Google releasing package for the office (AP)

[columbusdem]

Associated Press

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/15376573.htm

NEW YORK - Gmail is headed for the office - officially.

Starting Monday, Google will offer Google Apps for Your Domain, a free package of programs for businesses, universities and other organizations.

Workers will be able to send e-mail with Gmail, Google's two-year-old Web-based mail service, but messages will carry their company's domain name. The package also includes Google's online calendar, instant-messaging service, and Page Creator, a Web page builder.

Information technology administrators can make some customizations. "But really, the applications are exactly what you'd experience as a consumer if you use them," said Dave Girouard, VP and general manager of Google Enterprise, a division of Google Inc.

The free edition of Apps for Your Domain is, like Google's main site, supported with ads. By the end of the year, the company also plans to launch a paid version that will offer more storage, some degree of support, and likely, no ads. A price for this edition hasn't been set.

[PSPS]

1. Why anyone would want Google spying on their hard drive is beyond me

It's insane that anyone would want Google's spyware that both bogs down the computer and sends data off your hard drive to Google's computers.

Now they have this latest package to tease unsuspecting office users to install it, thus infecting the entire network with security-compromising bots sending data to Google. No thanks.

[merwin]

2. A little paranoid, aren't we?

Google is by far the only large corporation that actually cares about your security, and refuses to give info to the govt without a warrant.

[Vidar]

4. Amen to that!

[DerBeppo]

5. unless that government is Chinese. -nt-

[Pachamama]

7. I guess companies like my husbands who are Fortune 500, must really hate

security, because they all have official policy bans to its employees to download or to use the google office desktop tools because of its security issues.

Guess they are all just paranoid, eh? :eyes:

[merwin]

8. No, IT people are famous for making up false excuses to

disallow employees from using certain software, usually blaming it on security issues.

Most (if not all) Fortune 500 companies have policies in place that say employees cannot use ANY unapproved software because of "security risks".

In reality, it's because they have no way of controlling what software the employees use, and they might install something that has spyware in it, or a virus, etc.

I used to be one of those IT guys :-)

[Egnever]

3. Talk about over the top!

I think that tinfoil hat is on a little tight. If anyone uses it remains to be seen it will depend I am sure on its usefulness. However hats off to google for continuing to invovate. Of all the search engines they are the one I trust.

What spyware would you be refering to anyway? All of the google apps I have used have been amazingly efficient so far outside of perhaps picasa. Bog down? Maybe its your computer thats infested.

[jayctravis]

9. Google's stuff is really good.

The mail is searchable with their web engine...they've also made Google Desktop which makes your entire computer searchable with the google search. To my knowledge it does not publish it online with everything else on the internet; it's a private search. There's an option to turn this off if you don't want it to happen.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. I find it kind of humorous that this dreck is all an 80 billion dollar

company has to offer. A cheap vehicle for advertising stuff that nobody needs or wants.

[jayctravis]

10. Google ads are the only ones that I don't find annoying.

They're on this site and they're not intrusive. They're customized to match what's on the page, they're text only...never do they send blinking desktop video in front of what you're doing. Google ads are the only ones that I will click on.

In Gmail I've actually used the ads: Someone was telling me in email about an mp3 player they'd just gotten and Google made a low key link to a review of it on Cnet as an advertisement. The only time advertising has been useful.