Boston drops Microsoft, switches 20K employees to Google Apps

[usuz]

No wonder Microsoft made those Google doc's video's. They are loosing customer and Google is a real threat.

Source http://www.bostonglo...Pw4O/story.html

Boston has dropped its longstanding e-mail system, Microsoft Exchange, for Google Apps, the search giant?s suite of software for businesses and government, following the lead of a growing number of big cities, federal agencies, and large companies that have made the switch.

Even though Menino has resisted writing ? or even reading ? e-mails, banned voicemail from City Hall until recently, and can?t find his way around an iPhone, he has certainly made technology a major focus of his administration. He renamed a section of South Boston the Innovation District, and has personally wooed technology companies to move there, adopted a number of computer tools and mobile apps to improve public services, and his police officers are even tweeting crime updates.

?We are continuing to drive it forward,? said Bill Oates, Boston?s chief information officer. ?We?ve been ready, willing, and able to leverage any of these new capabilities.?

The city estimated it costs about $100 a year per employee to use its current roster of ?Microsoft products.

It?s not just the gee whiz factor: It?s also a matter of money. It will cost Boston around $800,000 to move over to Gmail, Google Docs for word processing, and Google?s cloud service for storing documents. But by dropping some Microsoft products, the city government will save at least $280,000 a year.

?The number one reason that organizations are going to Google is price,? said Matt Cain, an analyst at the tech research firm Gartner Inc.

What?s more, Cain said, Google?s contract terms are much simpler than dealing with Microsoft. And since Google updates its software via the Internet, which Microsoft only recently started doing with some of its products, it means clients won?t be working for years on outdated applications.

While Microsoft remains the dominant player in business software, Cain said Google is becoming a ?threat to Microsoft?s hegemony.?

To be sure, Microsoft is not taking Google?s incursion into its territory lightly, and has questioned whether Google is a safe enough service for storing sensitive government documents.

?We believe the citizens of Boston deserve cloud productivity tools that protect their security and privacy,? a Microsoft spokesman said in an e-mail to the Globe. ?Google?s investments in these areas are inadequate, and they lack the proper protections most organizations require.?

Boston officials said they vetted Google and are satisfied with the security protections that come with Google Apps for e-mail and document storage. Also, Boston isn?t completely cutting ties with Microsoft, as it will continue to use its other products, such as the Windows operating system on its PCs.

Boston is not alone in making the change. The US Department of the Interior, the state of Colorado, and Princeton University have, too. (The New York Times, owner of the Boston Globe, is also planning to move to Google software from Microsoft Exchange.) Google said that some 5 million businesses around the world are now using its cloud applications.

The Gmail that businesses and government use doesn?t look much different from what consumers use free of charge. Some key differences include much larger storage for e-mail, and business and government customers won?t see ads based on key words within e-mails. The cost for businesses and governments is roughly $50 per user per year. Google doesn?t charge public schools for use of its apps.

The city estimated it costs about $100 a year per employee to use its current roster of ?Microsoft products.

For the city?s employees, it might take some getting used to the new Google applications. After all, many of these people have spent entire careers working on Microsoft software. But the city said the digital transition will take about a year.

?Anyone with a current Gmail account will not have much trouble transitioning,? said David Nero, director of technology for Boston.

[Stoffel]

Lets see how long before they come crawling back to MS

[threetonesun]

Is Google business different than the personal applications? Because if not, it seems like the cost savings really wouldn't pan out compared to using Exchange and Outlook.

[HawkMan]

Lets see how long before they come crawling back to MS

Lets see how long untill they are forced to switch back due to security concerns like all the other government groups who's tried this as well.

to bad this is all pushed by pencil pushers and bureaucrats to start with and not based on user wishes and genuine productivity concerns.

[usuz]

Lets see how long before they come crawling back to MS

This has been going on for very long time. crawling back to MS wont happen anytime soon as long as google improve the service

http://9to5google.com/2012/03/08/colorado-selects-google-apps-for-government-to-save-2m-annually/

http://9to5google.com/2012/01/03/many-schools-abandon-microsoft-office-for-google-apps-to-save-money-google-docs-added-100-new-features-in-2011/

[HawkMan]

This has been going on for very long time. crawling back to MS wont happen anytime soon as long as google improve the service

http://9to5google.co...ve-2m-annually/

http://9to5google.co...atures-in-2011/

And most of them have gone back to either regular MS office due to better quality and security concerns with googles offline storage and them giving anyone asking access to documents, or to Office 365 for those that want the cloud option.

[mrmomoman]

20K Users. I don't think MS will even feel a dent in their wallet.

The only way they won't go back is because the people in charge of making the switch will try to not eat CROW and force them to use it and make them work around it instead of accepting defeat.

[Stoffel]

This has been going on for very long time. crawling back to MS wont happen anytime soon as long as google improve the service

http://9to5google.com/2012/03/08/colorado-selects-google-apps-for-government-to-save-2m-annually/

http://9to5google.com/2012/01/03/many-schools-abandon-microsoft-office-for-google-apps-to-save-money-google-docs-added-100-new-features-in-2011/

Google will have to improve a lot.

I read a lot of stories about companies moving away from MS, and then a couple of months later you read the exact opposite story.

MS is just to good for business.

[usuz]

And most of them have gone back to either regular MS office due to better quality and security concerns with googles offline storage and them giving anyone asking access to documents, or to Office 365 for those that want the cloud option.

proof?

[Max Norris]

Congrats for Google, but don't over-hype it as some "mass exodus" please.. Microsoft's picking up new clients too. It's even on the front page here, just a few random recent examples..

A few city governments in the US - http://www.neowin.ne...s-to-office-365

A few schools in the EU - http://www.neowin.ne...s-to-office-365

More US governments - http://www.neowin.ne...-heart-of-texas

That's just a few examples just skimming the front page, and doesn't include their other business services of course.. Yammer for example increased 265 percent, etc, never mind any "switch backs".

I'm sure Microsoft will get over it.

[123456789A]

?The number one reason that organizations are going to Google is price,? said Matt Cain, an analyst at the tech research firm Gartner Inc.

You get what you pay for.

[techbeck]

to bad this is all pushed by pencil pushers and bureaucrats to start with and not based on user wishes and genuine productivity concerns.

Since when were user wishes ever considered to much. And I am sure there were more insight in to this that pencil pushers.

With pretty much everyone worried about saving a buck these days, MS needs to offer cheaper solutions or they are going to lose more customers. Especially when there are cheaper alternatives available. And regardless how anyone feels about Google, its competition for MS and its competition that fuels innovation and good products.

[Mr. Gibs]

And since Google updates its software via the Internet, which Microsoft only recently started doing with some of its products, it means clients won?t be working for years on outdated applications.

What? MS has made updates available for their products via the internet since like I dunno Windows ME?

The problem is that companies are often quite unwilling to update their software unless they really need to, and often resist forced updating.

[techbeck]

The problem is that companies are often quite unwilling to update their software unless they really need to, and often resist forced updating.

Cost has a lot to do with it as well. Most companies cannot afford to update every Windows/office release. Its just expensive and no more than ever, people are looking hard at the money they spend.

[vcfan]

feel sorry for the geniuses that came up with the plan. too bad they will lose their jobs soon enough once they realize what kind of mess they got themselves in to. wait until one of these guys opens up a powerpoint to do a presentation.

[Mr. Gibs]

Cost has a lot to do with it as well. Most companies cannot afford to update every Windows/office release. Its just expensive and no more than ever, people are looking hard at the money they spend.

Well technically they already have access to the software they need to update through volume licensing. But just getting the products installed and tested is where the main costs come from.

Wasn't arguing about that point just the stupid article claiming that Microsoft just recently started updates over the internet.

[Growled Member]

I think a lot of people have come to the realization that Microsoft is not needed in the office anymore. Not for every worker anyway. Sure, a few advanced workers will probably need Office, but most workers can use Google apps and make it just fine.

[Auditor]

I see lots of MS fanboy getting ****ed because their beloved company is getting hammered down by Google. Competition is overall good for everyone and it keeps bigger companies in balance and provides better service to consumer. I am glad that Google is advancing in these areas and I would prefer Google to invest directly in Office suite which competes with a MS.

[techbeck]

Well technically they already have access to the software they need to update through volume licensing. But just getting the products installed and tested is where the main costs come from.

Volume licensing isnt getting any cheaper. Just the opposite. Lots of companies are 1 or 2 versions behind of office and windows because of it. Microsoft has had its claws into everything for a long time and because of lack of competition, they could charge what they want and people would have to pay it. Google Docs may not be in the answer, I am just glad competition is coming their way and its just going to be win win for everyone.

Wasn't arguing about that point just the stupid article claiming that Microsoft just recently started updates over the internet.

Yea, that was dumb but wasnt really commenting on that.

[Rippleman]

I dropped MS Office long ago except for publisher... google docs works fine for me, but maybe not for other people...

[BajiRav]

I think a lot of people have come to the realization that Microsoft is not needed in the office anymore. Not for every worker anyway. Sure, a few advanced workers will probably need Office, but most workers can use Google apps and make it just fine.

Funny thing is - they are not saving much by moving to Google Apps (compared to say Office 365).

[Torolol]

i also drop my MS office usages in favor of kingsoft office, that is until MS successfully accquire kingsoft in the future.

[Argi]

I think a lot of people have come to the realization that Microsoft is not needed in the office anymore. Not for every worker anyway. Sure, a few advanced workers will probably need Office, but most workers can use Google apps and make it just fine.

Highly doubt that. There's a lot of advantages to having a full Exchange deployment with O365 - Google's yet to match that, to be frank.

[vanx]

I do not think Google Mail and apps are suitable for large enterprises, maybe not even for SMEs. Moving from Exchange to O365 is a more natural fit. However, Google is happy to sell their wares on the cheap, so cost savings drive the decision process.

[pack34]

I do not think Google Mail and apps are suitable for large enterprises, maybe not even for SMEs. Moving from Exchange to O365 is a more natural fit. However, Google is happy to sell their wares on the cheap, so cost savings drive the decision process.

I can see possibly email. You lose some functionality when switching to a browser based option but it works well. However, when working with spreadsheets, presentations and documents in the browser still feels like it's still in the beta stage to me. They just don't feel like they work well to me.