Google Apps vs Microsoft Exchange – The Debate
Google Apps or Microsoft Exchange? This subject would probably be among the very fiercely argued matters today in the Software as a Service (SaaS) field. Right until the late 1990s, Microsoft appeared to be the giant in every niche related to Information Technology. After that others with rival technological innovations are gradually and continuously eating into the market share one time reigned over by Microsoft.
Google has definitely emerged as the true contender to Microsoft and it’s at present providing solutions that are much like Microsoft’s yet at a whole lot more competitive prices. A number of Microsoft product or service users are today making the switch to Google’s products and solutions.
Let us now compare the advantages and disadvantages of two specific products and solutions – Google Apps and Microsoft Exchange. Google Apps is a comprehensive email, productivity and collaboration software meant for enterprises that is finding a foothold within a sector that Microsoft formerly had an iron grip with its branded Exchange Server platform. Even though the Exchange Server even now owns most of the market, Google Apps is quickly getting to be a preferred choice and it’s generating impetus for many industry uses – it appears to operate more intuitively and at a significant lowering of licensing rates.
Google Apps solution has existed for some time now. Google Apps puts together a few products and services into one integrated solution. The following are the products that make up the Google Apps:
1. Calendar – Shared calendaring
2. Gmail – Email
3. Google Sites – A simple and fast method of generating internal websites pertaining to tasks or teams
4. Google Docs – Storage and collaborative editing for documents
Microsoft Exchange is in fact a Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) service. BPOS offers the following products and services:
1. Exchange – Email, calendars, contacts
2. Sharepoint – Document storage and sharing, collaboration
3. Live Meeting – Web conferencing solution
Let us look at just the Exchange part of BPOS for comparing with Microsoft Apps given that Microsoft charges for Exchange, Live Meeting and Sharepoint separately.
Where Google Apps and Microsoft Exchange are equivalent:
1. Email – Both services would be providing very dependable up-time on email services
2. Spam Filtering – Both services offer excellent spam filtering
3. Multiple domain names – You can get several domain names, or aliases, for every account
4. Web interface – Both providers offer a web interface with regard to their email services
5. Archival – Both providers deliver email archival included in the price of the accounts
Where Google Apps and Microsoft Exchange differ:
1. Storage – Google offers 25 GB per user, Microsoft 1 GB per user
2. Cost – Google is $50 for every user annually, Microsoft charges in recurring monthly increments at $10 and that makes it $120 annually
3. Document Collaboration – Google features their Google Docs service, Microsoft offers you this particular service through Sharepoint that costs extra.
4. Desktop email user integration – Exchange is the winner easily here via its Outlook. Google gives IMAP and POP accessibility, but uploading contacts and calendars takes a Google Desktop Sync software which only operates on Windows.
5. Web client – Although both companies give you web interfaces, Google wins here. Google Apps was built from scratch for the Internet browser, and the result speaks for itself. Exchange Outlook Web Access (OWA) has improved though with time.
6. Intranet – Google Apps offers the Sites service, that is much like a very scaled down version of Microsoft Sharepoint.
7. IM/Chat – Google Apps provides this function through the Google Talk application, the option is currently not available with Microsoft even in case you are happy to purchase it.
8. Tasks – Exchange has tasks, Google Apps doesn’t have this.
9. Mobile Phone Integration – Exchange is definitely the very best in this aspect, virtually every individual smart phone across the world comes with Exchange support. Google Apps support is pretty much accessible for many phones including Blackberry and iPhone. Whilst email isn’t a problem for either, should contact/calendar syncing is very important and you don’t work with a Blackberry, then stay away from Google Apps.
10. Video conferencing – This is really a completely new feature offered by Google, yet one that is an important differentiator. Microsoft doesn’t provide it.
11. Support – Microsoft blows away Google on this one. A Microsoft rep can be called round-the-clock with virtually any question whatsoever. With Google, they just provide telephone assistance in case the service is down, they do not assist you apply it in your company. Google does indeed offer excellent online documentation though.
12. Active Directory Integration – Microsoft Exchange is easier to integrate with Active Directory. There are ways to combine Google Apps with Active Directory too, however it needs a few Python scripts.
Microsoft or Google? You can obtain more information at Google Apps Hosted Exchange Comparison. Both of their collaboration and networking solutions have their own advantages and drawbacks as seen above. Although a lot of people could get a secure and comfortable feeling knowing what to anticipate from Microsoft Exchange Server, the more bold may decide on Google Apps. In the end, it will all most likely get down to which system helps save your enterprise the most money whilst rendering the least amount of headaches.
Tags: collaboration software, google apps, google docs, internal websites, technological innovations