A tongue-in-cheek press release from Intermedia spoofs real-world concerns over Google's Apps on Your Domain service. I realize I have just fallen into a PR trap by posting the press release below, but it was too funny to pass up. (And yes, I realize Intermedia is a Microsoft shop.) FWIW, Intermedia's tongue-in-cheek press release spoofs some important concerns that business owners and IT managers have concerning GAYD (Google's Apps for Your Domain). I received one e-mail from a network manager in Kansas City that said, in part, "Our email and desktop suite of productivity apps need to be available to our 2000 employees all the time, not just when the internet is up and running well." Another fella wrote in to say GAYD's inability to sync to handhelds -- including ActiveSync, BlackBerry and Good -- renders Google's solution impotent. Personally, I think GAYD is an interesting release, but not terribly important. It doesn't compete with Microsoft Office, but may make the battle with Microsoft Live Services interesting, especially when Writely.com is included. Check out the comments on my previous post for more insight from the trenches. Also see Anil Dash's excellent post, and the comments on Techcrunch everything on Techmeme.
Anyhoo, the release: New York, August 28, 2006 – Intermedia.NET, the US leader in Microsoft Exchange hosting for small and medium businesses (SMBs), today praised the innovative new service, Google Apps for Your Domain. By offering 24x0 support, no wireless access and scanning of company email and documents, Google has bucked the trend of what companies expect from a business email provider. The Apps for your Domain key features: n 24x0 support. This is important because companies for whom email and schedules are mission-critical will want to know they can pick up a phone and get support 24 hours a day, 0 days per week. Google also gives the option of filling out a support form and receiving an automated response. n No wireless access. Where Intermedia.NET hosted Exchange gives users access to information via BlackBerry, Treo, Q or any other device, Google has bucked this trend, perhaps suggesting that wireless email is in fact a productivity-sapping distraction for employees. n Private data read by others. Google Apps for your Desktop again bucks the trend that businesses should not allow outsiders to read their proprietary documents and email. Businesses can rest easy knowing that Google is looking at all emails and documents. n Ads inside applications. Clearly, employees are more productive when their business applications stream ads for online poker sites and pills to combat ED. n No uptime guarantee. Rather than a predictable 99.9% uptime guarantee, such as the one offered by Intermedia.NET, Google does not provide a set percentage of the time when email will be up and running. This keeps corporate collaboration more exciting, by allowing staff to guess whether the system will be working or not. |
Comments (12)
The Bell Tolls For Microsoft Today Google released a new service named Google Apps for Your Domain. Notice I didn't say software package. Reffering to this new service as a software package would be doing it a disservice. This is not merely a collection of free software/services that Google is offering. That in itself is pretty nice for small business owners. I owned a small company during the late 1980's through the late 1990's, and I would have loved not having to spend all the money I did on software packages, that were no more functional than what Goolge is offering now for free. What Google is offering business owners, is the chance to re-think the way they do business, at no financial cost. How nice would it be to buy "packaged" software, and then get your money back a month later when you discover it really doesn't meet your needs? If you're anything like me, you have a lot of software collecting dust, because it's didn't do what you thought it would. Google is offering the chance to try a new business model for free, and if doesn't work, you can always go back to over paying Microsoft for average software. Every day the web-centric world moves a little further away from the desktop as we know it. Every day Microsoft pretends that they still are a player. Every day the true web players, distance themselves further from the desktop world. The bell tolls a little longer, a little louder, every day. I'm guessing Microsoft can hear the ringing in their ears. I’m Guessing http://imguessingblog.blogspot.com imguessingblog@gmail.com
Posted by I’m Guessing | August 28, 2006 5:27 PM
...not just when the internet is up and running well. I didn't realize the internet was that undependable. I think this guys emphasis is on manager and not network.
Posted by James N. | August 28, 2006 5:47 PM
First of all, these web services will be in beta for quite some time. Obviously, no business would consider deploying Windows Vista company-wide at this point, and I don't think Google expects any big companies to switch from Exchange to GAYD anytime soon. Google has already announced an ad-free version of the services, which I imagine will not be scanned by Google. Finally, I would anticipate that when the services reach maturity Google will roll them into the OneBox or something like it (which comes with 24/7 support), giving corporations complete control of their data. If Google makes this fairly obvious move, it will have addressed all major concerns I've heard about GAYD. In the meantime, GAYD is a good solution for very small businesses which don't have IT staff or Exchange installations in any case.
Posted by worm eater | August 28, 2006 6:52 PM
No wireless access...Google has bucked this trend, perhaps suggesting that wireless email is in fact a productivity-sapping distraction for employees. Did Intermedia inadvertently hit the nail on the head with this one? Wired email is quite often a productivity-sapping distraction. So are cell phones. Wireless email is the worst of both worlds. And wouldn't a hosted Microsoft Exchange solution also be subject to the internet being "up and running well"?
Posted by Tom Hanna | August 29, 2006 12:02 AM
Oh yeah Google can be trusted, not like they've ever been caught for scanning EVERYTHING including your local desktop and "accidentally" releasing it to the Internet via Google search that anyone could find. I'm not saying they're evil, or bad however the reality is that accidents do happen, but do you want your Company or your personal records accidentally put on the Web? Yeah, maybe it all sits there nice and quiet and seemingly secure for a couple years, you now have thousands of sensitive documents out there and then some bozo figures out how to hack the system and the next thing you know your boss walks in and fires you for being a dork and letting it ever get to that point in the first place. Also, small documents may be fine, but try pulling up a few 16MB plus Excel spreadsheets via the Web and it won't take you long to see that this type of service is a LONG way off from being useful for even many small companies that are willing to take the potential risk of data being divulged. I'm sorry but I'll keep my data on MY systems and if I really think users need access I'll work on my own internal Web apps and allow access only to my users. Sure if there is a security breach then only his/her documents maybe get out on the Web, but not everything I have in the entire Company. You can make toast and butter it from the Web if you like, I'll stick with my local systems that can reach out when I want them to, not when someone else finds a way to steal them. Google just makes it too easy for a distaster to strike you personally or your company some day. If you think or feel it's SECURE then go hide your head in the sand and keep moving forward.
Posted by Dave Johnson | August 29, 2006 3:05 AM
You know you've made waves when people make fun of you. Intermedia do themselves a disservice by almost immediately planting their own product in comparison, and then failing to realise that their own 'hosted' product is subject to some of the same limitations. I write them off as morons after reading this piece. My analogy is that Intermedia Horse & Cart are laughing at Mr. Benz's offering because where are they going to find a gas station? And who said having stuff in-house was foolproof?
Posted by Allister Jenks | August 29, 2006 4:00 AM
FWIW, the guy who wrote in about the Internet's uptime was specifically concerned about DOS attacks and worms that slow down Net performance. For my part, I was upset last year when Google was having uptime problems with Gmail and Reader, but they seem to have corrected those issues since.
Posted by Steve Bryant | August 29, 2006 9:02 AM
I think Google is getting way ahead of the trend with innovative thinking and new products. They have the potential to be a real headache for microsoft and others who are getting to big for their britches!
Posted by Forestwander | August 29, 2006 9:02 AM
Nearly all software sales choices are psychological. Almost nobody needs Microsoft Office, and few who do can get the same thing for free—NeoOffice. There's nothing special, unique or even particularly good about Office. If the Google offerings are simpler and less bloated, and FREE, they are a better choiice for most people. Of course, big bloated stupid corporations will always need Office, and Oracle and all that other expensive, hard to use and bug-filled stuff because it makes them feel important. Let them burn their money!
Posted by Publicus | August 29, 2006 11:31 AM
The more we move to internet ,the more vulnerable our data will be . Consider ur organizations Employee payroll details being hacked , the more net centric ,the more is the threat
Posted by Anz | August 29, 2006 11:56 AM
I have dealt with Google "tech support" with several of their other free services....and as far as I'm concerned they are a JOKE.
Posted by jagreen78 | August 29, 2006 4:02 PM
Google is a teenager at the moment, a smart one, and trying to get all their ducks in a row in the business world. They are slow to integrate anything and will need at some point to provide some lucid advanatages to business to tap their "services". I believe they are tracking down the right path, but it all seems sort of mashed up together like a handfull of silly putty at the moment (er, make that beta silly putty). A good example is the recent collection of links in the upper left of my GMail account (along with Spreadsheets, Calendar and All My Other Services). That's great, but if I use Calendar or Spreadsheets, I lose those navigation links. A little consistency would be a good thing. Search is great, but the user experience is also important.
Posted by Joe Alien | August 30, 2006 12:49 PM