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Fast on the heels of Monday's launch of Google App Engine -- an initiative to open up Google's computing infrastructure
to third-party developers -- Google has opened a new online store: the Google Solutions Marketplace, a portal for applications that make use of Google's APIs (application programming interfaces) or Google Gadgets.
"The Marketplace's initial focus is connecting customers of our communications and collaboration products, like Google Apps and Enterprise search, with third parties that sell complementary products and services," wrote Scott McMullan, Google Apps partner lead, on an official blog. "But that's just a start. We expect to grow to fit the needs of an expanding set of Google customers and developers."
The online marketplace, though a relatively minor development in itself, is a further sign of Google's increasing interest in the enterprise. In February, Google re-branded JotSpot -- an enterprise-focused wiki company it acquired last year -- as Google Sites. And Monday, Salesforce.com -- which redefined business software with its on-demand model -- is set to announce that it will begin reselling Google Apps to its customers, according to a report by the TechCrunch blog.
Salesforce.com Integration?
Google Apps will be "tightly integrated" into Salesforce.com's service, TechCrunch said. Such a deal would further a working relationship the companies already have, in which Salesforce.com customers can manage their AdWords accounts. The deal makes sense, according to TechCrunch writer Erick Schonfeld. "Salesforce wants to get as close to Google as it can. And Google wants to sell its apps to enterprise customers (Salesforce has 41,000 of them)."
Google Gadgets, the company's approach to widgets -- mini-applications that can run inside a Web page -- is key to its enterprise aspirations. "Gadgets [have] a very approachable coding model, and you can do surprisingly useful things very quickly," said Jonathan Rochelle, a senior product manager for Google Docs. "We haven't been shy about talking about programming the Web in smaller pieces, and Gadgets work really well."
Both the Salesforce.com deal and the Gadgets programming model suggest that Google could make strong gains into enterprise, according to Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT. "Over time, Gadgets and other technologies could provide avenues for enterprise-focused applications," he said. "At the same time, deals like Salesforce.com should create avenues for commercial distribution of new Google-enabled apps and services."
Extending Docs and Apps
At Google's developer conference, Google I/O, scheduled for May in San Francisco, Google programmers will be educating developers on how to extend Google Apps using the various data
While most of the efforts so far are either simple or trivial, more complex interactions could make a compelling business case. The spreadsheet feature of Google Docs could serve as a front-end for viewing data pulled from different data sources inside an organization, for example. And a simple programming interface would make it easy for in-house developers to provide new, custom views of data trends not originally envisioned.
Yet another development focused on business is Google Gears, software that allows users to work with Google Docs offline. Until recently, Google Docs was an online-only application, which effectively kept users tethered to Microsoft Relevant Products/Services Office. With the option of using Google's simple word processing and spreadsheet features online or offline, users who don't need advanced features can feel more confident in adopting Google's free option.
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