Since the mid-90’s, Google has been revolutionizing the way people use the Internet. And since the launch of Gmail and their mapping services, they have been providing more and more new technologies that challenge the paradigm of Internet use. We don’t Yahoo something, we Google it. This does not mean that they will hold a leadership position forever, however. Recently Google has been expanding their overall web market by developing products that allow for greater collaboration in organizations that cannot support a non-hosted model.

Google is not the only vendor looking to get into the business-applications market with hosted solutions, but they are very much on the public radar. Depending on your organization, they might need to be on your radar too. Google has announced that they will give their premium offerings and services to NPOs for free.

In this article, we will browse through the basic functionality of the applications, search for productivity enhancements and compare the possible risks and rewards of using a hosted model. This article is intended for nonprofit organizations and our analysis may not match well with for-profit business models.

There are several core components to Google Apps:

Gmail

Gmail started as a member-only club for email users and attracted primarily early adopters and, dare I say it, geeks. The application has grown immensely since those days, while still offering its unique Conversation view. For those who are used to the standard email arrangement, using the Conversation view has a bit of a learning curve. As your get to know the site, however, you will find it very well made, fast and very nicely integrated with other Google components.

Docs and Spreadsheets

Docs and Spreadsheets is a pared-down word processor and spreadsheet application comparable to Word and Excel, just with fewer features. Though they do not have all of the Microsoft features, most of the core features that you and I use on a regular basis are found in these applications, and Google is working to add more to all of the programs. Read this article from idealware , which looks at the differences between Google Apps (specifically the calendaring services) in comparison to MS Outlook. The article also highlights key differences between using Google and the more robust Microsoft alternatives.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is an online calendaring tool that allows you to manage multiple calendars very well. For example, I have a personal Google calendar that I use for my own events, the Google calendars for several organizations I am involved with, and a Google calendar for my company. The granular control of these calendar allows you to control who see what and how calendar information is shared.

Integration support with other office applications

One of the main concerns with online applications is that you can't use that information offline or with other devices. Google is handling this by offering many export and import options into and out of the Google applications. Google is also allowing users and software developers to develop applications to work with Google. For example there are several applications for syncing a Google calendar with a smart phone or with Outlook. Also look at the enterprise solutions gallery.

24X7 Support, including phone support for critical issues

Most Google applications only come with email support, but the features mentioned here come with phone support for critical issues.

Google is constantly innovating with these and other products, adding ways to make them even more effective. These products also integrate with other Google offerings like, Google Home Page (iGoogle), Google Notebook, Google Reader. Google also plans to offer many other products and services in the near future. One thing we can trust is that Google will continue to innovate.

Google Apps allows for easy collaboration and access:

Now that we have browsed through the software, we can search for productivity enhancements. Think of a time when you have collaborated on a project and not everyone could sit in the same room to work on it . . . How great would it have been to be able to share the spreadsheet with all the information in real time without special software? That is the goal of these applications.

A case study

I sit on the Board of Link to Share, a nonprofit that connects nonprofit-friendly businesses with nonprofits and other nonprofit-friendly businesses. There are several of us on the board, in addition to the ED, who work on many documents, ranging from our meeting agendas and minutes to event RSVP information to the master plan checklist. All of these documents are shared with all the board members. Rather than having to send an email every time one of us changes something, the change is stored and archived in our Google documents.

When we need a new document, any user can upload the document to Google Apps and then share it with the members of the group. Those members that have access to the document can also edit it. For example, the master work plan is uploaded into Google Spreadsheets, and from there we can edit each item, its details, whom it is assigned to, and updates made to the status and other fields. We do not need a special application to facilitate this, either from a server-side point of view or on each user's machine. Not needing to install anything makes it very easy for any member to access and edit the work plan.

When more than one of us are reviewing or editing a document, we are able to facilitate rapid communication using the chat function. For example, if the ED and I are both looking at the minutes from the October board meeting, and I have a question about whether a change should be made, I can message her using the chat functionality.

Kathi Witt of Parker Nutrition, another Link-to-Share Board Member, says that she likes using Google Apps for the sharing features but has had some issues with printing and other formating problems.

Overall, using Google Apps has made our process significantly more efficient. There are no longer multiple versions of documents floating around that need to be collated in the future, and we have central storage for our materials. The system is being used by both the technical members of the board and those without as much technical experience and skills.

Another idea

Here is another way that Google Docs and Spreadsheets could be helpful. Let’s say you need to use more than one computer, and you don’t have the luxury of having a laptop. Using Google applications, you can move from computer to computer and only need a web browser to be able to get to and make use of your documents.

Compare the risks and rewards:

Google Apps is not ready to be a full replacement for Microsoft Office or Open Office in that it does not have all the robust features that these applications have. I like Google for sharing specific documents with a group or for saving information that you need to access from the road without having a laptop or other media. For example, I have recently created a document that has common text that I use when posting on websites about my company. This way I can get to it no matter what computer I am on.

Now we can sort through the possible risks and rewards of using Google Apps.

Risks

The number one risk is decentralization. Any time you take your documents off your computers and put them on to a hosted option, there is a certain level of risk. There is some criticism about the offerings and the level of backup that hosted applications offer. Though I don’t expect Google to just lose all your data, definitely back up everything to your local machine. It’s just good practice.

As with all other software, there is a risk in implementing new software. Even if it’s free, new software requires that users be trained to use it properly. Especially with the ability to group-edit documents, having individuals that actually know how to edit a document is critical to a smooth editing process.

Google Apps is still in beta, meaning they are in the testing phase of development. However, Google keeps many applications in beta long past their public release. This is just the Google way.

Rewards

The greatest reward is the ability to increase productivity with document sharing. To have a document that you can share with others in a workgroup and share the editing makes the document that much more useful. If you are a user that needs access to your documents on many computers, this is also a great tool.

Take a look at the Google features and see what will work for you. Most users are not going to want to make Google Apps their primary tool, but most will find tools that they will be able to make use of, even if it is just for a specific project.

Here are some other sites to look at:

• CNet Review
• PC World Article
• Tech Crunch