Like Office Only Better

Many of us have come to use Microsoft Office through much of our working day but now that suite has a serious rival. You can now use a package of communications and productivity software aimed at businesses from the internet giant Google.

The package, called Google Apps, combines sets of previously available software bundles. The programs for communication are Gmail for e-mail and Google Talk for instant messaging. You may have already used such programs. One thing you likely have not used is a collaborative calendar that lets your colleagues view your calendar when booking meetings or holidays and you can in turn view their schedule.

Other applications include ones for web page creation and programs to read and edit documents created with Microsoft Word and Excel; or create them entirely within the Google Docs application. Perhaps you are part of a group that collaborates on a spreadsheet and you can see the value of an on-line document that many people can revise or comment upon.

Unlike Microsoft’s products, which reside on PCs and networks, Google’s programs are delivered as services accessible over the Internet, with Google storing the data. That will allow businesses to offload some of the cost of managing computers and productivity software.

So think about what you do at work or on the compute in general and look for work which could be shared by others to make your work more efficient.