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Is Cloud Connect Enough?

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Let’s face it.  While Google Docs offers decent web-based office productivity tools, you and some of your users need or want to keep the interface and features of MS Office.  The good news is that you can integrate MS Office and Google Docs to create a collaborative file service.  Google Cloud Connect, a free utility with Google Apps, is one such integration tool.  But, is it enough?

In our assessment, Cloud Connect provides basic integration, but lacks features that will give your users the full power of Google Docs as a collaboration platform.  Here is what we find lacking:

  • Automation Overdrive:  On installation, all MS Office documents will be added to Google Docs with automatic synchronization.  It is too easy to end up synchronizing files that you do not want or need to be in the cloud.
  • No Format Options:  Cloud Connect always uploads files in native MS Office formats, utilizing valuable space.  Users do not have the option to convert to Google Docs’ formats to take advantage of the unlimited storage.
  • No Collections:  All files are synchronized to your Home folder; you don’t have the option of selecting other locations.
  • Limited Permissions:   Documents inherit the rights of the Home collection, and you can add/change collaborators individually to files.  Since you cannot save files to other collections, you cannot take advantage of the permissions capabilities of Google Docs.
  • Site-Less:  You cannot synchronize files to Google Sites, so you do not have the ability to use all available storage and you cannot take advantage of the version control features in Sites.

Fortunately, you have some options.   Our favorite is OffiSync Premium.  In addition to providing all of the features lacking on Cloud Connect, OffiSync Premium lets you add/remove Google Docs collections and Google Site pages, email collaborators, and embed image and web search results … all from within a toolbar/ribbon in MS Word, Excel, or Powerpoint.  Also, OffiSync Premium gives you co-authoring collaboration across versions of MS Office, including 2003, 2007, and 2010.

Businesses Go from Ground to Cloud in 30 Days

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Nationally recognized cloud solutions provider Horizon Info Services announced a new program for helping small and mid-size business move into cloud computing with less risk and at lower costs. Horizon’s FasTrack Services provide rapid deployment of Google Apps for Business for companies with up to 250 employees, giving companies quick access to the integrated suite of email, calendar, and collaboration tools. Depending on each customer’s needs, Horizon helps customers through setup, migration, and user education, completing deployments in 1 to 5 weeks.

“For businesses with IT staff looking to move to the cloud, we offer the expertise needed for a quick, successful migration,” stated Allen Falcon, CEO of Horizon. “We nearly eliminate the learning curve, transferring knowledge and minimizing risk.”

FasTrack services provide customers with a project kick-off meeting and a customized, best-practice project plan, technical guidance and assistance throughout the project, status calls and updates, and template user communications. Core FasTrack Services are fixed-price, offering savings over most per-user and full service options.

“We also offer a many value add services and technologies,” notes Falcon. “These solutions facilitate data migrations, improve integration between Google Apps and existing technologies, and, most importantly, enhance the end users’ experience using Google Apps”

Businesses can learn more about Horizon’s FasTrack Services at a dedicated web site, http://fastrack.horizoninfoservices.com. Companies that complete the 12 minute assessment will receive a free analysis of their potential migration to Google Apps.

Horizon Info Services Expands Nationally

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Mid-South Office Expands Sales Network

WESTBOROUGH, MA – January 12, 2011 – Horizon Info Services, LLC (“Horizon”) announced today the official opening of the company’s first remote office.  Located near Austin, Texas, Horizon’s Mid-South office expands Horizon’s ability to reach and support small and mid-size businesses nationally.  Carol Gwynn-Adams, a former Google Enterprise Account Executive, will manage the new office.

“Horizon currently services small and mid-size businesses in nearly every state, including Alaska and Hawaii, and in more than half a dozen other countries from England to Australia,” notes Allen Falcon, CEO of Horizon.  “Expansion of our sales team with regional offices is a natural progression and complements our existing sales partner program.”

Initially, the Mid-South office is focusing on sales of Google Apps for Business and Google Postini Services.  The office will start offering other services, including web security and online backup services, later this quarter.

Breitner Transcription Services

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“Horizon’s implementation service was key to our success. We could not have given more than 100 at-home workers a new email service without the planning, training, and migration expertise that Horizon provided, all at a per-user price we could afford”

Owen Breitner, President

The Challenge

How do you provide a reliable email service to a staff of over 100 at-home workers located throughout North America? In-house solutions would demand resources and a secure, costly infrastructure for remote access.  Most hosted services provide support to your IT staff, but not to individual end users. Finding the right solution requires an easy-to-use, secure, hosted system combined with proven, affordable implementation and support services.

The Solution

Google Apps Premier Edition combined with Horizon’s Unlimited Service Package combined the power of Gmail and Google Calendar with individual user attention. Working with each user via web meetings, Horizon’s Operations Team ensured every user was able to log into Google Apps and perform basic email and calendaring functions. Horizon also managed the migration of active emails into each users’ Gmail account.

With Horizon’s help, Breitner was able to provide over 100 remote users with secure, robust email services without increasing IT resources.

Zero Point Zero Production

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Google Apps protects an award-winning brand while providing flawless communications around the globe.

Background

Zero Point Zero Production (ZPZ) is an Emmy winning television production company based in New York City.  Producing shows such as Anthony Bordain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel, ZPZ has staff and freelancers working 7×24 around the globe.

The Challenges

With a string of successful productions, ZPZ was growing and their current email solution was failing to keep up.  Beyond a difficult administration tool and weak user interface, their hosted email service lacked calendaring and shared documents.  It also failed to integrate with other applications.

ZPZ also needed a solution that would help them protect their intellectual property and their brand.  They wanted all communications, even from freelancers, to be sent from and to the corporate domain and to have all emails archived.  Employees and freelancers were regularly using personal email accounts to ‘get around’ their current system.

With the speed of their business, they would also need to be able to deploy new user accounts in less than 12 hours and easily manage active/inactive status.

The Decision

ZPZ did their research and found that:

  • They could deploy a cloud computing email solution for much less than an in-house system
  • Cloud-based email supports global users more easily and at a lower cost
  • Active user accounts can scale up and down as freelancers start and finish projects
  • More than 75% of their employees and freelancers already used Gmail personally and were familiar with its use
  • Google Apps Premier Edition integrated with Postini to provide full email archiving services, even for inactive and deleted accounts

ZPZ turned to Horizon Info Services for help with the setup and migration.

The Results

Following a jointly developed project plan based on Horizon’s best-practices, Horizon created and migrated all existing user accounts, behind the scenes, over a single weekend.  ZPZ email users began work on a Monday morning with the new service, with no complaints about the migration or Gmail service.  Horizon assisted the 25% of users wishing to keep their application-based email client and ensured all mobile devices were fully connected.

Staff and freelancers quickly began using broader functionality, including Google Docs, instant messaging, and calendar scheduling/sharing.  With easy setup, new freelancers have accounts and instructions waiting for them nearly immediately after the contract is signed.  Use of personal email accounts dropped to zero.

Since deployment, the number of users has nearly doubled.  Google Apps has scaled linearly, without any financial bumps for hardware and software.  Up-time has been perfect and ZPZ has integrated Google Apps with other cloud-based solutions.

With Horizon’s deployment expertise and support services, Google Apps has given ZPZ more than a global email service, Google Apps lets ZPZ communicate and collaborate in ways that let them focus on delivering award winning productions instead of IT.

Horizon CEO discusses Google’s Channel with CRN

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Allen Falcon, CEO of Horizon Info Services, is featured in an CRN feature discussing Google’s VAR/Reseller channel strategy.

See the full article here.

Google Docs Gets Several New Features

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Google Docs recently received a round of updates and features.

  • Tables in documents can now be resized
  • Custom entries can now be added to the spell check dictionary for documents
  • The document ruler can now be set to ‘on’ or ‘off’ across sessions
  • Entire drawings can be copied to the web clipboard

These features are part of the on-going enhancement of Google Docs as an integrated office productivity suite.

Click here to learn more.

Last Chance to Register for Google Apps … Live! in NYC on Oct 7th

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Registration for Google Apps — Live! in New York City on October 7, 2010 closes on September 30th.  The event, at in Google’s Chelsea Market offices, gives businesses a unique opportunity to discuss and see demos of Google Apps while networking with other business leaders moving to cloud computing solutions.

“The event is unique,” notes Allen Falcon, CEO of Horizon Info Services, “because it is not just a bunch of talking heads at the front of the room.”  In addition to case studies from IT experts and an Emmy-winning production firm, attendees will have one-to-one access to Google Apps experts.  According to Falcon, “Businesses will get an assessment of their unique needs and get answers to their specific questions.”

Beyond features and capabilities, presentations will discuss deployment issues and other factors businesses should consider before starting their move to cloud-based solutions.  “We want attendees to leave with an understanding of if, when, and how they should move to Google Apps and other cloud computing services,” notes Falcon.

Google Apps … Live! is scheduled for October 7, 2010 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm at Google’s offices in Chelsea Market, NYC.  As seating is limited, advanced registration is required before September 30th.  Full event details and the registration form are available at http://events.horizoninfoservices.com.

Horizon Info Services hosts Google Apps … Live! in NYC

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As part of its on-going event series, Horizon Info Services has opened registration for Google Apps — Live! in New York City on October 7, 2010.  The event, at in Google’s Chelsea Market offices, gives businesses a unique opportunity to discuss and see demos of Google Apps while networking with other business leaders moving to cloud computing solutions.

“The event is unique,” notes Allen Falcon, CEO of Horizon Info Services, “because it is not just a bunch of talking heads at the front of the room.”  In addition to case studies from IT experts and an Emmy-winning production firm, attendees will have 1:1 access to Google Apps experts.  According to Falcon, “Businesses will get an assessment of their unique needs and get answers to their specific questions.”

Beyond features and capabilities, presentations will discuss deployment issues and other factors businesses should consider before starting their move to cloud-based solutions.  “We want attendees to leave with an understanding of if, when, and how they should move to Google Apps and other cloud computing services,” notes Falcon.

Google Apps … Live! is scheduled for October 7, 2010 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm at Google’s offices in Chelsea Market, NYC.  As seating is limited, advanced registration is required before September 30th.  Full event details and the registration form are available at http://events.horizoninfoservices.com.

Is this how your IT department spends its time?

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As reported today in ZDnet, Microsoft’s August Patch Tuesday is the largest ever, with 14 major patches, 8 of which are critical.

Why do you care?

Because if your IT dept is good, they are first going to spend time evaluating your business’ risk and will try to determine if any of these updates will break anything running on your network.  This means time and money that could be better spent on IT activities that improve business efficiency and profitability.

One of the advantages of cloud computing, and Google Apps in particular, is that updates can happen at anytime without disrupting users.  Critical updates can be deployed globally to all customers within hours.

Cloud computing is a more efficient means of managing the infrastructure underlying your applications and your business.