Here at VDC we spend a fair amount of time analyzing how mobility has changed worker behavior. While well deserved stories stack-up about the dominance of Apple's iPhone the conversation fails to veer too far from the hardware or the benefits of the app store.
As I spent the last few days testing Google Wave (a difficult task when you only have 1 contact using the service and he is unwilling to engage because you just beat him in fantasy football) I came to the realization that Google's long term play encompasses so much more than just hardware and it could be key to enterprise dominance.
There are a few key points to consider here:
1. Docs. While Google's productivity suite may not be nearly as fully featured as Office the fact that it lives in the cloud, allows for editing by multiple users, offers some offline capabilities and enables sharing is an important trait. While Docs has not been as tightly woven into Android as it needs to be (clearly because consumers are less concerned about spreadsheets and more about music) the vision for a quick jump icon to access your corporate documents on your device is evident.
2. Wave. I still don't completely understand Wave but for small businesses looking for a small scale collaboration tool, Wave appears an interesting option. Allowing conversations to be followed by multiple people, sharing links, editing previous conversations, etc.are all ways to improve employee communication and collaboration. As with Docs, Wave has yet to be integrated into Android but when it is, it can be assured the experience will be seamless in the mobile environment and an app store could lead to enterprise specific solutions.
3. GMail. Few companies are considering moving their e-mail services to Google but as individuals begin to rely on the service more regularly and seek to cut costs it is possible that companies begin relying on the Google back-end for their e-mail services. This would make accessing e-mail on an Android device simpler - but truthfully integrating e-mail is already quite simple so this is not really a killer application.
4. Storage. Of course, Google also offers cloud based storage which again could easily be integrated into Android for simple one click access to files when out of the office.Prices have recently dropped - now 400GB costs just $100 per year making it potentially more attractive to businesses.
5. Voice. Personalized voicemail features, the purchase of Gizmo5 adding VoIP functionality, find me follow me features allowing for ringing on multiple phones, and integration into Android makes Google Voice an interesting option for companies looking to keep mobile workers connected.
While Windows Mobile becomes more consumer focused and Office 2010 slowly rolling out with a cloud based interface, Microsoft will be challenged to change its business model substantially enough and fast enough and without losing too many desktop Office users to compete with Google's offering in the short term. Apple's MobileMe service has been plagued with problems which have seemingly been ironed out but is clearly a consumer play and all services live behind the subscription wall. Palm's webOS has been much ballyhooed but the company is not in a position to enable cloud based services or integrate them in a seamless way. BlackBerry continues to dominate the enterprise but even RIM does not offer the cloud services needed to compete with Google nor have they indicated they plan to.
Thus, Android is not only competing on devices or apps but on integrated services that none of its competitors are currently offering. Now, Google has quite a bit of work to do to turn these disparate services into a cohesive enterprise play and the availability of devices of all form factors could hurt (by limiting the types of third party solutions available across all devices) or help (because Google will assure users all its G-Servces work on all hardware) the company. Profiles will be imperative to provide quick access to personal and business accounts.
Google is unlikely to consider tight integration until Android gains more traction but as soon as the platform is ascending in popularity it would make sense for Google to position Android as beneficial to the enterprise while better integrating services to prove the case. Not only will Google sell more hardware but it will get more businesses to sign up for its paid services all while creating a system that makes companies more reliant on Google the longer they use its services making Android and Google a force to be reckoned with in the enterprise space.
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