Have you ever considered leaving the Microsoft-dominated sphere and going for something a little cheaper? If you have, it’s likely that Google Docs could be a reality for your business, especially for small businesses with fewer demands.
If you’re really trying to cut costs, it’s possible to get by using just Google’s free Apps suite. These require no hardware or software and can be accessed through any Google account. For increased support and storage capabilities, however, it’s best to sign up for Google’s own service which is available at a cost of £30 per person. Everything is then hosted on Google’s servers, so you won’t have to worry about downtime or maintenance – Google guarantees a 99.9% uptime.
Google’s docs offer quality functionality at a bargain price. They can’t do quite everything that Microsoft Office can, but you’ll find that many of your most used features are present. It all depends on the need of your individual business; most people are unable to do the most advanced aspects of Office programs anyway, and if you’re never going to need it, why waste the money on it?
Google Docs also have the potential to save you thousands of dollars. To begin with, you needn’t purchase or set up your own server. Everything is hosted on Google’s servers, so you don’t have to worry about losing your information due to any fault of your own, though you may choose to save a copy of important documents on your own PC. You also may find yourself without the need for an IT professional in house or even an external IT support company because Google will provide you with much of the support you need for their software. If your hardware breaks down, that’s another issue, and you may wish to contract with an external company for that purpose, but overall your maintenance costs are still lower.
When you choose to go with Google Apps, it’s important to remember that your documents will be in the cloud and potentially accessible by Google employees. This, however, is highly unlikely, and Google has invested in the top security firms and experts to ensure that hackers cannot access your information no matter how hard they try. The cloud also means that you and any relevant employees can access documents at the same time and edit them together in real time. This makes collaboration easier than ever, regardless of where you happen to be. You can work from home, from work, or on a trip somewhere as long as you have access to the internet.
Businesses also have access to more in depth tools than free users. In particular, they have more advanced custom spam email filtering tools, both inbound and outbound, information sharing rules to ensure that employees don’t release personal documents by accident, password guidance, SSL connections, and email archiving up to ten years. You can also connect Google Apps to your current domain and email address, so the transition is virtually seamless.