Google Apps: workgroup productivity with collaborative documents, video, and site creation
Collaboration overview
Google Apps enable secure, real-time collaboration among workgroups of all sizes. With hosted documents – word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations – web-based video access, and easy site-building tools, Google makes information usable from any browser or smart phone, whenever and wherever users work. SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) services integrate seamlessly with established security and authentication systems. Google Apps bring easy, secure productivity to any work team, without the need to add additional hardware or software.
Google Docs (documents, spreadsheets, and presentations)
Real-time, simultaneous editing Multiple users can work together, editing online files at the same time. Real-time collaboration can be done internally, or, by invitation, with external partners and clients.
No need for file attachments Version control is easy because workers share the same online copy of each doc. All revisions are saved, organized, and recoverable.
Embed Docs on web pages Display documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in Google Sites with just a few clicks. Use the provided HTML code to embed presentations onto a website, existing intranet, or blog.
Present and publish through the web Deliver presentations to remote audiences through an open browser window, and publish documents and spreadsheets as internal web pages for easy employee review.
Easy-to-make surveys and web forms The “forms” feature within Google spreadsheets lets users easily create forms for collecting survey data, simple registrations, or other form-based input. These forms can be published as web pages, embedded in documents, or sent as an email. Form input automatically populates the associated spreadsheet.
Use pre-built, customizable templates Professionally-designed business document templates – business cards, letterhead, employee time sheets and more – are easily accessed and shared in the Google Docs template gallery.
Manage and access files online All Google Docs files (documents, spreadsheets, and presentations) are available and searchable online, letting authorized users access their files from anywhere, even on mobile devices like BlackBerry and iPhone.
Work seamlessly with traditional file formats Import from, export to, and collaboratively edit or publish with .doc, .xls, .csv, .ppt, .txt, .html, .pdf, and other formats.
Google Sites
Build any type of website Create all types of websites: corporate intranet, team, project, departmental, training, wikis, and more. Sites can be shared internally with external users like partners, clients, and vendors.
Embed rich content Display documents, spreadsheets, presentations, videos, web forms, photo slide shows, and gadgets all in one place, with no coding required.
Find information instantly Google search technology is built in, so employees can find business content simply by using the familiar Google search box.
Google Video
Communicate visually Share more information in less time, making company content like trainings and executive communications more personal, visual, and engaging.
Easy, web-based video sharing Google securely hosts and streams your videos – no need to email large files, store videos locally, or purchase a video storage solution.
Everyone can participate Employees can upload or view internal videos without needing any special software – just a standard browser.
Embed videos anywhere Videos can be easily displayed on Google Sites, your existing intranet, or any web page.
Community features Users can rate videos, add comments, and use internal tags to make videos more discoverable for subsequent viewers.
Centralize video management Administrators can view all uploaded content and remove videos if necessary.
Administrator details
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Applications included | Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Docs (word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations), Google Sites, and Google Video. |
| Google Docs and Google Sites Uptime | 99.9% uptime SLA for Premier Edition customers. |
| Administrator control panel | Usage reports, disk space usage, and account provisioning (no preset account limit). |
| Reporting API | View and generate reports (e.g. usage data, user information, and stats) using your own reporting system. |
| Authentication | Google Apps provides a complete and secure user authentication system for all applications. For enhanced security, you can use a SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) service, which allows you to tie your own authentication system to the Google Apps web-based login. |
| SSL | Automatically enforce Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connections when your users access Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Sites. |
| Security | SAS 70 Type II audited. |
| Solutions Marketplace and third party applications and services |
Connect to vendors whose solutions integrate and extend Google's messaging, collaboration, and enterprise search products. |
| Mobile access | Access Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Sites from mobile devices like the BlackBerry and iPhone. |
| Sharing controls | Set policies for user-sharing privileges for Google Docs, Google Sites, and Google Calendar, including limiting the ability to share content outside of your domain. |
| Advertisements | Display of relevant, text-based advertisements is optional and turned off by default. |
| Supported browsers | Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 3, Safari 3.1, and later versions of each. |
