I’ve deployed Windows in every version since 3.0, and I looked at those early Windows through a greyscale monitor on a 286. I’ve used Microsoft Office in every version up to 2010 and hooked an old Neanderthal smartphone up to a hosted Exchange server and tapped my way through my emails with my little stylus.  I’ve installed and configured Windows server back-ends from Windows NT up to 2008r2. I’ve worked in IT rooms that were so full of loud server iron, that it was like being in the engine room of a submarine. I’ve installed or worked on every version of Exchange from version 5.0 up to 2007. I spent thousands of dollars of my own money on Microsoft manuals and certification exams in order to stay up to speed on developments.

And then it all began to change, and for me, it began with Exchange. Exchange 2007 was the last version I deployed, and the last version my own email account was connected to. I’ve been a Google Apps user for two years now, and I’ve also helped transit some of our clients over to Google Apps also.  My personal transition away from a Microsoft-centric working experience started with email, and has continued on through the rest of what I do. I feel like I’m boarding the Google boat and there are just a few bags left on the MS dock.

Google Apps has been offering full-featured email and collaboration services for a while now. An Exchange server can be replaced in a cost-effective fashion, providing shared calendars, spam filtering, message archiving, chat services, access anywhere from a web browser, and almost no mailbox size limits– starting at $50 per mailbox per year. And while you can certainly use Outlook, Apple Mail and iCal to connect to Google, you can use nothing but your web browser if you want and have full functionality. About the only major feature of Exchange not replicated in Google Apps is Public Folders. But then again, Microsoft isn’t providing for that either going forward.

Replacing email servers is one thing, but replacing those desktop applications is another story altogether. Microsoft has held a monopoly on workstation software and business productivity applications for years. The fact is, Windows and Office work well enough for the majority of users out there. They’re easy to use and familiar. A real challenger has to offer a better way of doing something the average user is already doing. And Cloud computing’s Software As A Service  is finally maturing to that point.

Speaking as a heavy Microsoft user, I’ve personally been anchored to Windows and Office, primarily by Visio and Project.  Microsoft Word is still critical for final document drafts and printing, since the offerings on Google Apps just aren’t there yet in terms of refinement and features. But it’s just a matter of time. The recent addition of Smartsheet to our toolkit has now removed our reliance on Microsoft Project except for our very largest initiatives. And we are eagerly awaiting the evolution of Google Drawings to allow us to build the type of schematics we’re creating with Visio.

Microsoft of course has its own Cloud offering, Office 365, and naturally it’s tied into licensing of their existing products. They have a tiered licensing model that’s much more complex than Google’s. But it’s also a much deeper system than Google Apps.  It goes without saying that Google has no legacy revenue streams to drag into the 21st century. Even so, any company can make a migration decision based on what functionality works best for them, but it’s nice to be able to start fresh at a very aggressive price-point.

For further comparison, since Google Apps is platform agnostic, Mac users don’t draw the short straw yet again when it comes to software and collaboration with their Windows brethren. For remote users in a company that’s migrated to Google Apps, all they need is an Internet connection and a web browser, and they will have exactly the same experience as they have sitting in their office. While the individual feature-set of Google Apps isn’t as elegant or robust as Microsoft Office or Office 365, Google Apps is radically simpler in that you get full access to it’s features with just a web browser. This makes it a serious competitor for today’s geographically diverse, small to mid size business.

Regarding remote workers, smartphones deserve a mention. I used a Blackberry for years, but opted for a Droid recently. You probably knew this was coming, but Google Apps on the Droid takes only minutes to configure, and works smoothly. Google Apps functionality includes: Gmail, Calendar and Contact sync, Push support, Google Docs,  Enterprise Admin controls, and 2-way verification for extra security. This feature set is available for almost all platforms, including Windows:  http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/mobile.html

By contrast, Office 365 applications for iPhone and Android are not coming anytime soon. Mobile access is limited unless you’re using Windows Phone, which let’s be honest, almost nobody is.

Handheld prevalence as per end-of-year 2010:

Android #1 – 33.3 milllion

Symbian #2 – 31 million

Apple #3 – 16.2 million

RIM #4 – 14.6 – million

MS #5 – 3.1 million

Source: http://on.mash.to/rG6bfd

As I write this, I have my email, shared documents, and a Project Plan open on my Windows workstation and on my Linux laptop. I use these applications every single day. My documents appear and function identically across these two computers. My email appears and functions identically. The Gannt chart appears and functions identically. On my Droid phone I have read and write access to my calendar, documents, and email. With the exception of Visio and Word, I can be anywhere with an Internet connection, on a borrowed computer running OSX, Linux or Windows and be fully functional. The last of my bags on the dock contain Word and Visio. I can’t leave them behind just yet, but I’m waiting. I want to get going.

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