GOALS FOR G O O G L E - I Z I N G Y O U R B U S I N E S S
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Free software like Google Docs & Spreadsheets has the potential to change the way work takes place in offices around the world. Everyone needs to type letters and reports on their computers, and most businesses need to keep track of financial records using spreadsheet applications. Since personal computers first gained widespread acceptance in the 1980s, their users have had to download and install software programs to perform these functions. As new versions of the software are released with better features, those same individuals need to purchase updates and install them as well. When new computers are purchased there is often a different operating system involved, so new versions of the software need to be obtained. You're probably quite familiar with the process of making sure you have the disk space and processing power needed to run the programs you buy. And chances are you use some version of the most popular business application around, Microsoft Office. Instead of having to pay hundreds of dollars per user (depending on the version of Office you typically use) to install or update the program every few years, Google provides you with a new and exciting alternative: using common applications by connecting to them online. Google Apps is an example of an approach to delivering computer programs known either as "software as a service" or "hosted applications." Instead of installing a word processing spreadsheet, a calendar, and another application that will consume disk space on your computer, you use your Web browser as the interface to those applications. Google Apps has Google poised to take on Microsoft and directly challenge its dominance in the business productivity area. You'll find out more about Google Apps in Chapter 6, and about many of the components of this suite of applications in subsequent chapters. Strengthening Your Marketing Pull
By going online with Google, you increase the number of potential customers you can reach. The Internet gives you access to new leads and markets worldwide. Access to the Internet is now a necessity, and businesses are performing ever more functions online. Internet communication technologies such as Web pages, e-mail, bulletin boards, videoconferencing, and chat can help you find new business partners. Here's an example: the Cato Institute, a nonprofit public policy research foundation in Washington, D.C., hosts a variety of public events such as talks and discussions held by well-known figures. Go to the Institute's Events page (http:// www.cato.org/events/calendar.html), and you can view a list of upcoming talks and other gatherings. Each of the descriptions shown in Figure 3-1 includes a Google Calendar button at the bottom (as well as buttons for other popular calendars by Microsoft and Yahoo!).