Going Google: What it Means and Why You Should Care

Just as I was leaving San Francisco, on my drive to Silicon Valley yesterday, I noticed it was "Day #2" of Google's new billboard advertising campaign (also running in Boston, Chicago, and New York). The sign read, "Ah. Going Google means switching to Google Apps." Certainly short and to the point. Apparently, a new message is to appear every day for the next week. Today's message: "Wow. Over 1.5 million companies have gone Google". Clear, direct and useful.

Google Apps is a suite of on-demand tools for employee collaboration and the management and sharing of email, documents, and files. All a user needs is a web browser. The infrastructure is managed by Google, so a company's IT staff doesn't need to waste resources to support those functions. Google explains, "They focus on the smart, innovative stuff they want to work on, because they never have to bother with expensive and painful software upgrades, hardware compatibility issues or managing data centers." It's a compelling argument that's backed up with big name customers, such as GE, Genentech, and Motorola, while claiming thousands join them each day. To get more detail, check out Google Apps At Work.

This push by Google represents an important step by the company, best known for its search engine and revenue generating prowess, to grow its footprint in the cloud computing market by targeting businesses. By extension, it further legitimizes the Software as a Service (SaaS) model and, thereby, acts as a public service announcement benefiting everyone involved in the cloud market.