Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Google Launches Incentive Program for Cloud Productivity Suite

    By
    Jaikumar Vijayan
    -
    October 20, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Goggle cloud productivity suite incentive

      Google has launched a new incentive program for businesses that are on the fence about migrating to the company’s suite of productivity apps.

      Starting this week, Google will let any business that has an existing enterprise agreement with another software vendor try out Google Apps for free for the remainder of their contracts.

      The company will also contribute to the deployment costs and put enterprises that need help in touch with Google for Work Partners, Rich Rao, head of global sales, Google Apps for Work announced Oct. 19.

      “Once your current EA [enterprise agreement] is up, we offer a simple contract with no traps or gotchas,” Rao said in a blog posting. For a lot of businesses, moving to Google Apps is cheaper than alternatives, he said. “Our estimates suggest that businesses with basic EAs and no dependencies can potentially unlock savings of up to 70% by switching to Google Apps for Work,” he said.

      The Google incentive program comes with a couple of caveats. Organizations can sign up to a maximum of 3,000 users for free under the program with a cap of $25 per user. Enterprises also have to commit to one year of Google Apps at the end of their existing enterprise agreement with their current vendor.

      Google’s incentive program appears to be a response to reports showing that Microsoft is surging ahead of the company in the market for cloud email and productivity apps. According to a recent cloud adoption report by security vendor BitGlass, Microsoft’s Office 365 currently holds a 25.2 percent share of the enterprise market, compared with Google’s 22.8 percent.

      While that might suggest a tight race between the two companies, Microsoft has grown much faster than Google in the past 12 months in the market for cloud productivity applications. BitGlass’ report shows that Microsoft tripled its market share from 7.7 percent last year to its present 25.2 percent share while Google Apps’ share grew more modestly from 16.3 percent to its current 22.8 percent.

      “The global report shows a dramatic coup by Microsoft Office 365 (O365), which overtook Google for the lead in cloud email and productivity since last year’s report,” BitGlass explained in its report. According to the vendor, some 48 percent of enterprises, and nearly 60 percent of companies with more than 1,000 employees, currently use cloud-based productivity and email apps.

      Alan Lepofsky, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research, described Google’s program as likely of interest to those looking to switch to Google from a competitive suite. “This program could provide the incentive to start their testing now, rather that waiting until the end of their existing [enterprise license agreement],” he said.

      Though Google claims to have more than 600 customers with 10,000 or more employees, this particular offer is geared more toward smaller companies, Lepofsky added. “With a cap of 3,000 users, this offer is aimed at the medium business market,” where it is important for Google to remain in the vendor-selection process.

      “Licensing is always a tricky part of vendor selection, as companies should choose based on usability of the vendor’s current product, faith in their roadmap, and size of the partner ecosystem.” Lepofsky said. “Licensing discounts from one vendor can be a leverage point for contract negotiations with existing vendors.”

      Jim Nielsen, manager of enterprise technology planning at carpet manufacturer Shaw Industries, a Google Apps customer, said the incentive program could help organizations that have been reluctant to move away from Microsoft to at least test-drive Google Apps.

      “Organizations that are a little bit more open to future possibilities and can believe in a world without Microsoft could take advantage of this and see this as an opportunity,” to try something new, Nielsen said.

      Businesses that can get past the difference in interfaces between Microsoft and Google have an opportunity to reduce costs by switching to Google Apps, Nielsen said. For instance, when Shaw industries was looking to move away from its legacy Lotus Notes platform to a new productivity suite, the company analyzed projected costs over a 10-year period. It found Google Apps to be about 13 times cheaper than Office 365, Nielsen claimed.

      As a result, Shaw Industries has migrated more than 11,000 employees from Notes to Google Apps and enabled access to the suite for another 12,000 line workers in the past few years, he said.

      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Vijayan is an award-winning independent journalist and tech content creation specialist covering data security and privacy, business intelligence, big data and data analytics.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×