Mis Flash Research

Flash Research – Google Docs

While Google Docs is a great resource I do not believe it would be ideal for us. Google Docs is a web-based suite of applications that allows you to create and share documents, spreadsheets, power point’s, and other files. It can greatly increase collaboration and is only a third of the cost of its competitors for installation and maintenance.

Google Docs offers online applications that are similar to Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Because they are online they have limited features but are beneficial in their ability to increase collaboration. Files can be seen and edited by multiple users simultaneously in real time. Google Docs also allows you to control who can edit, versus simply see or comment on the file. Collaboration is also supported with a chat application that allows instant messaging between people editing the same file. Files are automatically saved and archived so that users can go back to see a previous version. This enhances teamwork as data is never permanently lost if someone accidentally deletes something.

While Google Docs is a great product it is not right for us. We need our office communicator and file-sharing server to be private in order to protect our sensitive data. Google owns all files stored in Google Docs. Also, the security is not up to the standards we require. We would need to be able to create an internal network that could only be accessed on company servers, and through company equipment. This is not possible with Google Docs. While this might be a beneficial product, it would not be a smart investment for us.

Works Cited

"Apps for Business." Google. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. .

Gupta, Deepak. "What Is Google Docs and How to Use Google Docs." WindowsTalk. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. .

"An Overview of Google Docs." Google. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. .