Saying goodbye to software - with Google Apps

Here is a great story from a specialty publication. Really tells the story of ‘working in the cloud’ using Google Apps.

Saying goodbye to software More firms find advantage in Web-based applications
By DANIEL KURT - GM Today Staff	January 29, 2008
TOWN OF SUMMIT – Dale Olson of WaterFilters.net usually works out of his town of Summit home, but as an employee of a Minnesota-based Web site, he often has to collaborate with colleagues hundreds of miles away.     His company, which sells water treatment products on both a retail and wholesale level, had until last year worked on documents the way most modern companies do – one employee would make revisions to a document, then save the changes and e-mail it to the next person. But in 2007, the 20-person firm started using a Web-based suite of products – Google Apps – that Olson said made life a lot easier. Unlike traditional software such as Microsoft Office, Web services are not loaded onto one’s computer, but rather kept on the provider’s server. Employees log into their account and can make changes in real time. "All you need is a Web-based browser," Olson said. With the word processing and spreadsheet programs used by WaterFilters.net, each staff member can look at the same document and see who made each change. A chat box that pops up to the side of the screen even lets employees discuss what moves they plan to make next. In addition to working on documents, the company uses Google services for its e-mail and calendar functions as well. For full story, see today's electronic version of The Freeman. Click here to access  the electronic version.    Daniel Kurt can be reached at dkurt@conleynet.com

 

This story appeared in The Freeman on January 29, 2008.