Google Apps
I open this for discussion:
Should a small business (under 20 users) opt for their own infrastructure: that is, servers, domain controllers, file sharing, Windows SBS, Exchange, Outlook -
OR
Should they buy $300 machines, run Linux, and use Google Apps?
Can Google Apps effectively replace all the email, file sharing, collaboration, shared calendaring, and other basic business needs? There are even online time-tracking and accounting applications.
Is the world of the business network dead? Will Software as a Service replace IT architecture?
Your comments are needed.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
There are obvious cost (and to varying degrees convenience) advantages to using Google apps. That said, relying on them for a corporate application of any size puts several layers of infrastructure that you cannot manage between workers and productivity.
I realize stuff happens at every level, but if things go awry at the LAN level at least you can be proactive. Lose a T1 or ISP server or any other link between you and your app (or remote files) and you wait. Maybe not a big deal if your competitors are also sitting on their hands, but that scenario is unlikely.
Next, I realize it can be argued that security is an illusion. Still, I can watch something near better than I can watch something far. Naive? Call it my security blanket.