Google® Business Solutions All-in-One For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Getting Started with Google Apps

In This Chapter

• Deciding if Google Apps works for your business

• Putting together the right package of applications

• Getting the help you need to make Google Apps work for you

Choosing the software you use for your business requires more than just selecting the easiest or the cheapest solution. You have to take into account whether the tools will actually work for you and whether your employees will be able (or willing) to use them effectively. Fortunately, Google Apps provides a formidable suite of applications that can meet your needs at a relatively low cost (maybe even for free). This chapter helps you outline your needs and determine whether Google Apps will meet them.

What Are Google Apps?

Google Apps provides the tools you need to manage your business documentation, communication, and scheduling online, and it does so in the framework of your own Web site. You don't have to worry about changing any Web sites or services you already have in place — Google Apps integrates with your domain to provide some excellent services, including e-mail, calendars, document creation and editing, and more. It's like adding a robust intranet to your Web site with little effort (and, depending on the size of your operation, little cost).

Google Apps comes in two different packages:

• Google Apps Standard: This package provides the basic level of all of these services, but you're limited in the amount and type of support you can receive from Google, and you're ...