Google Apps for the Small Business

Google Apps provide many necessary tools that many small businesses need like shared contacts, calendars and employee email. Edoceo has recently migrated some of our clients over to these service and all have provided positive feedback. By taking advantage of the Google APIs further integration to these systems is possible. It's well known that Google develops high quality web-applications and it's now possible to put them to work for you.

Google Mail

With Google Apps your companies email is now hosted with Google, on their redundant mail systems. Webmail access is included and uses the same familiar interface as GMail with POP (over SSL) based access also available should one chose that option. The mail is sent and recieved with addresses at your domain, not gmail.com and are managed using the Google Apps control panel. Remember to update the SPF records for your domain.

Google Calendars

The Calendars can be private, shared inside the organisation or made public. The interface is the same as the standard Google Calendar and compatible with the VCAL (iCal) format. Like our Imperium Business Management Software the system also send alerts to your mobile device.

Google Dashboard

Edoceo has developed many web applications all of which include a start page commonly known as a Dashboard. The Google Dashboard is customiseable to a company and pre-built web-applications can be easily added using the Google Gadget API. Internal to Edoceo we've enabled Imperium on the dashboard for Service Orders, Invoices and Accounting - all delivered over SSL of course.

Comparison w/Exchange

Microsoft Exchange offers a small business the similar options to that of Google Apps, at a signifigant cost. Compared to Exchange Google Apps provide redundancy and reliability, easy web access and no client software. Choosing Exchange for a small business would cost 700 USD for the server software, 67 USD for each client and then time to install Outlook on each workstation. A toal cost of $1705 for 15 users, or free with Google - provided that web delivered services are acceptable.