Not only have growing numbers of businesses rejected Microsoft’s Office 365, they have voted with their wallets to go with Google Apps.

However, while Microsoft’s cloud version of its popular “Office” suite has taken a battering, the offline version still remains as popular as ever.  I should know since I still use it

But with the growth of internet-based applications there are reports that Google may be set to take on Microsoft at its own game.

The search engine company recently acquired QuickOffice, but I’ve heard that it intends to redesign this to incorporate it into the Google suite of apps for use via Chrome.

What’s interesting about this is that QuickOffice has what’s been described as a native compatibility with Microsoft’s own Office apps.

So, it begs the question why would anyone pay for a product (which admittedly is both very good and continues to be popular) when a similar online product is available at a fraction of the cost.

Some commentators, however, suggest that whatever Google designs, this won’t fully compare to what Microsoft Office can offer.

I agree with that, but from my own perspective, (and I don’t think I’m alone in this) I think that Microsoft has functions that I will never use.  I’m paying for something I don’t need.

Google’s new application may not have the same high functionality of Microsoft Office but I doubt many will be bothered.

There are no details of when the new application will be released.

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Its aim is to support 15 Diocesan networks spread across the eastern area of the continent.  That is Queensland and New South Wales.

Australia is a massive country, so communication will be difficult at the best of times.  But with around 300,000 students and 30,000 teachers and other staff, it is vital that a good IT system is in place.

That’s where Google Apps for Education comes into its own.

CEnet had a major challenge to ensure that it could collaborate and deliver an excellent education across all of its 740 or so sites.  But being able to communicate via the cloud solved this easily.

Speaking with services.google.com, Robie Jayawardhana, ICT Administrator for the Diocese of Townsville said: “Students expect commensurate levels of technology in the classroom to those they have at home.  And, as they move into the workplace, skills in the newest tools and technologies are a prerequisite.”

Education is changing rapidly nowadays wherever you live.  It is more and more vital that both students and teachers are able to make use of the growing array of technologies.

That also applies to delivery organisations such as CEnet, which are not generally regarded as state or government-based or funded bodies.

Adopting Google Apps for Education also helped CEnet eliminate the previous IT systems that were becoming burdensome and outdated.

“We needed to become more nimble…” said Frank Brooks, consultant to CEnet.

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But would it be more worthwhile if they upgraded to the paid version?

Well, while I personally have no intention of doing so, for many others it is possibly a wise move.

The free version comes with many applications and functions that serve my simple business well.  I see no reason to pay for something I won’t use.

However, my business isn’t the traditional type of business anyway.  Expansion won’t require anything more than I use now.  For others, there are a number of benefits that might be worth considering.

For instance, you get access to your own domain name such as info@thecompanynamedotcom.  This can, by itself, set your business apart from many SMEs and others who still use the @google.com domain.

Similarly, if your business requires a lot of storage space, the paid version of Google Apps gives you 20MB compared to just 10MB for the basic free version.  Storing documents on the cloud is fast becoming massively important in many ways.

Another benefit is that those who pay for the products get support 24/7.  This is not available for people such as me who have to try to figure out things myself and use the help files that accompany, say, Google Mail.

Finally, there are a number of products and services not available in the free version of Google Apps.  These include Google Vault – an archive facility, mobile device management, guaranteed up time and last but not least, no adverts.

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The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the benefits and merits of cloud computing.  It was, by all accounts, very successful as it attracted some 50 top executives from around the world.

The internet has grown massively in the last ten years or so, with the Middle East beginning to realise the benefits of this technology – which I think is probably the reason why the conference was held in the region.

Speaking with gulf-daily-news.com, Jeroen Menting of KPMG said: “[Internet] services will provide businesses in Bahrain with increased agility, greater flexibility and faster results at a reduced cost.”

He added: “In order to reap the full benefits of cloud adoption, the organisations in the region must transform their business processes…There is no longer any doubt that, as a critical set of enabling technologies, the cloud can significantly impact how any organisation conducts its business.”

As someone who uses the internet all the time, I can vouch for the tremendous benefits offered.  For instance, using Google Apps, in particular Gmail, I am able to keep in regular contact with customers, business contacts and so on.  I can even store important details.

While I still keep an offline backup on paper and index card formats, I find using the web a more convenient method of keeping tabs on what I have to do.

If you aren’t doing the same with your own business, I think you are missing out big time.

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Despite being trounced by Google at every turn these days, the software giant is still determined to beat the younger up-start.

Personally, I think Microsoft won’t succeed.  Like IBM’s Lotus Notes, Microsoft’s Office 365, the cloud version of its offline software is not making much inroad into Google’s market share.

However, that hasn’t stopped the conglomerate using as many tactics as possible to undermine Google.

For instance, Microsoft – while offering some customer testimonials for its own product – fired a broadside at Google Apps stating that they were deficient.

Google Enterprise was particularly targeted for attack.  Wheeling out one of its customers – FH360, Microsoft said that the Associate Director, Douglas Wilkins did consider Google Apps but decided against it.  Instead FH 360 switched to Office 365.

Speaking with informationweek.co.uk, Mr Wilkins said: “We were looking for a way to do not just email but instant messaging, Web conferencing, document sharing and collaboration.”

He added that he didn’t believe Google Apps had the flexibility or regulatory compliance.

However, the reality, I think, is that while Google Apps isn’t perfect, (no product can ever be perfect), Google Apps offers its users a lot more than a product that is essentially artificial.  Google’s software was created for the internet.  Office 365 was created to adapt to the internet.

I also think that Microsoft is now running scared of losing out massively to Google.  Hence, the open attacks that in my view have no basis in reality.

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The cabinet office had been using Lotus Notes for the past 14 years but it seems that, like business users, civil servants and others in government are no longer satisfied.

This is especially so since there are now better alternative cloud-based solutions such as Google Apps.

Speaking with znet.com, a spokesperson for the PM’s Office said: “[Lotus Notes] does not meet reasonable expectations of a modern ICT system.”

And I have to agree.

With growing numbers of organisations making greater use of web-based IT solutions, including outsourcing, Lotus Notes is perceived as outdated.

The problem for the Australian government is finding a solution that is better.  The internet for many people is still viewed as just not safe enough – and when dealing with sensitive information as government departments inevitably must, there is hesitation.

But the reality is that the internet is now a lot more secure than most in-house IT systems that rely on backing up information on external media such as hard drives and flash drives.

The PM’s office also insinuated that Lotus Notes does not have the capabilities of collaboration, something that is now recognised as vital in government.

While much work is done via the iPad, it is still important to have a central IT system available to all.

I have no idea whether the Australian government has made a decision, but my recommendation (for what it’s worth) would be Google Apps for Government.

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The city authorities believe they will save around 30% on existing costs once the switchover is complete.

With around 75,000 email accounts, including a lot of school student accounts, the switch to the cloud-based IT system is nothing short of mammoth.

But given the fact that switching to Google Apps is often referred to as smooth, employees and other users will probably not notice much difference.

Speaking with southend.patch.com, Mayor Menio said: “By bringing city government into the cloud, Boston continues to modernize our technology while saving taxpayer dollars and freeing up city workers to focus on the vital work of helping people.”

The mayor added: “Our technology experts will now be able to focus on moving the city forward, rather than maintaining servers.”

Many of the USA’s local authorities are now moving over to Google Apps.  The reason is quite simple.  It cuts costs.

But by adopting both Google Apps in particular and internet-based solutions in general, the benefits are far more than just saving money.

The Chief Information Officer, Bill Oates, for Boston also remarked that moving to Google Apps for Government enables employees to improve their productivity.  The tools, he said, were easy to use.  I also think many Boston city employees probably use Google Apps at home.  That’s an added benefit.

The switch will also allow the city to expand its technological facilities, something they were unable to do with their previous IT system.

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As such, communication and collaboration is vital for the efficient running of a company stretching across thousands of miles.

Moreover, with employees speaking at least two different languages – Spanish and English – it is important that email communications are easily understood.  Luckily Google Apps has a built-in translation service.

Working in collaboration with a Google Apps reseller, Hubday Minerals joined the cloud revolution with a number of dedicated features being applied.

These include a decentralised structure, multilingual facilities, and an IT system that was always switched on.  Often business IT systems, especially in-house systems, can break down causing financial and other problems.

However, by outsourcing this to other businesses such as Google this become less of a problem.  Moreover, it can also be a huge cost saving for companies such as Hubday Minerals.

Furthermore, since many people now use Google Apps at home as well as at work, the costs of training employees is minimal.

In fact when Hudbay switched, management found that there were many benefits to doing so; not least, the business was not disrupted during the migration.

Another immediate benefit was the increased productivity of the employees, especially since Spanish-speaking employees could more easily communicate with their English-speaking counterparts.

All in all, like so many companies around the world that decided to switch to a cloud computing IT system, Hubday has realised the benefits that are available; and at little comparative cost.

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Gmail is as popular with Apple device users as it is with those who access the email program via their desktop or Android phone.  Apple, however, has never seriously attempted to create a dedicated email program; and given the company’s abject failure with the mapping software, they are unlikely to do so in my opinion.

One interesting addition is the ability of iOS users to link up directly with Google Chrome rather than Apple’s own browser Safari.

I do not own an iPhone or iPad so have no idea what Safari is like, but I use Google Chrome all the time.  It is a great program, but more importantly, unlike a previously used browser – Mozilla Firefox – it is very stable.

So, I think any Apple device user will be more than happy to use Chrome to access the cloud.

You can also access other Google products – YouTube, Google Maps and so on from within the Gmail settings.

Another interesting feature within the Gmail application is the ability to switch off Google Apps settings.  So, if you don’t like using anything else Google, the latter allows you to do so with no hard feelings.

A further enhancement is the ability to sign out from the email account.  It seems previous versions forced iPhone users to sign out of all Google Apps in one go.

The application is free to download from Apple’s app store.

You need iOS 5.0 or better.

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However, while students will tend to be savvier about how to use the inbuilt software in the Google Apps suite, not everyone is au fait.

As such, the company has decided to offer the first dedicated training in Google Apps for Education at the University of San Jose-Recoletos.

Both students and staff are invited to attend the seminars that apparently will be run by Jerome Locson, an IT consultant hired by Google Philippines.

There are many useful tools that both students and lecturers alike can use.  For instance, Google Drive is a cloud-based storage system enabling lecturers to post assignments that students can then download.

Similarly, with 25GB of free space on Gmail, a student can easily send information directly to a tutor while collaboration between all parties is much easier.

Google Apps for Education also allows educational institutions to ditch their own in-house servers, thus saving a lot of money in the process.

Speaking with sunstar.com, Jerome Locson said that the training being offered on the university campus will allow all concerned the chance to become much more familiar with what Google Apps can offer.

He said there is far more to offer students and staff than just email and Google search.  File creation and sharing, plus scheduling and collaboration are just a few of the key elements within the suite of software.

“It will enhance and improve the way we deliver quality education,” one of the university’s staff members said.

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