ShuttleCloud is proud to present notable cloud industry news from December 2012.
This series is updated bi-weekly with the latest and greatest resources on all things cloud.
Google Apps: The Numbers You Need to Know | David Politis of bettercloud
Over 5 million companies are using Google Apps for employee email and other back-office tasks. But what types of companies? Bettercloud puts together a great data set with viusual cues and analysis of why certain industries are more prone (or reluctant) to make the Google Apps switch.
IBM Launches SmartCloud Docs, New Cloud Collaboration Features | David Roe of CMS Wire
IBM’s SmartCloud Docs is the newest direct competitor to both Google Docs/Drive and Microsoft’s SkyDrive. This webapp software allows users to create all types of documents and then share and collaborate on them with colleagues. The initial emphasis of differentiation for SmartCloud Docs seems to be enhanced security, which is still dubious at best in regards to Google Drive and similar services. The SmartCloud Docs product is available for free to SmartCloud Exchange Advanced users, but comes at the nagging price tag of $3 per user, per month for regular IBM SmartCloud users.
Why The Enterprise Renaissance Will Be Big On ReadWrite In 2013 | Jon Mitchell of readwrite
Instagram may have been a disruptive acquisition with its $ billion price tag and $0 revenue stream, but software visionaries argue that real software, fixing real problems, will begin to take over the acquisition market in 2013. Great quote at the end, too: “There really isn’t a difference between Enterprise and Consumer software anymore. The line is between playing around and getting things done.”
Changes to Google Apps For Businesses | Clay Bavor of the Official Google Enterprise Blog
There used to be free and premium versions of Google Apps. Individuals were signing up for the business package, while businesses were signing up free Google Accounts. The experience wasn’t optimal for anyone, so now Google is offering one premium product and recommending individual consumers to just create a free Google Account. Also, Google Apps for education is free.