Google has just released their newest collaboration application. This time is different. Google put four of their exist applications together and named it “Google Apps Team Edition“. And the target market is “groups at work or school“.

Here is the PR press: Team Up With Google Apps

Here is the insruction video from Google:

Here are the applications have been included:

  • Google Docs™ to create and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations
  • Google Calendar™ to arrange meetings, set schedules, and publish event information
  • Google Talk™ for instant messaging and free PC-to-PC voice calls
  • Start Page where users can access their Google Apps services and customized content

Google claims that the purpose of Team Edition is to allow users to “share documents and calendars securely without burdening IT for support,” are more likely to be greeted by raised eyebrows from the IT department.

So, what is our IT department busy doing now? Manage network, Exchange or even Sharepoint?

Base on the M$ recent Quarter Results, Microsoft Business Division (MBD) made $4.8 Billion in total, up 37% than last quarter. Those money is coming from selling office suite and selling, consulting SharePoint. Cmswire said only SharePoint itself made $1 Billion for M$. Big deal, really.

Let’s see what SharePoint can do?

What’s missing in Google Apps Team Edition? Maybe not that much.

  • Collaboration

Google already has GDoc, GCal and GTalk. And if you subscribe Premier Edition, you will have 25GB GMail too.

  • Portals

Google Start Page allows you put all kinds of widgets on it so you can easily access inbox, calendar, docs and all the others in your widgets.

  • Enterprise search

Google Search + Google Desktop Search isn’t enough?

  • Enterprise content Management

GDoc?

  • Business process and form

GDoc again?

  • Business intelligence

Still GDoc?

What Google Apps Team Edition has but not in SharePoint?

  • Free for Team Edition and cheap for Premier Edition
  • Easy to use, easy to manage

What’s next?

  • Put Google Apps Team Edition onto your desktop by Prism
  • Invite your colleague to use it
  • Convince IT Department to use it
  • Create some serious widgets work with exist systems in your company? You could sell them to other companies too.

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