Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Gmail vs. Exchange – Will Cloud Services Cut Costs?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
Contact Switchfast for a free quote to migrate to a hosted e-mail
solution!
While larger corporations have relied on Microsoft products as
their go-to infrastructure, they are beginning to consider other
options to cut costs. One of these possible routes is moving an
in-house e-mail structure to a cloud location, specifically the
system that is being used and adopted by many consumers and small
businesses: Gmail.
Now that Google has a strong presence in the consumer industry,
their focus is the enterprise industry, which includes small
businesses and large companies with thousands of employees. Either
way, how can you be sure that the movement from a self-monitored
infrastructure to an online business tool can cut costs?
In a lengthy article over at computerworld.com,
there are many factors a company should consider before exiting
Exchange. Let's go over some important issues for SMBs to think
about:
On-premise vs. Off-premise. As the
article points out, "moving to the cloud, generally speaking,
relieves IT of the responsibility of maintaining and operating an
e-mail infrastructure, as well as allow developers to roll out new
features as soon as they're ready." However, if you are heavily
rooted in an on-premise Exchange environment, the cost of
transferring may not cover the intended savings. Also, in a small
business environment, is it important to have immediate assistance
to a down e-mail system? Both Microsoft and Google claim a 99.9%
Guaranteed uptime, but you sacrifice control with off-premise.
Re-education. Some businesses have attempted to
switch over to Google Apps, only to find out that users were not
satisfied one way or another. Quoting a CIO at Chicago State
University, "it's a huge effort to ask people to learn something
different - even if it's for a better price point." In the end,
this is where the plan to cut costs can turn into an investment
nightmare.
Interface. If you juggle an Exchange account
for work and Google account for personal information, you'll know
the interfaces are quite unique. While Exchange is specifically
garnered for the "sophisticated" enterprise individual, Google Apps
has been advancing to support a more enterprise-friendly
experience. One of the noted Business Google Apps that users felt
lacked was the group calendaring, although Google disputes it.
Nonetheless, is your Exchange set up to provide maximum efficiency
from individuals as well as groups? (Google Wave is an example of
combining interface with a designed purpose - group
collaboration.)
Components. What exact pieces do you need to
run your business? Exchange offers e-mail, contacts, calendar, and
instant messaging, while adding services like SharePoint, Office
Live, and Office Online at extra costs. Google provides Gmail for
Business, Google Docs, Calendar, Groups, Sites and Video, and
several chat and instant messaging tools. The platform may be
important, but it's the tools that inevitably make you more or less
efficient every day, and these needs will vary among small
businesses.
Before you jump ship for what seems like a "cheaper" solution,
make sure to evaluate your current infrastructure and educate
yourself with the off-premise service. It may be a costly process
if you don't understand your company's present and future
needs.
Until next time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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