Productivity Software in the Cloud PDF

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Productivity Software in the Cloud IT 200 May 9, 2016 Steve Rubin

2 Productivity Software in the Cloud New and innovative technology is being released daily. In our Digital Age, our entire world is heavily reliable to technology. Technology, such as the Cloud, has changed the way our businesses operate and complete daily processes. The Cloud is a group of servers that host and run a multitude of applications for productivity and storage. The Cloud can be a useful tool to help businesses in efficiency when completing every day tasks. When a business is making the decision to switch to the Cloud, it is necessary for them to consider five basic criteria. Comparisons of productivity software in the cloud can be made with the following criteria: usability, security, mobile access, cost, and scalability. Our learning team discussed and compared Office 365 and Google Apps. Office 365 is one of the most popular productivity software in the cloud. Many people grew up using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; therefore it often does not need to be taught to your employees, saving you time and money. The usability ranking of Office 365 is pretty high. While training may be necessary for more advanced functions, most people can easily maneuver its applications to create basic documents. Office 365 is one of the most secure cloud based products out there. Office 365 offers several security features to keep your data and information private. Not only do they offer encryption for data security, they also monitor their datacenters 24/7 for the utmost physical security. Office 365 has applications available for Smartphones making documents and files readily available anywhere you are. Office 365 can get costly, depending on how large your business is and how much storage you need. They do, however, offer a monthly payment subscription that makes the product more affordable. Office 365 does a great job at supplementing the growth of businesses. It offers multiple subscriptions based on your specific business needs.

3 Google Apps is another option for productivity software in the cloud. Google Apps is not as complex as Office 365, but it is a cheaper alternative for businesses that do not necessarily need all of the elaborate settings and functions. Google Apps is extremely user friendly. Since the majority of the younger generation uses Google as its email host, using Google Apps is very easy for them to transition to. Google Apps offers basic security, but also has the option of heightened security in compliance with HIPPA. One downfall of Google Apps is that they scan your emails and files to provide you with relevant ads. Unlike Office 365, Google Apps is accessed only through the Internet. Although, it has mobile applications, Google Docs and its other applications cannot be downloaded to your PC or laptop for offline use. Google Apps is fairly cost efficient. It only cost $5/per month per user. Google Apps supports business growth by offering an unlimited data storage package. However, Google Apps is not scalable in the sense that they do not have all of the features in Docs, Sheets, and Slides, which a larger, more complex business could need. Google Apps and Microsoft Office 365 could both be good options for your business when choosing cloud based productivity software. Grasshopper (2015) did a side-by-side comparison of the two. Grasshopper sums up Google Apps by saying, “Google Apps is great for small businesses that need its products to do basic work but don’t need a full desktop version of the software.” They go on the compare Office 365 by saying, “If you need to be using large spreadsheets or other complex files, though, [Office 365] is by far the best choice out there.” Google Apps is generally used for small businesses that just need the basics and Office 365 offers applications for more complex work, that a larger business might need.

Reference

4 Grasshopper. (2015). Google Apps vs. Office 365. Retrieved from http://grasshopper.com/resources/tools/google-apps-vs-microsoft-office-365/...