Official Blog
Built in the cloud. Engineered for your enterprise.
Not your father's hosted email solution
Monday, August 3, 2009
Editor's Note:
We're pleased to welcome guest blogger Allen Falcon, CEO and owner of
Horizon Info Services, LLC
, a Google partner that helps businesses make a fast and easy transition to Google Apps. Horizon's goal is to provide businesses with 1 to 500 employees with best-in-class solutions that are typically only within reach of larger corporations – all at a price they can afford. Horizon Info Services is a Google Enterprise Partner and Authorized Reseller for Google Apps and Google Postini Services.
In addition to Google's communication, collaboration, and security services, Horizon offers a line of online backup and disaster recovery services. Allen is a 20 year information services veteran with CIO level experience for major corporations as well as small and mid-size businesses. Horizon will host a
live webcast on Migrating from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps
.
Join us
Tuesday, August 11 at 12:00 pm PDT / 3:00 pm EDT.
When staying trim makes all the difference
My friend Jeff Lerman of Cold Spring Design – specialists in website design, hosting, and maintenance – was rebuilding the websites for Massachusetts-based Fitness Management Services (FMS) and its two health club properties, Worcester Fitness and Plymouth Fitness. While he was working on the website redesigns, he noticed that the company was struggling with its email service and needed a better solution.
Among other things, the small company was tired of spam and problems with outbound mail flow. Employees also wanted to share calendars, schedule resources, and publish fitness schedules on its website without having to buy more software.
Jeff reviewed our
presentation comparing Google Apps with an in-house Microsoft Exchange
solution and did the math
. Setting up an in-house email system was never going to happen: hardware, software, networking, security, administration, and backups would be too much for a company that must keep its overhead trim. Jeff and Fitness Management Services (FMS) knew right away that a hosted solution was the way to go.
A serious contender in hosted solutions
A hosted solution would provide a fully managed service and infrastructure, simple pricing, no specialized hardware or software to maintain, and no need to add storage capacity or manage complex backups. After reviewing multiple options, they came to a clear decision: Google Apps
was the best choice given the capacity, features, and low cost
. Other providers offered a mere 4GB of storage space, while Google Apps offered 25GB. And we liked the other features. Google Apps provided integrated instant messaging, VoIP and video, as well as tools for web-based collaboration as part of the package.
The list went on and on – with the pluses in terms of features, capacity, and cost as well as scalability and easy integration all weighing in on the Google Apps side of the balance sheet. We evaluated the feature enhancements and savings potential and shared it with the FMS team.
When Jeff called about Google Apps Premier Edition and put us in touch with Joe Santa Maria, VP of Business Development for FMS, the fit was obvious. By helping FMS implement Google Apps, we could provide them with , hosted email for their staff for
about
half the cost of other hosted email providers.
We could also provide BlackBerry and iPhone integration and email synchronization for those
users
with mobile devices –
at no additional cost
. And we could help migrate data and provide training for users with a wide range of computer skills. We presented our
comparison between Google Apps and hosted Microsoft Exchange
services and the decision was clear.
With Google Apps, Email is Only the Beginning
Bundling service and support with Google Apps is our passion. It was in our planning assessment, however, that we found a gem. Jeff and Joe mentioned that they were looking for a better way to publish multiple fitness, activity, and program schedules to the company's sites. Joe wanted his staff to be able to update schedules on the fly without having to invest in a scheduling system for the website.
We conducted a quick demonstration of Google Calendar, and the ability to embed documents and content using iframes and publish everything by RSS feed, and the solution for scheduling was set – at no additional cost.
We planned a full-press rollout. Key to our success would be helping users migrate past emails and helping them pick their email client. Given the in-and-out scheduling of staff across three locations, Horizon made multiple on-site visits for demonstrations, training, and when needed, one-on-one coaching. Users picked their preferred client – the Gmail web interface, Outlook, or Thunderbird.
Horizon’s team provided specific instructions and assistance for migrating historical emails as well as using each client with Gmail. While only 20% of the users had personal experience with Gmail, over 2/3 chose the Gmail web interface, taking advantage of the improved search, integrated chat, and robust calendar features. But Google Apps gave users the flexibility to continue with their established inbox system if that is what they wanted. Giving users a choice of email clients smoothed the transition by minimizing change.
Adding Value to Clients' Businesses
Today, the teams at FMS and the fitness centers use email without worries – and with virtually no spam. They rave about the personal, group, and event calendar services and love how emails, calendars and contacts are integrated and synchronized with their iPhones.
We've found that Google Apps Premier Edition is a wonderful way to add value to our clients' businesses. Its flexibility and feature set allows resellers to provide more than just implementation and support – instead, we can dig deeper into the rich feature set of Google Apps to uncover solutions that make noticeable and measurable improvements in the way our clients do business.
If you'd like to learn more, join
us on our
live webcast:
Migrating from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps
.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
12:00 pm PDT / 3:00 pm EDT
You can also contact
Horizon via our
Google Apps-powered website
or
email me
directly.
– Allen Falcon, CEO and owner,
Horizon Info Services
Posted by Serena Satyasai, Google Apps Team
Interested in switching from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps? Please visit
this resource site
to find more customer stories like this one.
Labels
#innovationupgrade
#InspireGirls
#moregoogleapps
#SysAdminDay
#tbt
#throwbackthursday
#top10trust
100% web
50states
ad contest
add-ons
admin
Admin console
admin sdk
AirPlay
Android
Android for Work
Android for Work Live
Android Marshmellow
Android Nougat
Android security
Android security tips
Apps Adventures
apps script
apptuesday
Armed Forces Day
Asia Pacific
Atmosphere Live
Audi
Audi Connect
audit
Australia
big data
Big Query
bigquery
Boston
browser
Chomebox for Meetings
Chrome
Chrome Device Management
Chrome digital signage
Chrome for Business
Chrome for Work
Chrome Frame
Chrome OS
Chromebit
Chromebooks
Chromebooks for Business
Chromebooks for Education
Chromebooks for Work
Chromebox for digital signage
Chromebox for meetings
Chromebox for signage
Chromeboxes
Chromecast
City 24/7
Classroom
Clearing Kosovo
Cloud
cloud computing
cloud computing gonegoogle
cloud computing gonegoogle Google Apps
cloud computing gonegoogle Google Apps google docs small business success story
cloud computing gonegoogle Google Apps google docs small business success story switch
cloud datastore
cloud platform
Cloud Platform Live
cloud print
cloud series
cloud services
cloud sql
collaboration
Colorado
Connectors
contacts
Control Panel
customer
customer love
Customer story
Customer support
Customer testimonial
data centers
data processing amendment
data protection
Developer
developers
Digital Learning Day
Docs
documents
DPA
Drawings
Drive for Education
drive sharing
Earth
earth and maps
EC
education
Education on Air
EMC
EMM
Energy
enterprise
EU
events
FedEx
Fedex.com
Finance
Firebase
Forms
franchises
GAFE
Gartner
GE
geo
Global Partner Summit
gmail
Gone Google
gonegoogle
Google AdWords
Google App Engine
Google Apps
Google Apps Blog
Google Apps for Business
Google Apps for Education
Google Apps for Government
Google Apps for Work
Google Apps Marketplace
Google Apps Reseller
Google Apps Script
Google Apps Vault
Google BigQuery
Google Calendar
Google Calendar app
Google Certified Teachers
Google Chrome
Google Chromebases
Google Classroom
Google Cloud Datastore
Google Cloud DNS
Google Cloud Platform
google cloud storage
Google Cloud Vision API
google commerce search
Google Compute Engine
Google Doc
Google Docs
Google Domains
Google Draw
Google Drive
Google Drive for Work
Google Earth
Google Earth Engine
Google Earth Enterprise
Google Earth Images
Google Earth Pro
Google Email Security and Archiving
Google Enterprise
Google Enterprise Search
Google Expeditions
Google for Education
Google for Education Partner Program
Google for Education Training Center
Google for Entrepreneurs
Google for Work
Google for Work and Google for Education Partner Program
Google for Work partner program
Google Forms
Google Green
google groups
Google Hangout
Google Hangouts
Google I/O
Google Keep
Google Maps
Google Maps API
Google Maps APIs
Google Maps Coordinate
Google Maps Engine
Google Maps Engine Pro
Google Maps Engine public data program
Google Maps for Business
Google Maps for Work
Google Maps Gallery
Google Maps Tracks API
Google Message Continuity
google message security
Google Mobile Device Management
Google My Maps
Google My Maps Pro
Google Places API
Google Play
google play for education
Google Prediction API
Google Research tool
Google Science Fair
Google Search Appliance
Google Security Key
Google Sheets
Google Site Search
google sites
Google Slides API
Google Smart Lock
Google spreadsheets
Google Springboard
google storage
Google Storage for Developers
Google Translate
Google Vault
Google Video
Google Wave
google+
Google+ api
Google+ Communities
googlenew
government
GSA
GSA 7.0
GSA for Commerce
guest post
HALO Trust
Hangout on Air
Hangouts on Air
HEAT
hints and tips
HIPAA
Inbox
Inbox by Gmail
innovation
international trade
Internet Explorer
intranet
io2011
iOS
iPad
IT
K-12
Kubernetes
large business
MAM
manufacturing
Mapping a better world
marketplace
marketplace highlights
mashups
MCCs
MDM
medium business
migration
mobile
mobile management
model contract clauses
moms
Mother's Day
mpstaffpick
MyHEAT
NAVMAN
new features
news
Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition
non-profit
noteworthy
offline
OpenID Connect
Parters
partner
Partner Showcase
partners
Place Summaries
Postini
privacy
product ideas
productivity
Quickoffice
Receptionist's Day
reports
Reseller
retail
RSA
Safer Internet Day
SBW2013
SBW2014
sbweek
SCCs
Search
Security
Security Key
small business
Small Business Week
Small businesses
SMB
spam and security trends
Startups
success story
support
switch
System Admin
T Dispatch
Teamwork 2015
Thanksgiving
Transport and Logistics
Trust
UK
university
University of Calgary
Updates
utilities
Veteran Owned Businesses
Veterans Day
Veterans Day 2013
Veterans Day 2014
viewpoint
VNX
wallet
webinar
webmaster
Winter
women in tech
Women's History Month
Work Resolutions
World Bank
Archive
2016
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2014
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2013
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2012
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2011
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2010
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2009
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2008
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2007
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2006
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
Feed
Google
on
Follow @gsuite
Useful Links
G Suite
Gmail
Hangouts
Calendar
Google+
Google Drive
Google Maps
Google Cloud Platform