Take That, Microsoft!

I'm a cheapskate at heart, so I'm always happy to hear of new productivity enhancements that are either free or nearly so. Google's new online suite of office applications - Google Aps - made me a happy camper almost immediately.

Google Aps combines a MS Office-type work environment, with word processing, spreadsheet, calendaring, domain-specific email (like margyr@virtualhelper.biz!) and instant messaging and internet telephony via Google Talk. It's free, completely and entirely (unless you'd like the Premiere edition. Then it's a whopping $50 per year). It's also extremely easy to use: if you can figure out Microsoft Word or Excel, you can use Google's Docs & Spreadsheets. It has fewer bells and whistles, but I think it's the perfect product for any small business that needs to land (and stay) on its feet with a minimum of expense and fuss.

I'm particularly fond of the fact that I can store my work online and bring it down from the internet wherever I happen to be (assuming there's an internet connection, of course). Not only that, everything is in one place. I'm writing this on my Google word processor (with spell check and auto save!). When it's ready I'll press a button to publish it to my (Google) blog, where you can all read it. If I need to share my opus with others prior to publishing I can do that, too. Like so many other Web 2.0 applications, it's completely collaborative - and easily so. I can start draft I of my marketing newsletter and other writers can pick up where I left off. If we need to check our budget for the aforementioned project, all I need do is click on the "spreadsheets" part of Google Docs & Spreadsheets and we can all do the same thing.

Like all good internet office productivity suites, Google Aps also comes with a calendaring application and chat. I haven't used these as much, since I've been using other services for these. If they're as good as Docs & Spreadsheets, though, I'd be comfortable recommending them sight unseen.

Before you go running off to download these nifty applications, bear in mind that there are other online office suites out there too. I've recently created an account on Zoho, which includes all of the Google programs plus a rudimentary database, Wiki software (don't worry, I'll be explaining that soon enough), project management software and more. There's also the powerful Open Office with even more fun stuff. And, Open Office is open source, which means that programmers and developers can snatch the source code (i.e., brains) and modify it as necessary for your specific business needs.

These online applications are just too good to pass over. Check them out today!

Google Aps: https://www.google.com/a/
Zoho: http://www.zoho.com/
Open Office: http://www.openoffice.org/