Google announced, yesterday, Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook.
This new tool allows people who currently use Outlook with an Exchange server to migrate the back-end services onto Google Apps, whilst still leaving the familiar Outlook experience on user desktops.
As a tool to bridge the chasm between the traditional on-premises (or hosted – which is basically the same thing but with more wire in between) email platforms, and the cloud-based services that are either [a] the flavour of the month or [b] the way of the future (depending on your point of view), this could prove very powerful.
Most – but not all – Outlook data is synchronised between Google Apps and the Outlook (2003 or 2007) client, meaning that users will see little difference in terms of their work. But the IT department can turn off that Exchange server.
I see this making significant inroads in SME, particularly as current on-premises Exchange 2003 hardware comes up for renewal and the business is facing a decision between continuing with the ‘old’ Exchange 2003 platform or a relatively expensive and complex migration to Exchange 2007 or 2010. Being able to de-couple Outlook from Exchange makes a lot of sense, and could end up being less disruptive than a full server migration. This helps Google compete head-to-head with Exchange Online Standard, and they could win a significant chunk of that business over the next 2 to 3 years.
