When starting a business you have to decide on which critical applications you want to use. The most critical is email. Most business go with Microsoft: Exchange and Oulook with a dose of Blackberry.

We propose, that with Google Apps, Gmail deserves a long hard look.

Gmail For Business

One great feature about Gmail is that it allows you to use your domain name when creating an email address. Thus, instead of the cost of setting up your own domain name and using Exchange and Outlook, Gmail provides you the benefits of an easy to use interface and ample storage, all under the Gmail umbrella. The best part about this is that nobody has to know that you are using Gmail! BillGates@microsoft.com goes straight to his Gmail inbox without us knowing about it!

Organization Without Having to Organize

With Exchange and Outlook, all your mail can be organized into neat folders, a process that is generally tedious and only as organized as you are. Though folders in the form of labels are still available in Gmail, organization is instantaneous with features such as their search bar. The search ability is perhaps the most important feature of Gmail and allows you to basically “Google” your mail finding exactly the email that you were looking for. Instead of sifting through your accounting folder, simply search for the name of your accountant and your folder is instantly generated.

Lots of Storage

Gmail is efficient and easy to use, with ample storage and many great features. It has become so obvious that Gmail is the way to go that I wince every time I see an address that is still @aol, or @yahoo. Unlike the latter email providers, Gmail is spam free and has a clean look. With the storage space that they provide, deleting email has become obsolete. And if you ever run out of the 6 gig that Gmail provides for free, one can pay a small fee to extend their storage space.

Why bother with the cost and headache of Outlook and Exchange? Doing things the Microsoft way locks you into a box where updates, more software, new tools and email cleanups are required. Gmail interfaces beautifully with your blackberry and your iphone, and is a great solution for business email.

Check back soon for some more in-depth analysis of the other Google Apps.

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