In a previous post, I outlined the advantages for small businesses using web-based software and cloud computing. In this post, I’ll describe Google Apps, a key web application in our business.

But there’s a catch. In some ways, using Google Apps demands a paradigm shift. The advantages described to non-users usually don’t sound significant when first heard. Things like threaded email conversations, no spam in your inbox and incredible search functionality usually have to be experienced before their real benefit is realized.

For us, switching from Microsoft Small Business Server to Google Apps was like living with, and then removing, a thorn. We knew the Microsoft thorn was painful and annoying, but we’d grown accustomed to it. Only when it was removed — and all that blocked effort was freed to be productive — did we realize how much better it is to have tools that help rather than hinder. Judging by the millions of businesses that are switching to Google Apps, our experience was not an isolated one.

What is Google Apps?

Google Apps is a suite of office-centric products ideally suited to both small and big business. The growth of the Google Apps user base has been so broad and successful, that Google Apps has directly targeted potential Microsoft customers with a billboard campaign in four major US cities.

The ad campaign makes a lot of sense. In our experience, each product within Google Apps is far better than its Microsoft counter part, less hassle to set up and maintain, and all for the low price of $0. (Google is currently promoting its paid version of the service, but the free version (for up to 100 users) is still available.)

Google Apps consists of four main products:

• Gmail (for email);
• Google Calendar (for personal and group calendaring);
• Google Docs (for collaborating on documents and spreadsheets); and
• Google Sites (for building intranet web pages).

Gmail

The far-and-above key product in Google Apps is Gmail. Even if the other products within the Google Apps suite were horrible (which they’re not), Gmail’s goodness still makes Google Apps worthwhile. It’s a superior mail platform when compared to traditional email clients like Outlook and Apple Mail for many reasons:

• I get about 1,000 spam messages every 30 days but no spam enters my inbox. The Gmail spam filter is the best I have ever seen.
• I have over 40,000 messages in my email archive and it takes me about 30 seconds to find old emails. I much prefer this to the standard Outlook search response of “No results”. Gmail’s search functionality is as strong as Google.com, but centered around your email archive. It’s message-recovery bliss.
• Messages are grouped according to conversations, so the thread of an exchange can be easily followed and referenced. No more messages lost because of the silly, nonsensical division between “Inbox” and “Sent”. Messages can be logically followed as they occur – as a dialog – and it makes keeping track of Next Actions and Waiting Fors incredibly easy.
• It’s easy to sync with multiple devices, and because primary access is web-based, any computer will do. I have my account set up to sync with Apple Mail on my laptop (for an extra back up) and my iPhone for email on the go.
• Although the primary access is intended to be web-based, with Google Gears you can also run Gmail locally without an Internet connection. This is super helpful for airplanes and other technological vacuums you may encounter. The local version of Gmail syncs the last couple hundred messages to your hard drive so if your Internet connection goes down, you can still run email as you would with a local email client.
• Instant messaging is built in to Gmail, and in Google Apps you can restrict it to within your work domain. That way, you have the convenience and efficiency of real-time chat between employees without the productivity loss of chatting outside work.
• And if you’re still stuck on Microsoft Outlook, Gmail will sync directly with Outlook along with most standard email clients.
  

  Google Calendar

  Google Calendar is a simple, useful calendar system. One of the best parts about it is that it ties into Gmail, so if there are dates and times in an email message, an automatic prompt appears to the side of the screen. Events that are described in your email can be added to your calendar with a single click.

  Also, recently released Google Sync allows Exchange like functionality to keep multiple devices updated in real-time. (Google Sync recently came to Gmail as well which allows for push email. However, I recommend you avoid that and push back.)

  Multiple calendars can be created — work and personal, for example — and then those calendars can be shared with anyone who has a Google account. Permissions can be controlled so that shared calendars can be read-only or fully editable by others.

  Google Docs

  Google Docs is Google online collaboration tool for documents and spreadsheets. Similar to Google Calendar, permissions can be controlled to allow others to work together on the same document or spreadsheet in real-time. This is especially helpful for working with colleagues over long distances or varied schedules. All edits are saved in real-time and multiple users can work on the same documents simultaneously with changes viewed by all.

  Conclusion

  Google Apps is a much better solution than Microsoft Small Business Server. The apps themselves are superior, simple and maintenance-free. In addition, the Standard Version is free for up to 100 users and includes 7GB of mail storage per user. Most significantly for us, switching to Google Apps saved $4,000 in annual IT costs, not to mention the associated time lost when Microsoft Small Business Server wasn’t doing its job.

  Two years later, I can’t imagine using anything else. The combination of simple, powerful, maintenance-free technology at zero cost makes Google Apps a natural choice for any business, big or small.

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