Google formally declares war on Microsoft

Titles like this are “engineered” to cause a bombastic reaction, but it did get my attention…

GOOGLE HAS confirmed that it will launch free spreadsheet and word-processing software online and take on Microsoft in one of its biggest markets.

Regardless, it is another interesting move from Google into MS turf. It’s clear that Google is less and less worried as been seen as a rival, with an extra confidence fueled by their own success. Therefore, aggressive moves like these (if they are confirmed) are not so much of a surprise.

But how much impact does it actually have? Well, for the near future, not much, IMHO. I can see the value for the “regular guy on the net” to use an online & free word processor to type an occasional letter, or even do some quick math in a spreadsheet (maybe even calculate the monthly bill of internet costs). But for corporate users, the bulk of Office license buyers, there is much more at stake. There are issues of security, privacy and reliability which will keep a local computer/network solution the preferred choice.
Think of email and you’ll get my point. I mean, sure Gmail is great (I really love it!), and everybody would agree that those 2+ GB of space are the equivalent to mail junkies nirvana, but seriously, did it make even a small dent on the Microsoft Exchange licenses? Or even Outlook? The bottom line is that companies need to be “in control” and they will not easily rely on free, online services, simply because they depend on them. Unless, of course, they start signing “service level agreements” with Google, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.
So, sure, these are great news – another big step for Google, a giant step for mankind, but that won’t take Microsoft down. Well, not for now at least…

Tags: google, microsoft, web
Categories: Way of the web
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