Cloud Assist Blog – Google Apps for Business | Google Search | GMail News

The last week has seen some interesting developments, Google made a major search appliance release with support for cloud systems. Microsoft released Windows 7 Mobile, and we knuckled down to some large apps migrations.  

Cloud Connect for the Google Search Appliance Google Search Appliance Update [Neil Rutherfoord]

Google released version 6.8 of the GSA firmware, which has brought in some beta features to the search appliance’ capability. It includes several new Google Search Appliance features in early stages of development, including people search, cloud connect, and dynamic navigation. Dynamic navigation has to be one feature that really has me excited. Having worked on a project which required a parametric search type functionality, this new feature will assist greatly in categorising search results based on the document metadata. While we are not recommending using this update just yet, in a produciton environment, we will be testing it out ourselves to get an idea of the quirks around this release.

Cloud Connect displays relevant, personalized results from Google Docs and Google Sites alongside results from more traditional repositories, like file shares and content management systems. Easier access to collaborative documents, spreadsheets, presentations and sites with Cloud Connect speeds up how quickly coworkers can complete projects. Cloud Connect also lets users search content from Twitter, as well as blogs and industry websites via Google Site Search.

More: here

Windows Mobile 7 [Neil Rutherfoord]

Hot on the heels of the latest Android release, Froyo, Microsoft have released Windows Mobile 7. A number of providers, like Telstra, are expected to provide the HTC 7 Mozart, which will use this OS. “The Start Screen on Windows® Phone 7 brings everything together. One glance tells you what’s going on, what’s happening next and what you’ve missed. The live tiles keep you updated and it’s easy to customise by adding apps, pictures and other favourites to the Start screen so they’re always at your fingertips.” While the live tiles may be slightly different, I personally think this is a last ditch attempt by Microsoft to get into the Mobile game. Good luck to them I say! While Android is creeping on Apple, the iPhone definitly has a stranglehold on the market.

• Automate repetitive business processes

• (e.g. expense approvals, time-sheet tracking, ticket management, order fulfillment, and much more)
• Link Google products with third party services (e.g. send custom emails and a calendar invitation to a list from a MySQL database)
• Create custom spreadsheet functions
• New! Build and collect user inputs through rich graphics interfaces and menus

• (e.g. a company could power an internal application for purchasing office supplies where users could shop via a customized menu interface)

 Google Apps Scripts

I think the biggest announcements for a while from Google, would have to be the inclusion of scripting within and accross the Google Apps suite. Google Apps Script is a JavaScript cloud scripting language that provides easy ways to automate tasks across Google products and third party services. With Google Apps Script you can:

More: here

Drag and drop images in Google Docs

 When writing a document, it often helps to augment text with images and diagrams. Google documents already has three ways to add images: you can choose them from your hard-drive, add them by URL, and you can find them using Google Image Search.

But sometimes the exact image you need is on your desktop and you just want to add it to your document quickly. Starting today, you can drag images from your desktop directly into your documents.

More: here

New Charts and Visualizations in Google Docs

Spreadsheet data can tell compelling stories when placed into charts and other visualizations. Today we’re excited to announce a new editor for charts, redesigned from the ground up as well as a set of new chart types. We’ve added annotated time-lines, organizational charts, gauges, our popular motion chart (which makes it easy to visualize data changing over time) and more to our chart types. 

Filed under: Cloud Assist, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Innovative Innovation, Managed Migration, Maximising Mobility, regular, Tech News, Technology by Neil Rutherfoord

This week we are reporting on time and so much to cover that includes great Google news and some big changes internally. These posts are also a great chance to reflect not only what has happened in our industry but what has happened globally. This week I want to lead off with something a little different.

Chilean Miners Rescue
I think I can speak for the majority of us when I say we were all touched by this in someway during the week. I’ll be honest I didn’t really follow the events leading up to the rescue but when I couldn’t escape it on the TV channels during the week, I started to take notice. When live footage was shown of the capsule entering the shaft where the miners of Chile were stuck almost 1km underground, it made me stop and think. It put events like the Moon Landing which we, (my generation) didn’t get to experience into perspective. A moment in time where millions of people all around the world stop and hope that all will go well, and then the out pour of emotion when it all does! There is just something special about that. In saying that, it’s great to know all went well and the miners are all now safe. Here are some links to various types of multimedia covering the event:

• All 33 Chile miners freed in flawless rescue
• Chile Miner Rescue: Photos
• As they emerged: How each man spent his first moments above ground

CloudAssist.com.au gets a facelift
This week we are happy to announce CloudAssist.com.au’s face lift. While it’s not a total rennovation, we have given the front page a new coat of paint in an effort to tie our social media platform together along with recently completed projects. In the upcoming month we will be working to clean up the rest of the content and include information around our new service offerings. In the mean time check it out and let us know what you think. http://www.cloudassist.com.au

Getting the Most Out of Gmail – Google Enterprise Blog
For those of you who have already made the switch to Google Apps, I recommend reading a great article posted on this weeks Google Enterprise Blog. It covers how to make the most out of the functionality available in Gmail and tips and tricks you can use along the way. As a heads up, it covers items such as the newly released Priority Inbox, Chat, Labs, etc. I recommend heading over to the Blog to find out how you can get the most out of your Gmail user experience.

Five Great Styled Maps Examples – Google Geo Developers Blog
Some of you may not yet know, but Google recently launched a new version of the Google Maps development platform which has added a whole heap of new and cool features. In a recent Blog posting, the Maps team highlighted one of these cool features – Styled Maps, I recommend you launch the article to see what has inspired some pretty impressive results. Maps have become much more than just adding a few pointers, Maps serves a platform that represents a variety of Geo data types. If you are struggling with Geo data at the moment, and are looking for some creativity, get in contact with us, we would be more than happy to assist with our experience, creativity and support

A Quick Tip: Paste As Plain Text in Chrome
Just a quick tip for a problem that I am always coming across when copying and pasting text. When I use to copy text from websites and paste it into Google Apps it always kept the styling which was a pain. Not anymore, now you can press Control + Shift + V to paste as plain text. No more styling! Sorry this only works in Google Chrome.

Fact of the Week: Facebook is blue because Mark Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind.

Filed under: Cloud Assist, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Managed Migration, regular, Tech News, Technology by Neil Rutherfoord

We don’t like to keep having to come up with excuses for the delays in our weekly news update, but time is so short, and we are ever so busy these days. While we would like to open with some news from last week, some developments on Saturday, and today have meant we’re having a special edition.

Google Announces Self Driving Cars! [Neil Rutherfoord]
I think Minority Report vehicles will soon become a reality. Imagine being able to tell your car, through a simple Google command, to go to Coles to fetch your groceries, or even go to your childs school to fetch them. While this technology has been attempted by many organisations, and many competitions exist for budding science buffs, it takes a huge company to really make a difference. With the financial backing of Google Inc and the information they have at their disposal, Google Maps and Earth, its no wonder its something they are trying to tackle. We are thoroughly impressed and definately opens up a world of possibilities.

New File Migration Tool [Mark Wyman]
Even though it’s still in beta, we would like to announce that we have developed our own File Migration tool after quite a lot of demand. The tool will assist in moving your existing files to the Cloud with support for Google Docs, Google Sites and soon Amazon S3. If you have engaged Cloud Assist to handle your migration, it’s all apart of the service, but if you have the need for such a tool don’t hesitate to contact us. contact@cloudassist.com.au.

It’s that time again, Barcamp Brisbane [Mark Wyman]
It’s on once again and it looks like both Neil and myself will be attending this again. If you have never heard of Barcamp, it’s whats called an un-conference, much like a conference but without the structure. The great thing about this is that it’s up to the attendees on how it runs and who presents, therefore you get a wide range of presentations. There is also an emphasis on participation, you don’t need to present but there are always other ways to participate. Hope to see you there!

There you go a short a sweet version this week. We should have another one out on Friday. So until then have a good end of the week!

Filed under: Cloud Assist, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Innovative Innovation, Managed Migration, Maximising Mobility, regular, Tech News, Technology by Neil Rutherfoord

A far off reality only a few years ago, today cloud computing has become mainstream. However, many small business owners we meet are still unclear about what cloud computing is and, more importantly, how it can benefit their business. If you’re in this camp, you’re not alone. A recent survey of European IT Heads by Portio Research found that 56% were not familiar with cloud computing.

Cloud computing, or software as a service (SaaS), is when IT software and services are delivered over the web and through a browser. This transfers the responsibility for IT maintenance, software upgrades and any system issues onto the service provider, allowing enterprises like yours to focus on your core business instead of your infrastructure. That’s why the cloud is especially appealing to small-to-medium sized businesses, which often have a smaller workforce and less capacity for time-consuming and expensive IT maintenance.

To help you get more familiar with this concept that can streamline and improve your business operations, we’ve put together the following 10 things to consider when getting started in the cloud:

• Moving to the cloud is easy: The transfer of business information into the cloud is very straightforward. There is no need to install new hardware or software as everything is run by the cloud provider.

• Cost savings could be higher than you anticipate: Businesses that move to the cloud can make savings on many different levels – IT hardware and software expenditure is cut dramatically and fewer staff or support resources are needed for IT maintenance. Last September, analyst group IDC estimated that business can instantly reduce their IT spend by approx. 54% by moving to a cloud based solution.*

• Improved productivity: One of the key benefits of cloud computing is that employees can access documents and emails whilst away from the office. If your business demands mobility and flexibility or you have staff keen to extend their use of home or remote working, the cloud could be a straightforward and affordable way of addressing these needs.

• Greater level of security: Cloud computing can be more secure than traditional IT. It’s all about economies of scale – many established cloud suppliers employ leading security experts, invest vast amounts of money into securing their applications and develop technology beyond the means of any small business. In addition, the risk of losing confidential data on a laptop or a USB stick is also diminished, as everything is stored in the cloud and not on your devices. (Last year a survey from CREDANT Technologies found that 55,843 mobile phones and 6,193 other devices, such as laptops, had been left in the back of London black cabs over the previous six months.** In November 2009, it found that New Yorkers forget on average around 5,000 mobile phones and more than 500 other handheld devices, including iPods, laptops and memory sticks, in the back of taxis, every month.***)

• Manage the cultural adjustment: Today’s employees expect to have the same technology at work that they enjoy at home. Google designs its applications with users in mind and many staff will already be familiar with Google Mail and Google Docs. However, internal communication about the change of service and in-house training sessions will help staff to feel more comfortable using the new technology.

• A more collaborative way of working: Using cloud computing applications, people can work more closely together, accessing and working in the same documents in real time – without the need for hundreds of emails with attachments. Improved knowledge sharing and communication encourages creativity amongst your employees which can help drive the business forward.

• Flexibility to scale up or scale down your business: Cloud based “pay as you go” style services allow you to easily increase your use of cloud services as your business grows, or decrease your spend if you need to temporarily scale down.

• Employees of tomorrow: Look at how teenagers interact – on Facebook, Bebo or MySpace – all cloud environments. These teenagers will soon become employees, accustomed to collaborating online and accessing their data from any mobile device at hand, not expecting to work in one location and from 9 to 5.

• Your business resiliency can be improved: Cloud computing providers should not only offer 24/7 support but also the increased resiliency and redundancy afforded by multiple data centres to ensure your information is always available. This means that you experience less downtime than when managing IT in-house, and any problems can be solved far quicker by being fixed centrally. IDC estimates that businesses operating in the cloud achieve 97% greater IT reliability.*

• More choice: In contrast to traditional IT models which can involve expensive software licenses and long lock-in contracts, the cloud model offers far more flexibility. You can switch provider far more easily and regularly in order to get the best experience and value for money. However, it is important to check with your cloud provider as to how you retrieve data from their cloud should you choose to switch in the future.

*IDC White Paper sponsored by salesforce.com, Force.com Cloud Platform Drives Huge Time To Market and Cost Savings, Doc # 219965, September 2009
** CREDANT Technologies London taxi survey 2008
*** CREDANT Technologies New York taxi survey 2009

Filed under: Cloud Assist, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Innovative Innovation, Managed Migration, Maximising Mobility, regular, Tech News, Technology by Neil Rutherfoord

Sorry we are a little late on this week with the update, but as I say every week we have been absolutly flat out. A couple more Google Apps roll outs and some custom developments, using different aspects of the Google offering, have kept us on our toes making it a really productive week. In terms of news, we have seen some cool announcements from Google, so on with the show.

Threaded email or not, now it’s your users’ choice in Gmail – Google Enterpise Blog
BIG NEWS! I feel this has to be one of the biggest announcements in regards to GMail in a very long time. Gmail’s conversation view has been one of most contested features for a very long time and it seems though Google has finally listened and realised that it’s not for everyone. You can now turn the feature off, so if you would like to turn off the conversation contact your Google Apps administrator and have the feature enabled.

More tools for viewing document revisions – Docs Blog
Google have provided another way to see the changes that have been made to a Google Document by anyone you may have shared the document with. Previously you could step back through a document’ history and see the changes were made, but the distinction between the current and previous versions were not as clear as it is now. Each user change can now appear inline in the document, and is highlighted in a different colour, so it is easy for you to distinguish who made what changes. Its a brilliant addition to the suite.

Google Promotes Replacement for JPEG Image Format – DigitalTrends
Google has just announced a new image format, called WebP, which the company claims will result in smaller file sizes for commonly shared small image files. They say we will see a massive reduction in Internet traffic, as 65% of all traffic is image related. See a comparison of these image formats here http://code.google.com/speed/webp/gallery.html

301 Redirect – How to move your web server’s files without hurting SEO – Real World Business Solutions
Turning to the website front now. At some point in time 99% of companies are going to upgrade or move their website. A very important part of this process is managing the SEO during the change. This article gives a very good overview on how to manage this, a very important read for anyone considering to update or move their website.

No monkey business at Delhi Games
The Commonwealth Games will kick off in Delhi next week, and to protect the athlete village from hoards of monkeys, authorities there have turned to rented langurs. They are a giant monkey with a black face, and are a popular antidote to the monkey threat. Apart from monkeys, rats are a major concern in the city but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi launched a drive, armed themselves with 600 rat traps and 100kg of rat-killers, to clear the venues of the rodents. Good Luck to our Aussie Athletes!

Filed under: Cloud Assist, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Innovative Innovation, Managed Migration, Maximising Mobility, regular, Tech News, Technology by Neil Rutherfoord