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(C) 2011. Some Rights Reserved. Executive Summary © 2011. Mickler & Associates, Inc. Some Rights Reserved. Creative Commons Non-Commercial Copyright License www.micklerandassociates.com Russell Mickler, CISSP Principal Consultant Google Apps for Small Business

Executive Summary - Google Apps for Small Business

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An executive summary on Google Apps for Small Business: what is cloud computing, why is it a strategic benefit, how does Apps provide material benefits, and how can we measure a ROI.

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Page 1: Executive Summary - Google Apps for Small Business

(C) 2011. Some Rights Reserved.

Executive Summary

© 2011. Mickler & Associates, Inc. Some Rights Reserved. Creative Commons Non-Commercial Copyright License

www.micklerandassociates.com

Russell Mickler, CISSP

Principal Consultant

Google Apps for Small Business

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Russell Mickler is a technology consultant who serves small to mid-range businesses in Vancouver, Washington. Mickler's experience features sixteen years of senior and mid-level IT department management. Mickler earned his Masters of Science in Applied Information Management from the University of Oregon in 2000. A technical author and an authorized Google Apps Reseller, Mickler is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Mickler teaches for numerous colleges and universities both online and onground. Mickler’s latest book is Simple Social Media; his forthcoming book is Simple Facebook Insights. More on Simple Books can be found online.

Presentation Leaders

Russell Mickler

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What’s Cloud Computing?

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Google Apps is a Cloud Computing Solution Now there’s a better way to do data processing for the small business

Cloud Computing Primer

• Cloud Computing centralizes data processing to vendors

• Instead of owning assets, a small business leases capability

• Cloud Computing leverages fast Internet broadband

• Your data is available anywhere there’s Internet connectivity

• Managing the cloud is a self-service exercise for end-users; this diminishes the need for dedicated IT specialties

• Cloud Computing shifts the risk for managing IT assets to

vendors and contains your costs to fixed expenses

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So WHY Cloud Computing? Well, Cloud Computing …

Immediate capability can be acquired without years of IT maturity, licensing, or hardware investment.

Offers mobility and ease-of-use across all microcomputer platforms.

Risk for managing infrastructure are shifted to vendors.

Centralizes your data to vendors, containing your costs

for IT capabilities to fixed expenses.

Full-Time IT specialties aren’t needed to maintain your IT infrastructure.

Cloud Computing scales well.

Cloud Computing Primer

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What’s Google Apps?

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What’s Google Doing in the Cloud? There’s an incredible suite of online tools waiting for your small business

What is Google Apps?

What’s Google Apps? • Domain and User Management Dashboard

• Email Management, Filtering, Screening

• Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, Appointments

• MsOutlook ® Integration and Cloud Connect Synchronization

• Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation graphics

• Sites

• Visual Voicemail, Call Forwarding, and Simple Hunt Groups

• VOIP Telephony, SMS and Chat Integration

• 3rd Party Applications

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What’s Google Apps Doing to Desktop Computing?

Google is changing the metaphor of desktop computing.

They’re also changing the metaphor of software acquisition, support, and deployment.

Google is creating an easy way for practically any business –

particularly small businesses – to manage their productivity and e-commerce online.

Google’s making it easier to share, be mobile, work on

any computing platform, and be interconnected.

Google’s changing the very nature of the computer – Life in the Browser.

Google Apps Primer

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Google Apps Versions

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Why Google?

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A Lot of Vendors Have Cloud Offerings … What makes Google Apps so special?

Why Google?

• Google is a $180 billion market cap company

• They are well-capitalized, a recognized brand, and extremely

well-staffed with world-wide expertise

• It is a recognized pioneer and innovator – they’re always (nearly every day) improving their product

• They offer better than “5-9’s” uptime

• Variable pricing – free for education and non-profits • Google offers 50-percent more storage than other vendors

• Google Apps can offer up to 80-percent cost savings as

compared to a Microsoft Exchange ® product

• Google Docs is costless as compared to $399 licenses for Microsoft Office ®

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Forrester Research Conducted a Study on Google Apps in 2010 Forrester demonstrated a 391% ROI for Enterprises Using Google Apps … Plus:

Why Google?

• 93% of respondents to Forrester’s survey “saw positive, tangible IT and end user impacts that drove

ROI”.

• End user productivity gains were even greater than IT cost savings.

• The switch to Google Apps was usually driven by replacing or augmenting an existing email solution

• Reduced IT admin time spent: between 38-56% annual cost savings

• Cost savings include reduced spend on licenses and infrastructure

• Improved productivity from email search, spam filtering, and improved response time

• More efficient face-to-face meetings and virtual meetings

• 89% of employees using Google Apps felt that the time required to simply sign in to email had decreased, 46% felt email organizing time had decreased.

• 47% of employees using Google’s Docs and Google Sites saw material improvements in their levels of collaboration with customers and partners since moving to those tool

Source: Catacchio, Chad. “Forrester: Google Apps Gives 391% ROI.” The Next Web. Found Online: http://thenextweb.com/google/2010/11/10/forrester-google-apps-gives-enterprises-391-roi/

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What About Privacy and Security?

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Centralization of Data is Nothing New – Remember Mainframes? Decentralization of data management is the problem with microcomputers today.

But What About Privacy and Security?

• Google’s TOC’s insist they do not read consumer data

• However, Google will use statistical abstraction techniques on

the dataset like “token and stem”

• Which is more secure: a professionally-managed data center or a PC? Do you or your company have the security expertise that a company like Google has?

• Google works very hard to limit downtime and improve their security practices – if they’re managing millions of people’s data, it’s a strategic business risk for them to lose control

• The proximity of your hard disk to you does not directly relate to security … otherwise, there’d be no risk like malware or viruses on PC’s, or, banking institutions offering web-based views of your accounts

• Consumers expect their data anywhere and everywhere – you could do it yourself, but at what cost and risk?

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Okay, What are Some of the Risks?

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Cloud Computing isn’t Without Risk Here are the facts you need to make a good decision.

What Are the Risks?

• Limited Support

• Dependency on Integrator Relationships

• Internet Connectivity

• Bandwidth

• Possibility of Diminished Functionality

• End-User Learning Curves

• Synchronization Delays, Corruption, Failures

• Loss of Control, Customization, and Extension

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So Who Would Want Google Apps,

and How Do You Get Started?

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Google Apps is Great for the Small-to-Midrange Business (SMB), Non-Profit, or Education Entity Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Who Would Want Google Apps?

• If Information Technology (IT) Isn’t Your Core Competency …

• If You Have No Special Confidentiality Requirements …

• If You Have a Need for Mobile and Wide-Area Computing …

• If You Are Considering Telecommuting/Distance Strategies …

• If You Want to End Yearly Licensing and Upgrades …

• If You’re an SMB, Education, or Non-Profit Entity …

• … You Can Set Google Apps Up and Manage It Yourself

• … If You Start Out on Standard (Free), It Can Be Upgraded

• … WARNING: DNS Setups, Client Configs, Learning Curves

• … You Can Seek an Authorized Google Apps Reseller

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Authorized Google Apps Resellers Are the Best in Their Field Resellers have experience with both cloud computing and traditional distributed computing models.

Wait a Minute – We’re an Authorized Google Apps Reseller!

• So why Mickler & Associates, Inc. as a strategic partner?

• We've done this before … we’re trusted by Google …

• … and we've got the t-shirt!

• We're local to our clients – we can help you on-site and remotely

• We've got the knowledge and expertise

• We can advise your transition or take total responsibility for it

• We can provide on-site/on-line training for your staff

• We're really excited about Google Apps! We think Cloud Computing is the future, and we'd love to help get you there!

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Cloud Computing Killed The Radio Star The transformative nature of technology will destroy hourly tech support and IT departments in the SMB.

Parting Thoughts

• Cloud Computing represents an alternative to distributed computing which will become comparatively more expensive

• Competitively, most SMB, non-profit, and educational institutions will shift to the Cloud to achieve significant cost savings

• As most of computing will become appliances that just access the cloud, there’s little future for distributed IT support

• Computing will become ubiquitous and utility-based

• Organizations that maintain its own IT – it’s own servers, analysts, managers, technical support people, web developers, database administrators, security personnel, network administrators – will be paying a premium for the privilege

• For most, their core competency is a service or a product – not IT – and Cloud will fulfill that need

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Questions?

Discussion

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Thank you for your time. Please complete our survey.

Please subscribe to our mailing list if you’d like to be advised of upcoming presentations, events, courses, and media from Russell Mickler.

A Free 30-Day Trial of Google Apps is available from Google.

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About the Presentation

This presentation was prepared for online training through WizIQ. It was prepared and

distributed using Google Apps. This material is maintained at the author's website.

Corrections, additions, or comments are greatly appreciated.

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