Collaboration with Google Apps

Jan 05 2009

-Brandon Eley

Gmail has made a name for itself as a great email system largely because of it's accurate spam filtering, and since it's launch in 2004 has become the 3rd largest free email provider. Google recently released Google Apps for Business, a suite of software-as-a-service business tools including email (Gmail), calendar, documents and intranet websites customized to your domain.

Kelsey recently switched our email to Google Apps primarily because of Spam and email deliverability issues. What we gained was much more than outsourced email.

Collaboration and Increased Productivity
We used to keep important documents on our file server, but they weren't available outside the office. By moving those documents to Google Docs, we can access them from anywhere. It allows us to have spreadsheets, documents and presentations (even uploaded Microsoft Office files) ready at a moment's notice. Google Docs offers real-time collaboration, meaning several people can edit a document simultaneously and previous versions are archived.

We also moved to Google Calendar for shared calendars. With 10 people, it was difficult to plan meetings around all employees' schedules. With the new shared calendars, we can see everyone's agenda and plan accordingly.

Groups (committees, departments) can be created which allow you to email multiple people at once, invite multiple people to a meeting, or even share a document with an entire department without typing everyone's name.

Spam & Virus Prevention
Google's spam filter is one of the best in the industry. Where we used to fight with dozens (sometimes hundreds) of spam emails a day, we now get 1 or 2 (if any). Because Gmail is the 3rd largest email provider, they have access to millions of users' spam complaints and they use that knowledge to correctly identify and filter spam messages. The system also automatically scans attachments for viruses.

Cost Savings
Google Apps has two versions: Standard and Premium. Standard edition is free for up to 100 users, includes approximately 7 GB of storage for email and is supported with ads. Premium edition is $50 per user per year, includes 25 GB storage and ads can be disabled.

It's worth noting that if you use an email and calendar client to access Google Apps, you will not see the ads. They only appear on the Google Apps websites.

Compared with similar intranet and outsourced email solutions, the savings that come with using Google Apps can be substantial.

Solution	Intranet Software	Hosted Email
Google Apps	Free	Free
GroupOffice	$180 / user annually	n/a
WebEx WebOffice	$144 / user annually	n/a
HyperOffice	$110 / user annually	n/a
Noteworty Hosted Exchange	n/a	$150 / user annually
Intermedia Hosted Exchange	n/a	$150 / user annually

With other hosted services, you need two services: outsourced email and intranet software. Both are included with Google Apps, and are integrated together seamlessly.

Permissions
Sharing isn't always allowed. Certain documents may contain trade secrets or simply be for viewing only. With Google Apps, you can control users' sharing in two ways:

Global preferences - you can determine whether users can share documents with anyone, inside the company only, or not at all.

Per document - when sharing a document with people, you can choose whether than can only view or whether they can also edit.

Go Mobile
You can configure Gmail to work with most smartphones, and Gmail is also accessible as a web service from any web-enabled cell phone. Google Calendar and Gmail can also sync with the Blackberry and iPhone.

Get Google Apps
Visit http://www.google.com/a or watch the introduction video to get more information about Google Apps or compare the premier and standard editions here.

Kelsey has implemented Google Apps for our own company and for clients. Give us a call if you need help setting up and configuring Google Apps for Businesses.

Article Tags

Other articles you may be interested in

If experience is the best teacher, than Brandon Eley is definitely well-schooled. His natural talent for graphic design led to his first job designing corporate presentations and print materials. Then, barely out of his teens, he and a partner launched an online retail business in the then untapped market for large-sized men’s shoes. Their need for an e-commerce enabled website led to his trial by fire indoctrination into the world of web design, online retailing, and Internet marketing. His early endeavors continue to pay off, as his specialty shoe business, www.2bigfeet.com, is celebrating its tenth year in business, remaining among the top three in its market niche.

Honing the expertise he gained from his personal endeavors into a web development business for small to medium-sized online retailers, Brandon put himself through school at LaGrange College, all the while creating a reputation for developing websites that help businesses succeed. In 2006, his consulting firm, EleyTech, was acquired by Kelsey Advertising & Design, and Brandon became the agency’s Interactive Director.

Currently credited with pioneering work in the development of mobile websites, Brandon never stops learning. He’s considered a leader among his peers and was named the “2008 E-Commerce Guru of the Year” by SitePoint.com, an online community of website professionals and developers with more than 300,000 members worldwide. A frequent contributor to SitePoint.com, Brandon is currently co-authoring a book with the working title: “The Art and Science of Online Marketing.” He has been certified by Google as a Qualified Advertising Professional and is a member of the Information Architecture Institute.