Let’s talk about Google today. I’ve been writing about Google technologies and Google enterprise efforts quite frequently. One of the questions, readers were asking me – when Google develops PLM? The interest was obvious. Many people believe Google technologies can be quite powerful to work for enterprise.
Read the following article – Google and the Enterprise: The Point? Money. Steve Arnold is analyzing Google trajectories in enterprise software. The main conclusion – working with enterprise organization is significantly different from working within consumer internet. Here is my favorite passage:
In one memorable, yet still confidential interaction, Google allegedly informed a procurement manager that Google disagreed with a requirement. Now, if that were true, that is something one hears about a kindergarten teacher scolding a recalcitrant five year old. Well, that may have been a fantasy, but there were enough rumblings about a lack of customer support, a “fluid” approach to partners, and a belief that whatever Google professionals did was the “one true path.” I never confused Google and Buddha, but for some pundits, Google was going to revolutionize the enterprise. Search was just the pointy end of the spear. The problem, of course, is that organizations are not Googley. In fact, Googley-type actions make some top dogs uncomfortable.
Another interesting article related to Google Enterprise on GigaOM. Notice an excellent explanation about what influence Google made on Microsoft. In particular, we can think how Google forced Microsoft to come with MS Office 365 in order to compete with a growing competition with Google Apps.
For all Google’s effort, the incumbent powers Microsoft Office and Exchange Server still lead the corporate applications and email market. Last fall, market researcher Gartner estimated that Google Apps for Business represented less than 1 percent of Google’s overall revenue and there is some doubt as to whether the enterprise apps business remains a priority for the company… Still, market share and revenue may never have been Google’s goal. By offering a lower-cost option to the Office/Exchange tandem, Google forced the market leader to respond, and that may have been the point all along.
I share Steve’s assumption about how much focus Google can put behind the enterprise deals. Absence of key execs reporting to Larry Page confirms Google is not planning to make Enterprise PLM Googley in a near future.
What is my conclusion? Good news for PLM companies. If somebody thoughts Google come tomorrow with PLM product, no worry. This is probably won’t happen. No Google PLM 2012. When I think, Google technologies are fascinating, the absence of focus and experience with enterprise companies, makes Google teeth-less in front of large enterprise software dogs. Just my thoughts…
Best, Oleg
