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The firm behind the world’s biggest search engine is looking to sign up reseller partners in the UK to sell Google Apps – a cloud-based set of office software which it claims over a million users worldwide are already using, with 3,000 new accounts created each day.
The Google Apps Authorised Reseller Program is now available in the UK, and offers 20 per cent of the software’s revenue to resellers, with the flexibility to bundle the license fees with additional services.
The online-based software has been touted as a direct rival to Microsoft Office since the former’s inception, and Google claims UK resellers need to embrace the new alternatives to box product software such as this in order to keep up with customer demand.
“Cloud computing is not a ‘future technology’. It is here. It is happening. Already over one million businesses use Google Apps and we are seeing demand accelerate with over 3,000 new businesses signing up daily,” Peter Lorant, head of enterprise channels at Google EMEA, told PC Retail.
“This is a new paradigm for the market – it is important that partners embrace this new approach rather than relying on legacy models. For example, we issued over 100 major features in Google Apps last year – partners need to be on top of this and act as the ‘innovation integrator’ for their customers.”
While not dismissing box product software out of hand, Google is unsurprisingly evangelical about the benefits cloud-based alternatives provide for users.
“Traditional desktop software clearly has its place in corporate IT environments but the introduction of cloud computing provides customers with choice,” continued Lorant.
“Being able to access your information from wherever you might be, from any device with an internet connection, brings a mobility and flexibility to organisations large and small. Innovation and collaboration is achieved in a way that is easier, quicker and more cost effective.”
