Four Ways to decide if Google Apps is a Great Choice for Your Business

Google’s suite of business services is available to large and small businesses for a fee. The free service for businesses of 50 employees and under changed to a fee system in 2012. Even with its low cost, you might be wondering if Google Apps is right for your business. Four popular ways to get answers are easily available and require little time to learn enough to make an educated decision.

1. Watch a webinar

Google has consistently provided updated information for policies, changes, and services such as Adwords and Tools. Looking for answers regarding ways that Google Apps can help or hinder your business is not convenient in a Google Search. As a virtual file cabinet, the Internet provides tens of thousands of links to videos, documents, articles, and blogs regarding this topic.

Watch a webinar to learn about important updates on security and privacy matters. Google hosts a monthly webinar and archives it for later access. Make notes of any questions and search for answers by visiting the FAQs. Update webinars cover pending changes so App users can prepare for the change before it happens. Search online information listings from technical schools and businesses to locate relatively unbiased webinars about the upside and downside of Google Apps and its effect on your business.

2. Take a training class

Are you a hands-on learner? Colleges, tech schools, and Google itself provide training classes to help business professionals understand how to maximize the features of Google Apps. Knowing why a change or upgrade is made and understanding how to work with it to get the desired results helps you explain it to staff and employees.

Avoid letting a fix through a wrench into your operations! Know it’s on the way by taking advantage of classroom environments tailored for the working world. Evening updates, weekend seminars, and full certification specialties are just some of the options that will help you determine whether Google Apps is a match with your business.

3. Attend a Meetup

The virtual network hangout or email thread is not always a convenient way to share information. If you prefer organized meetings with specific agendas, select a tangible territory with Meetup. The actual number of attendees and size of the facility where the meeting will be held depend on several factors. More populated areas might attract four hundred or more interested parties to a Meetup about Google Apps and its relationship to businesses.

The advantage of this type of meeting is that it can have one overall focus and divide the topics that fall under that umbrella into several separate meetings. Speakers use their expertise to address concerns about the effectiveness of areas within the program for any size business. It is also an ideal way to talk with others about their experiences and use of the program.

4. Ask Vendors and business partners

It is an intriguing experience to discuss Google Apps with business partners because computer expertise and preferences are individualized. You will get a variety of opinions about how spam is determined in an email account to sharing documents in the cloud. Vendors normally push the product they are selling, leading to a bias towards whatever software it is. An experienced vendor has all the armor needed to explain why it may or may not be compatible with your business needs.

Decide if Google Apps is right for your business by making a list of applications that keep the company running smoothly, such as calendars, email accounts, documents, and spreadsheets. Note ways communication could be easier, such as a company Hangout and access anywhere the Internet is available. Then make a decision from what you learned at any of the above options.