If you’re a Google Apps user, you should be making use of the added benefits offered to your business by Google+. Here’s what you need to know…
If you’re already a Google Apps user then you are well aware of the benefits that come from switching to the cloud service platform. In addition to lowering IT costs, Google Apps improves productivity, communication, and collaboration abilities of all kinds of organisations.
And now there’s yet another tool that will benefit your end users. As of October 27, Google made Google+, its social networking site, available to Google Apps users. In order to gain access to this new tool, administrators need to manually turn it on. Google+ for Google Apps is currently only available for Google Apps for Business users, non-profits, and higher education institutions using Google Apps for Education.
But those who do have access to Google+ for Google Apps should definitely begin using this new tool. Google Apps users will have access to the same Google+ features as those who are using personal Google accounts in addition to a few extras. One such unique feature includes the ability to share with everyone in your organisation, regardless of whether they are in one of your circles or not.
These extra features aside, the basic tools that drive Google+ make the service a more than worthwhile addition to the Google Apps suite. For example, circles allows users to create groups of people with which they can share specific information. This tool proves useful when you have a message to share but don’t want to share it publicly, as it only pertains to certain people.
The hangouts with extra tool that’s available to Google+ for Google Apps users will allow you to work with others remotely but will make you think you’re all sitting around the same table. How is this possible? Hangouts enables users to screen share, simultaneously collaborate in Google Docs, and have multiperson video chats. These three tools combined mean that everyone can view and work on the exact same screen at the same time while having a face-to-face (through video chat) conversation.
And the benefits of Google+ for Google Apps don’t end there. Shortly after Google announced Google+ for Google Apps they made Google+ Pages available for apps users, as well. With Google+ Pages, organisations can create a page through which they can send messages, converse with customers, and share news and updates. Additionally, these pages are easy to find as organisations can place a Google+ Badge to their page directly on the organisation website.
Looking at all of these features together proves that using Google+ for Google Apps will increase the benefits of the Google Apps service to you and others in your business.
– Sharon Shapiro is from Cloud Sherpas, a leading Google Apps cloud service provider. As a Google Apps Authorised Reseller and Google Enterprise partner, it has migrated over one million users across all major industries from legacy, on-premise messaging systems to Google Apps, helping organisations adopt cloud computing to innovate and dramatically reduce their IT expenses. Get to know the company by checking out its Google+ page at cloudsherpas.com/plus .
