Khurram Aziz email: k.aziz@mobilenapps.com
Google Apps for Business is looking to destroy the last software monopoly controlled by Microsoft's Office.
Amit Singh, VP of Enterprise, has told AllThingsD that its competing web-based software service will look to take 90 percent of users who don't need the advanced features in Office.
"We know the gaps between our features and theirs," Singh said. "We're improving them week by week. We're going to get to the 90 percent. If you need the last 10 percent, you'll want to use the desktop."
Google Apps for Business provides independently customizable versions of several Google products, including documents for writing, collaboration and text and video communications under a custom domain name. All services are all cloud-based, so that none of the software is on an office worker's computer, and cost $5 per month for each user account or $50 a year.
Google launched the service six years ago, but this year it has really taken off, with the New York Times reporting that companies such as Swiss drug maker Hoffmann-La Roche providing the apps to over 80,000 employees, and the Interior Department using the service for 90,000 employees.
Singh says that the reason why the service has seen such wide-scale adoption in 2012 is because it can deliver cloud-based solutions to scale, with high-level security that complies with the regulatory environment both in the US and in Europe.
"We're adding features. We're building confidence. The more our customers get out there, the better people feel about it," said Singh.
But Google's investment in enterprise solutions for business doesn't stop there. This year also saw the Internet company launch its cloud storage solution, Drive, as well as its next generation of Chromebooks - laptops which function entirely using the company's Web browser and its cloud-based apps.
"Each of the things we've done, the investments we've made have given people reasons to take a serious look at us in a ways they might not have done before," he added.
However, Microsoft isn't taking things lying down. It too has been busy investing in lightweight, mobile, cloud-based services this year. It launched SkyDrive as well as a new version of its Office suite to work specifically across the Internet.
But, its cloud-based Office 365 starts at a list price of $72 a year, per person, and can cost as much as $240 a person annually - significantly more than Google Apps. Although Microsoft offers many more features and software development capabilities, the product has not won many converts from Google.
© Copyright 2020 Mobile & Apps, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.most read
more stories from OS / Software
Microsoft has reportedly started talks with HTC to add its Windows OS to the phone maker's Android smartphones and HTC is apparently considering to make a Windows Phone/Android dual-booting smartphone.
ernest hamiltonA bug in Chrome for iOS 7 has caused Google's mobile browser to leak private searches made in 'Incognito' mode.
ernest hamiltonHTC has announced that Sprint has already started to roll out the Android 4.3 update to the HTC One, AT&T and T-Mobile will follow in mid-October, while Verizon will release it by the end of the month.
ernest hamiltonThe new Windows 8.1 has gone up for pre-order on the Microsoft Store, ahead of the official launch on Oct. 18.
ernest hamiltonApple has acknowledged the iOS 7 iMessage issue and promised to provide a fix in an upcoming software update.
ernest hamiltonSamsung Canada and French carrier SFR have confirmed the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean rollout schedule for the Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2.
ernest hamiltonThe unlocked, international HTC One is getting Android 4.3 Jelly Bean now, but the U.S. and Canadian versions will 'slightly miss' the end-September timeframe.
ernest hamiltonThe Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 are reportedly slated to get Android 4.3 Jelly Bean in the fourth quarter, by year-end.
ernest hamilton