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Google Apps Partner Thinks Microsoft Is Full Of It (GOOG, MSFT)

Google Apps reseller Cloud Sherpas says Microsoft is exaggerating the costs of going Google.

Yesterday, Microsoft released a white paper calling attention to some of the hidden costs of Google Apps. While the basic idea in the white paper is indisputable -- all IT solutions have costs beyond licensing the software or service, as any IT professional can tell you -- some of the specifics are exaggerated, says Cloud Sherpas.

• Support and IT training. This is a big one. Although Google does charge extra for a high level of support, Google Apps users don't NEED as much support as Microsoft users -- a lot of them have already been using Gmail and find it to be simpler and more intuitive than Outlook.  "Nearly all of our customers report a reduction in help desk support in the months following deployment," the reseller claims. And with no on-premises hardware and software to install, patch, and manage, IT staffing costs actually go DOWN with Apps.

• Email security. Google Apps provides the Postini engine for spam and malware filtering for free. It only costs $33 per user per year if companies need 10-year retention of all emails; they can also pay $13 for one year of retention.

• Single sign-on. Cloud Sherpas points out that MyOneLogin ($33 per user per year) isn't just for Google Apps -- it allows single sign-on across multiple hosted apps from different vendors, including Salesforce.com, QuickBooks Online, and so on. Microsoft's single sign-on solution in Office 365 simply bridges the online service with the local version of Active Directory that most Microsoft customers already have.

The reseller also reminds potential customers that it provides a lot of these services -- like escalated support and management tools -- at no additional charge when customers buy Apps through Cloud Sherpas.

But all this aside, the hardest part of calculating return on investment is measuring user productivity on both solutions. That's almost a religious debate -- do users need the full feature set of Office and Outlook or can they get away with the simpler Apps and Gmail equivalents? Which interface lets users get tasks done more quickly?

This is where the known -- Microsoft -- often has an advantage over trying something new.

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See Also:

• Microsoft Slams "Hidden Costs" Of Google Apps
• WHOOPS: HP Exec Spills Huge Company Secret On LinkedIn Profile
• Why Google Renamed Its Search Group "Knowledge"

Google Apps Partner Thinks Microsoft Is Full Of It (GOOG, MSFT)

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Turns Out Square Isn't Secure Enough For Its Big Fancy New Partner, VISA (V, PAY)

Mobile payments startup Square plans to make all of its dongles encrypt credit card data on the fly, a Square exec said at a conference. This is after Square said in response to accusations from competitor Verifone that it doesn't need to encrypt credit card data.

Square is doing this to conform to Visa's new set of mobile application best practices. Those new best practices were released yesterday, just as it was announced that Visa made a strategic investment in Square. So in other words, Visa made Square add encryption to its dongle.

This must be a bummer for Square, because it has to design and build new dongles all over again. Moreover, we assume that the chips that will be needed to encrypt credit card data will be more costly than what the current dongle has, which should be costly -- Square gives away the dongles and makes money from a commission on each transaction.

Just to be clear: even without encrypting credit card data, Square is by all accounts fully compliant with all industry regulations. So it's not like there's this huge gaping security hole with Square. But their new big and  important partner evidently feels that they have to beef up their security.

Now You Should Read: Why Square Will Need To Ditch The Dongle →

For the latest tech news, visit SAI: Silicon Alley Insider. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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See Also:

• Visa Invests Big Money In Square, Even Though Square Probably Wants To Kill Visa
• PayPal Buys Another Startup To Beat Google, Apple And Square In The Mobile Payments Race
• Square COO Explains Why The Web Is Dead

Turns Out Square Isn't Secure Enough For Its Big Fancy New Partner, VISA (V, PAY)

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Groupon Is Going To Partner With China's Facebook

Groupon is in advanced talks to partner with Tencent, the biggest social network in China and the third most valuable internet company in the world, Kara Swisher reports at AllThingsD.

Groupon has been extremely aggressive in its international expansion efforts. After all, the daily deal market is a landgrab, and Groupon needs to open as wide a lead with its competitors as possible, and international is an obvious area. 

But China has been problematic for US companies which often fail there, and China is known for knockoffs of everything. (There is even a Groupon.cn which is a straight copy of the site and not affiliated with Groupon at all.)

So partnering with Tencent makes a lot of sense. Tencent is the dominant social network in China, thanks to its instant messaging platform QQ, which it monetizes with virtual goods like avatars. Tencent is also trying to make inroads in commerce, with a marketplace called Peipei which goes after e-commerce leader Taobao.

We'll see how it goes.

Now Read: 10 Asian Tech Companies That Are Putting American Ones To Shame

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Groupon Is Going To Partner With China's Facebook

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Google’s French Connection: YouTube and SACD, SCAM, ADAGP Partner for TV Shows and Movies Online in France

In a event at the home of the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques, "YouTube and SACD, SCAM and ADAGP - three associations representing French screenwriters, composers and other creative artists - signed an agreement to put more TV shows and movies online in France."

Google’s French Connection: YouTube and SACD, SCAM, ADAGP Partner for TV Shows and Movies Online in France

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Microsoft Flipped the Switch on the Microsoft Partner Network

Microsoft revamped its Microsoft Partner Network, that equips Microsoft partners with the training, resources and support they need to successfully compete in today's marketplace and allows customers to easily identify the right partner for their technology needs.

JiWire Expands Location-Based Media Channel to UK Signing British Telecom as Its First Wi-Fi Network Partner

SOURCE: JiWIRE Top Brand Advertisers to Reach 'On-The-Go' Audiences in the UK LONDON- JiWire, the leading location-based media company reaching the On-The-Go Audience in the US, is launching JiWire Europe, its first overseas operation based in the

Tags: Mobile wifi vas bt

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