Google's Plan to Dominate Business Software
546031
GoogleÂs introduction this week of communications applications for enterprises has extended the software battle that has been brewing with Microsoft. And, according to analysts, it will likely prompt an aggressive response from Redmond.
76255
Google executives have long conceded that one of their great fears is to be overtaken by a more advanced Internet search technology.
141470
Asked about an alternative business plan for the coming five to 10 years, Google CEO Eric Schmidt replied, "Google Enterprise."
174252
Google Inc.  is making a  concerted move beyond search and advertising into the business  software market, starting with a set of Web programs for  e-mail, scheduling and communications, it said on Sunday.
645230
Product Manager Rajen Sheth tells how Google Apps will lure enterprise tech managers.
142865
Software giant eyes search pioneer to bolster its competition with Google.
673050
Search engine Google is entering the software market, in a move that pits it against Microsoft.
756609
Google may have plans to expand its search engine beyond static text.
583792
Hyperion Solutions Corp is the latest business intelligence software vendor to tap into Google Inc's search appliance technology to make its products more pervasive across the enterprise.
645166
By Robert Verkaik Law Editor  Google, the world's biggest search engine, is setting out to create the most comprehensive database of personal information ever assembled, one with the ability to tell people how to run their lives.
730654
(InfoWorld) - Google believes that its consumer-grade Web applications represent the future of enterprise IT. But while Google is quick to trumpet its products' innovative features, the search giant hasn't said much about their security. Until recently, that is. On Monday,Â Google announcedÂ it would spend $625 million to buy messaging security vendor Postini, a move that will give it access to 35,000 business customers, and provide it with the first security products for its Google Apps portfolio. The Postini acquisition represents the most significant investment into security technology yet made by Google. In recent months, Google has started its own security blog along withÂ acquiring another security-related startup, Green Border Technologies. Google Apps customers will be able to use Postini services for tasks like scanning and encrypting e-mail, and archiving messages for compliance and legal purposes, said Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager for Google's enterprise business, during a Monday conference call. Around 1,000 small businesses are signing up for Google Apps each day, according to Google. But the company admitted that big businesses have been reluctant to use hosted services because of concerns about security and corporate compliance issues. It hopes that buying Postini will help relieve those concerns. But now that Google has finally decided to become a security vendor, how far will it go? Rival Microsoft has started buying security companies itself, and recently introduced its own line of antivirus software. And Google's recent Green Border purchase has caused some to speculate that the search giant may soon offer a secure Web browser, locked down with Green Border's safe browsing technology. Google has so far refused to say what it plans to do with Green Border's products, but observers see other opportunities ahead. For example, the company could mine its vast database of Web sites to compete with Web filtering companies like Websense or AE6 Technologies. "There's a lot of money to be made by establishing a blacklist of Web sites," said Forrester Research Principal Analyst Chenxi Wang. "I would not be surprised if once they used their massive crawling infrastructure to turn that into a proprietary list and sell that with their enterprise product line." Google recently gave Web developers a way to access this data for free, but the company could build paid services for enterprise users on top of the free product, much in the same way it has developed Google Apps, observers said. "If they add real-time intelligence and put that in an enterprise product, they can definitely make money," Wang said. Wang predicted that Google may also look to acquire information leak prevention companies such as Vontu or Vericept. One of Google's harshest critics on the security front said that things might become even more interesting should Google decide to expand its foothold on the desktop. "If they want to build their own operating system and they want to basically start making Firefox the [default] browser...they're going to need to start bumping up the controls and security and the devices to protect that environment," said Robert Hansen, CEO of Web security consultancy SecTheory. How much the Postini and Green Border acquisitions will go to secure existing Google products is unclear. Google said Monday that it will enhance Gmail with Postini's technology, but Hansen thinks that it will take time before Google builds security into its products from the ground up. In the company's rush to deliver cool and compelling features to its users has come at the expense of security, he believes. And until there is some sort of widespread security problem -- such as the worm and virus outbreaks that shut down Windows users five years ago -- Google has little incentive to make security a priority within its existing products. "It comes down to the business case," Hansen said. "If I want to fix Blogspot I have to convince some product manager somewhere that it's worth doing the investment... and in the end users are going to hate it." James Niccolai in Paris contributed to this report. Â
143447
The search giant Google is rumoured to be working on its own web browser.
667754
Online search engine leader Google Inc. is setting its sights on the computer desktop with a new software program that promises to scour through the clutter of documents, e-mails, instant messages and other files stored on hard drives.
88587
The search giant seeks success with the biggest and the best.
399484
Charles Arthur: Why Google might benefit from Microsoft's attempt to shoehorn Yahoo into itself
398101
With the launch of its enhanced suite of Web tools, Google has the enterprise squarely in its sights -- but are its offerings compelling enough to lure big business?
483451
Google delved deeper into the business software market yesterday with its announcement it would acquire Postini for $625 million in cash.