Microsoft plugs the dike against a Google Apps flood...for now
If you haven't read CIO.com's account of Microsoft's frantic attempts to keep Procter and Gamble from using Google Apps, read it now. As I reported last year, I've personally seen very large companies kicking off large pilots of Google Apps to wean themselves off Microsoft, but I've yet to see such a dramatic response from Microsoft.
Microsoft is blase about Google Apps in public, just as it used to be about open source, but incidents like P&G are making the software giant realize that it has a serious problem on its hands.
Microsoft saved the day at P&G by shipping COO Kevin Turner out to P&G headquarters to arm-wrestle its CIO into signing a long-term contract with Microsoft. P&G likely got a hefty discount to keep the faith, but at some point Microsoft is going to have to start competing with products again, not merely prices. Its profitability and growth will flounder if it doesn't.
Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay. 
The problem with much of Google's offerings is that they are beta. The even bigger one is that Google can and has changed their TOS several times now without informing their users (they even state in their TOS that they do not have to notify you of these changes). What enterprise level company will do business with that sort of conduct?
I'm not saying MS is any better, but I do wonder about Google's corporate customers. I'd love to see what the contracts are.
Google will use their private data for their benefit and most, if not all, of their apps are total garbage. GoogleDocs makes Word 2007 look good and that is not an easy thing to do!
OK.
Google Android, yah the TOS's have been changed allot, which is annoying, but it still remains largely open source, and not to mention, app developers keep 100percent of their profits. Its a really attractive platform to develop with. (Not to mention the 10 million dollar bounty)
- by SherifXel October 3, 2008 9:01 AM PDT
- I think Microsoft will have harder times on the competition with Google. I believe, anytime soon android will be ready to use on PCs and then a tougher competition will start between MS and Google. I can't wait to see that.
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