Google Apps: Not Ready For The Enterprise?
Capgemini has announced a partnership with Google under which the IT consulting firm will include support of Google Apps Premier Edition (GAPE) among its desktop solutions. Capgemeni clients represent more than 1 million personal computer users, so the deal potentially gives Google a boost in its effort to gain market share from the lucrative Microsoft Office software suite.
GAPE was launched in February as an office suite offered in a Software as a Service (”SaaS”) model. It brought together for $50 per user per year, a number of Google applications which had been previously targeted at consumer or SOHO users. It encompasses messaging, through GMail, Google Talk and Google Calendar; and office applications like Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Page Creator, combined with the management and support infrastructure to position it to the enterprise.
So, is Google Apps Premier Edition (”GAPE”) a viable alternative to Microsoft for the enterprise?
Not yet, according to a recent report by the Burton Group. The report, Google Apps in the Enterprise: A Promotion-Enhancing or Career-Limiting Move for Enterprise Architects?, explores the pros and cons of the SaaS model for the enterprise, and specifically at the risks of adopting GAPE:
Rushing into a decision is typically a bad move when looking at any new system. But the GAPE decision is especially difficult because it demands that enterprises bet on a delivery model (software as a service [SaaS]), a product (Google Apps), and a company (Google) that are all less than a decade old.
The report does see some useful applications for enterprise application of GAPE in the short-term, notably use of it as a collaboration add-on to Microsoft Office or for organizations which are already comfortable with the SaaS model. Otherwise, they view it more as a solution for SMBs or for organizations seeking a “lite” version of collaboration or content management capabilities.
The Burton Group report is available for download here (free registration required).
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