It took on Lotus and Wordperfect with Excel and Word and we know how that ended.

It’s made inroads into the server operating system market.

It is having a good go at Oracle and IBM in the database market.

It is an increasingly serious player in the the ERP/CRM market.

With Microsoft Case study, do we really think Google will remain just a media company?

It took on Lotus and Wordperfect with Excel and Word and we know how that ended.

It’s made inroads into the server operating system market.

It is having a good go at Oracle and IBM in the database market.

It is an increasingly serious player in the the ERP/CRM market.

With Microsoft Case study, do we really think Google will remain just a media company?

Google takes an edge in approach, winning over departments first, essentially forcing the hand of IT.

Google is not just a media company, and to underestimate their designs on the enterprise is a dangerous position.

To be continued at Collaborate 08, I hope you’ll be there . . .

Google takes an edge in approach, winning over departments first, essentially forcing the hand of IT.

Google is not just a media company, and to underestimate their designs on the enterprise is a dangerous position.

To be continued at Collaborate 08, I hope you’ll be there . . .

Great conversation!

Storing data off premise is a non factor nowadays. CPA’s and SMB accountants for the most part get the principal of off premise and either do or will in the future us an On Demand ERP solution.

But the trust factor (in terms of Company reputation for that particular product or solution) is key in the SMB Enterprise ERP market.

Oracle, SAP, SAGE, ACCPAC etc are dominant in Enterprise software because they have spent years in the trenches building up ERP solutions and reputation.
Trust factor is what I consider important in terms of building mindshare amongst accountants or CPA’s.

Perfect example of how difficult it is to break the SMB Enterprise ERP market is Microsoft. We would both agree that Microsoft has a warm and fuzzy name and a recognizable brand just like Google right? Well Microsoft has been trying for years to get a significant foothold in the SMB ERP market with its various solutions like Greatplains et al. It is just recently (the last year or so) that they have had success in getting adoption of Microsoft Dynamics and seem to have after many years of trying..figured the SMB ERP market out.

Google would be up agaisnt the same learning – adoption – trust curve and wont (if they even enter the market) just dominate on day one due to their name.

Great conversation!

Storing data off premise is a non factor nowadays. CPA’s and SMB accountants for the most part get the principal of off premise and either do or will in the future us an On Demand ERP solution.

But the trust factor (in terms of Company reputation for that particular product or solution) is key in the SMB Enterprise ERP market.

Oracle, SAP, SAGE, ACCPAC etc are dominant in Enterprise software because they have spent years in the trenches building up ERP solutions and reputation.
Trust factor is what I consider important in terms of building mindshare amongst accountants or CPA’s.

Perfect example of how difficult it is to break the SMB Enterprise ERP market is Microsoft. We would both agree that Microsoft has a warm and fuzzy name and a recognizable brand just like Google right? Well Microsoft has been trying for years to get a significant foothold in the SMB ERP market with its various solutions like Greatplains et al. It is just recently (the last year or so) that they have had success in getting adoption of Microsoft Dynamics and seem to have after many years of trying..figured the SMB ERP market out.

Google would be up agaisnt the same learning – adoption – trust curve and wont (if they even enter the market) just dominate on day one due to their name.

Sure SMB is crowded, but to say that NetSuite and SAP BBD have “formidable mindshare” is a bit of a stretch. BBD has been selling for less than a year, and NetSuite isn’t a juggernaut. That market is wide open, just the kind of market that would coalesce around a warm and fuzzy name like Google.

As for accountants, wait a few years. As more Gen Y workers enter the workplace, storing data off premise won’t be such a big deal. Oh yeah, and Google’s brand won’t hurt either.

Sure SMB is crowded, but to say that NetSuite and SAP BBD have “formidable mindshare” is a bit of a stretch. BBD has been selling for less than a year, and NetSuite isn’t a juggernaut. That market is wide open, just the kind of market that would coalesce around a warm and fuzzy name like Google.

As for accountants, wait a few years. As more Gen Y workers enter the workplace, storing data off premise won’t be such a big deal. Oh yeah, and Google’s brand won’t hurt either.

-Meg

-Meg

I agree with you on Google. They are first and foremost a media company and they have at this point (with the recession, slow down in advertising revenue, possible upcoming competition with Microsoft/Yahoo and a decreasing stock price) other fish to fry:)

Also On Demand ERP for SMB is a very competitive landscape with the likes of NetSuite, the upcoming SAP Business ByDesign and many other firms with a formidable mindshare and headstart.

Finally most accountants are very careful about where they place their financial data. Brands like Intuit, Peachtree, Netsuite etc have spent years building up trust and even though Google is well known would be an unknown entity as far as accountants are concerned.

I agree with you on Google. They are first and foremost a media company and they have at this point (with the recession, slow down in advertising revenue, possible upcoming competition with Microsoft/Yahoo and a decreasing stock price) other fish to fry:)

Also On Demand ERP for SMB is a very competitive landscape with the likes of NetSuite, the upcoming SAP Business ByDesign and many other firms with a formidable mindshare and headstart.

Finally most accountants are very careful about where they place their financial data. Brands like Intuit, Peachtree, Netsuite etc have spent years building up trust and even though Google is well known would be an unknown entity as far as accountants are concerned.

Plus, I doubt they’ll provide much in the way of integration with other apps. With standards yes, but not with other-branded apps.

I also wouldn’t expect a fast uptake, but they’ll creep along, like with Google Apps, improving the product and support, until they’re all over the place. Their target market will be Quick Books and Quicken customers, and customers who have jumped on line to Freshbooks.

You mention search integration in mail, and this is a point that cannot be underestimated. The ability to find and combine/federate results across apps is the Holy Grail of the enterprise, and this will be the killer feature that puts Google over the top.

Plus, I doubt they’ll provide much in the way of integration with other apps. With standards yes, but not with other-branded apps.

I also wouldn’t expect a fast uptake, but they’ll creep along, like with Google Apps, improving the product and support, until they’re all over the place. Their target market will be Quick Books and Quicken customers, and customers who have jumped on line to Freshbooks.

You mention search integration in mail, and this is a point that cannot be underestimated. The ability to find and combine/federate results across apps is the Holy Grail of the enterprise, and this will be the killer feature that puts Google over the top.