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[08/06/2009]
Email, Calendar, and Contacts (oh my!) - Working in the Cloud
Starting off our series on working in the cloud, I wanted to talk about the three things that are so vital to running a business: Email, Calendar/Schedule, and Contacts.
Without these three, it would be almost impossible to stay on track and keep things moving. When it comes to running these things in the cloud, there are really 2 options: Hosted Exchange or Google Apps Premier edition.
For those looking for the familiar Outlook experience, Hosted Exchange is a good option. You can access your email, calendar, and contacts from the Outlook web interface or via a local install of Outlook on your PC.
The other option, and my personal favorite, is Google Apps Premier. The web interface whips the heck out of Outlook for the web, and you can still tie it into a local install of Outlook.
Both options let you create multiple calendars, share contacts, and do just about anything you would expect to be able to do. Google Apps also has a lot of add-ons you can use to customize your experience, and if you're a programmer and like to get your hands dirty, you can always play with the Outlook/Exchange object model. Personally, I've found the Google Apps add-ons sufficient for just about anything I'm trying to do.
The key differentiators are the web interface, search/sort capability, and pricing. As I already mentioned, Google wins hands down in the web interface. Google also wins in search (one would hope), but Hosted Exchange (Outlook really) wins in sorting. Finally, when it comes down to price, at only $50/user/year Google Apps Premier is the winner (most Hosted Exchange accounts run approx $10/user/mo or $120/user/year). Throw in a maintenance contract to have someone else keep everything running smoothly, and Google Apps is still a great investment.
Conclusion:
- Web Interface: Google Apps
- Search: Google Apps
- Sort: Hosted Exchange/Outlook
- Price: Google Apps
What are you currently using? Do you have any plans on making a change? Any questions? Let us know in the comments.
Note: If you need assistance with your Google Apps or Hosted Exchange implementation, please let us know. We will be happy to help.
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Communication Freedom provides hosted sales and support solutions for small businesses and the mobile sales force. Just some of the products we offer include hosted PBX phone systems, toll free virtual phone systems, real estate hotlines, and a web based contact management system
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