Web Hosted Office Suites
Web Hosted Office Suites
Most people by now are familiar with hosting for their web sites, but some people are not so familiar with web hosted office suites. The concept is relatively new, and there are very few options for people interested in them. In this article, I will discuss some of the companies who provide some type of web hosted office suite package.
Introduction
When I talk about a web hosted office suite, I am specifically talking about various software applications which are traditionally used on a single computer and are stored on that computer’s hard drive. Some examples of this would be Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and so on. Some companies are now providing these types of applications via the Internet. This type of service has its good points and bad points. I will discuss the positives and the negatives later on. It is fair to say, though, that this type of service will be more beneficial to some and not to others.
These types of web hosted services are referred to as software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. Many small businesses are finding them more useful and cost-effective than the traditional Microsoft Office software which stays on a single PC’s hard drive. The SaaS applications may be used on any computer, from anywhere in the world, which is one huge advantage of web hosted office suites.
Some of the web companies which have already entered the field of providing these web hosted applications are Google, Cisco Systems, Zoho, and Zimbra. At this point, the big two are Google with their Google Apps suite, and Cisco with their WebEx WebOffice suite. I want to take an inside look at what Google Apps and WebEx offer their customers.
While SaaS companies’ customers consist of mostly businesses, interested users can increasingly be found in every demographic. I would like to find out whether or not these web hosted office suites are a fad, or the software replacement for the next generation. One thing is for sure, Microsoft needs to jump on board soon, or else they may start to lose some of their software applications market share.
Web Hosted Office Suites – Google Apps Suite
Google Apps have been around since the end of 2006, and Google has expanded their services to meet the needs of small to large companies. Google Apps is not meant to replace Microsoft Office, but in many cases it does. Many companies are finding Google Apps to be much more cost-effective than Microsoft’s Office software. Microsoft does not currently offer their Office software through a web hosted application, but this may change in the future. Google Apps is becoming an attractive incentive for web hosts to offer to their customers.
Google Apps consists of a variety of applications including: Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Page Creator. Google offers three different editions of Google Apps including their Standard Edition, Premier Edition and Education Edition. Their Standard and Education Editions are completely free to use, and their Premier Edition currently costs $50 per person, per year. The Premier Edition offers 10 GB of email storage per account, no ads next to the email, and various APIs to integrate with an existing infrastructure. There is a host of other features as well, but you get the picture.
Some businesses are finding that a service such as Google Apps is a much more cost effective solution than having to install Microsoft Office into every computer in the office at a cost of a few hundred dollars per computer. One of the companies which have made the switch to Google Apps is Impelsys Inc, a global publishing company. The chief operating officer of Impelsys is Nizar Jamal, and he notes that “As a global company that specializes in the delivery of electronic content and publishing services, rapid and efficient communication within our company and with our customers is critical to us. Google Apps offers us the flexibility of communicating quickly and collaborating easily amongst our teams and with our customers — regardless of location.”
The software works well, and the price is certainly right. “In addition,” Jamal continues, ”Google Apps offers Impelsys a total cost of ownership that is very compelling compared to the cost of owning the software licenses, hardware and the support people involved in maintaining that software and hardware. For us, Google Apps is the right solution at the right price.”
Web Hosted Office Suites – WebEx: web hosted business solution
WebEx is a lot like Google Apps, but I think it offers more services for the price. There are many different options for the business owner or individual. Some may only want to take advantage of WebEx’s remote support, where you may access your computer’s desktop from any computer in the world, via the Internet. This service is currently being offered for as little as $9.95 per month. WebEx also offers a full suite of applications, much like the Google Apps Premier Edition, with a cost which is dependent upon the size of the business.
A new feature of WebEx is their pay-per-use feature. For those people who will occasionally need to host a meeting via the Internet, they have the option to due so on a per-minute basis. The current cost of this service is $0.33 per minute per participant, and this requires no contract or monthly charges.
WebEx is currently the leader in online meeting applications with a 64% market share. It’s easy to see the benefit of an online meeting application when you consider the amount of costs which are saved through online meetings rather than meeting in person. One of the major cost-saving benefits is on travel expenses for global companies who meet with clients from around the world.
With over 3.5 million people using WebEx’s services every month, it is easy to see that they are not just a fad. This is an established company which has been around since 1996, and I believe they will continue to grow. WebEx claims that their services are 100% safe and secure to use over the Internet. They say that online meetings and remote computer access is totally private, and that it is as safe as using your computer at home with traditional software.
There are some distinct advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of web hosted office suites by businesses or individuals. For some small businesses, web hosted office suites allow them to conduct business with anyone in the world through web conferencing. These small businesses are able to grow like never before with the help of these web hosted services. The main worry for other people is the issue of privacy and security, which is a valid concern with personal business being conducted over the Internet.
To highlight this concern for privacy, security on the Internet has never been a bigger issue with identity theft being at an all-time high. Many people believe that operating a computer remotely will leave critical information at risk for identity theft or other cyber crimes. I think this is the number one worry for businesses who have chosen not to jump on board the web hosted office suite bandwagon. From my research, though, it seems that those who have used Google Apps or WebEx have been happy with the service, as well as the safety of their critical information while using these services.
All of the web hosted office suite companies that I have looked at have some sort of security in place to protect all of your personal information. These companies realize that security is the number one concern of their potential customers, so they take it very seriously. To be honest, if security of a company’s vital information was really at risk, these web hosted office suites would not be as successful as they are. Obviously, they have made privacy a top priority, so that their customers will feel comfortable with their services. An example of this would be WebEx, who gives users who use their remote access feature the ability to specify which applications will be usable remotely, and which ones will not be remotely accessible.
I think that those people who get past the privacy issues of these web hosted applications really see the benefits of using these types of applications rather than traditional software. With the number of small businesses in the world today always looking for a cost-effective alternative, web hosted office suites offer them exactly what they need. Why would they want to pay hundreds of dollars for software to install on their computers, when they can get the same capabilities from a web hosted office suite without the high cost?
Even looking beyond the cost issues, there are other benefits. One very nice benefit of an application like WebEx is the fact that there are no software upgrades which need to be purchased and installed in the future. This makes it very easy to have the most up-to-date application without ever having to actually upload it to your computer. The bottom line is that the web hosted office suites are cheaper and much easier to keep up-to-date than traditional software; the only drawback is the potential privacy issues.
For web hosting resellers, these kind of applications could be a potential incentive to their business and e-commerce customers. To be able to offer a full suite of business applications to your customers would be a huge advantage. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some web hosting companies start to offer online office suites to their business customers. If you couple this with nice business website templates, you can offer your customer everything they need to get their business up and running.
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