Shame on you, Google
It's not much of a stretch to call Google one of the most trusted companies in tech. Unlike Microsoft, any wireless carrier or virtually any hardware vendor, consumers tend to trust Google and their "do no evil" motto. The company is generally seen as working for the good of the average netizen while pursuing profits, rather than doing whatever it takes to make a buck.
Now, most of that is probably true. Given their public actions during the last few years, it really does seem like Google generally tries to avoid doing anything "evil" in their quest to catalog all of the world's information (I'll leave it to you, reader, to decide whether or not that aim is inherently evil). But as you'll see in today's issue, the company has crossed a line this week. You might not know it yet but Google has covertly declared war on your IT department.
The company's latest enterprise product, Google Apps Team Edition, is essentially a clone of the enterprise version of Google Apps with one key difference: it doesn't require the IT department's blessing in order to be deployed. The application package can be set up, run and administered entirely by users, without the IT department's knowledge. And what happens when the IT department eventually stumbles upon the fact that users are using unsanctioned collaboration software? Why, they can simply purchase a real version of Google Apps and roll it out to the entire company. How convenient!
So, why is Google doing this? Just to annoy IT departments far and wide, most of whom are already up to their necks in self-proclaimed "power users" running unapproved software? Though it might seem that way, the real answer is far less vexing. Quite simply, Google wants to sell its software. And for all the hype you've heard about Google Apps being an "Office killer," the fact of the matter is that most enterprises are still years away from moving their mission-critical apps onto the web--leave alone trusting their confidential documents to an external server.
If you ask me, the time for Google Apps (and other web-based applications, for that matter) in the enterprise has not yet come. What Google should do is continue working on the suite, making it more and more attractive to IT departments and enterprises with each iteration. Instead, they're resorting to sneaky tactics in order to get their apps into the hands of business users. While the users might appreciate that, such tactics are not going to endear Google to anyone in IT. It seems to me that Google has failed to understand one of the tech world's most universal rules: if you want to get into the enterprise, you have to go thorough IT first. -Mehan
Comments (7) | Post a comment Rate it:
Comments
By The Encyclopedia | Posted 7:56pm | February 8, 2008
Having to go through IT is the reason IT is the biggest complaint of any corporate employee. Good for Google!
By Jim Vernon | Posted 11:06pm | February 8, 2008
The Encyclopedia is exactly right. IT departments view initiatives like this as a threat to their control. But non-IT employees view that control as a pain, or worse. Of course, if IT and non-IT employees could actually work together on common objectives ... ok, that seems like a pipe dream, but the problem will continue in enterprises that don't figure out ways to do that.
Depending on the enterprise, though, the editorial is also exactly right: Google Apps just aren't ready for prime time. If you only need to be able to type a document, spell check it and don't care what it looks like in print, Google apps will probably handle your document needs. Otherwise, you'll be disappointed.
By Anonymous | Posted 11:56pm | February 8, 2008
Are you really surprised? Google Apps have slowly infested themselves in top mgmt with ex-Oracle cronies, and as we all know, you can't change the stripes of a Zebra!
It appears Google's strategy is to backdoor IT under the same adoption method IM emerged into IT, Uninvited! IM is one of the few technologies that I can recall that the User's basically forced into IT, and it appears Google is trying the same principles,but the only problem, their Apps are still weak, and that is the end of the story! Stick to being a Great Marketing Company, and leave the Apps to the PRO'S!
By Anonymous | Posted 11:32am | February 9, 2008
Those old enough to remember PointCast (which was THE internet darling of the 90s, featured on the cover of Business Week and courted by News Corp) crashed and burned because they were the bane of IT departments. IT shut them down ... hard! Word to Google: don't antagonize the man behind the firewall, or he'll find a way to block AdSense ads and make MicroHoo the only search engine avaiable to his corporate users.
By Natmac | Posted 4:09am | February 11, 2008
This Octopus Strategy (start with the tentacles, get to the center) was extremely successfully pursued by Wang and Digital Computer Corporation (anyone remember them?) against IBM (and the IT department). As long as there is a central organization wanting to tell computer users what and how to function, there will be innovative organizations ready to tap into pent up needs.
Mehan's comments are backward looking. A more appropriate approach would be to analyze whether Google could actually serve a corporate user base effectively with a web based collaboration and productivity suite.
IT departments will never like it. CIOs and the organizations they manage have spent the past 20 years trying to recover the centralized position they lost when the PC replaced the Terminal as the primary computing instrument.
By Kristina | Posted 9:41am | February 11, 2008
Wow! This kind of arrogance re: if you want to get into the enterprise, you have to go through IT first - is why 99% of a company can't stand IT.
Lighten up Francis. Perhaps users are actually fulfilling a business need that IT will never have the ability to do. Yep. Cause you know - this web app isn't some new, shiny toy that you all can play with.
By Ravi Chitturi | Posted 6:35pm | February 11, 2008
Perhaps I may qualify to remark here having worked as IT and a Business user... One of the grave mistakes IT frequently does is NOT to speak plain business language. (I wonder why more and more recent CIOs are coming from Business units and more and more CIO-Wannabees are going to manage Business Units). Anyway, if a Business Unit wants new Tool or Technology (like Google Apps here), does anyone in IT, Say CIO/Dir translate that into cost, data security/maturity, and Risks in plain english and discuss it with all Business Unit Leaders? Shame or no Shame, Google is doing what a business entity would do if it would like to sustain profitability and move towards world dominance. I think most of us agree that thier Apps are not quite there yet but maybe they will be soon. Now, in my huble opinion, it is IT Leader's responsibility to take a hard look at the Apps fanfare among the user base and start developing a good business case (in english) with recommendations and discuss with thier peers. And more importantly effectively communicate to the user base why or why not we as an organization (not IT) may or maynot be ready for it yet. I bet you would get near 100% cooperation from variety of user base on the right thing to do for company. After all, we are talking about using these tools/technology for professional purposes and not for writing personal blogs and to do our kids' homeworks.
Now, speaking about the so called arrogant "rule" about going through IT, I don't view it as a rule but as a good corporate steward, if someone is approaching me as a Business Unit Leader regarding some new technology/tools/apps, I would want to check with my IT peer to ensure that I'm not getting into a quagmire. If my IT peer does not give me enough indication of a bad risk, I would then champion/figure out how to get the funds/ROI/etc and work with IT to get them implemented because it is a business rquirement (if it proves to be, of course). When I was in pure IT, one of the best tools we got into a $BB enterprise is due to a Business Unit Leader championed it not because IT proactively implemented it. A compliment is required when its due!
Anyway, Google, good luck but please don't ruffle too many IT feathers in the process because there is IT and then there is IT politics and there is nothing wrong in learning one or two from your rivals.