computing benefits of cloud computing, which powers our Web-based applications,” Ramanathan pointed out.

Currently, over one million businesses use Google Apps in the Standard, Education and Premier editions. And over 3,000 businesses sign up every day, with more than 10 million active users as at Press time.

For businesses in Malaysia, be it small, medium or home-based, among the benefits of Google Apps is greater focus on the business. As Google Apps is hosted by Google, no software, hardware, installation or maintenance is needed. So, the business can focus its limited resources on more important business needs.

Then there is cost savings. The Standard edition is free while the Premier edition is offered as a simple per-user subscription.

Next, user satisfaction and productivity. “Google Apps includes powerful tools that are simple to use, easy to learn and reliable. Because the software and data are hosted centrally, users can collaborate together in real time without the usual hassle of document version control,” Ramanathan said.

What’s more, Google Apps can be accessed from anywhere. This means users can be productive at their desk, at home or on the road, from all kinds of Internet-connected devices, regardless of the operating system, Ramanathan pointed out.