Is Google Docs An Effective Business Tool?

[ABM]

I work for a very small company and we can't afford an in-house IT guy, etc. We use a lot of common documents and edit/share stuff all the time.

I haven't had any exposure to Google Docs, but was wondering if this might be the way to go for us. It seems we might be able to use it as a server we can all share in? I'm guessing it will handle Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access docs?

Anyone doing that out there?

 

[TripTango]

I'm in research, and low-cost document collaboration is crucial for us as well. I've found Google Docs to be intriguing, but still too awkward for primetime. It's not a way of sharing Microsoft Office documents -- it's an entirely independent software package that happens to be web-based. Unfortunately, in practice there are a lot of features missing still, so we're still stuck emailing documents around...

MS is pushing cloud sharing more and more though. I haven't tried it yet, but SkyDrive looks like a promising way to collaborate on shared documents using Office. (https://skydrive.live.com)

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I work for a very small company and we can't afford an in-house IT guy, etc. We use a lot of common documents and edit/share stuff all the time.

I haven't had any exposure to Google Docs, but was wondering if this might be the way to go for us. It seems we might be able to use it as a server we can all share in? I'm guessing it will handle Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access docs?

Anyone doing that out there?

www.dropbox.com

Where should I send my invoice to?

 

[HailBlazers]

I'm a fan of google docs, especially if you have an android phone.

Dropbox looks nice

 

[ABM]

www.dropbox.com

Where should I send my invoice to?

Outstanding. I'm imagining they start charging after you reach some type of data size threshold?

I'm relatively poor, but I'll buy you a beer. And, no, I won't have sex with you for any amount of money.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

yeah. what you do is set up a few accounts and you can share certain folders. i share a few with different people.

http://www.dropbox.com/pricing

 

[SantaDora]

Dropbox is fantastic.

Google Docs is good as well if you do not need the advanced features of Office. If you do - Office365 is better but a bit more expensive. Maybe the happy middle for you?

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/online-software.aspx#fbid=bWRy5tPwXh-

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I've used GD and DB both in real business situations, and imho Google Docs is passable at best in a business collaboration situation. Dropbox is a much better as a solution, provided everyone sharing the folder has the same applications to open the documents involved.

 

[Ed O]

A downside of Google Docs is the reliance on the cloud. That might sound obvious, but internet outages or unavailability is too common in my experience to really have mission-critical software that's reliant on the Web. I had an experience a couple of months ago where a website I was using for wireframing (gomockingbird.com) was experiencing technical difficulties (it wouldn't export my work as PDFs, as it normally would) and I almost dropped the ball for a big meeting because of it.

They fixed it a couple of hours later, but it might have been too late in many situations.

Ed O.

 

[TripTango]

Huh -- just discovered this:

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office
Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office brings collaborative multi-person editing to the familiar Microsoft® Office experience. You can share, backup and simultaneously edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint®, and Excel® documents with coworkers.
- Simultaneous editing for Word, PowerPoint and Excel files, no document or paragraph locking
- Google Docs sharing URLs for each Microsoft Office file
- Revision history for Microsoft Office files, stored in Google Docs
- Offline editing with smart synchronization of offline changes
- No Microsoft Office upgrade or SharePoint® deployment required

"Simultaneous editing" sounds a bit dicey, but it looks like a potentially useful tool.

 

[Denny Crane]

And, no, I won't have sex with you for any amount of money.

That's what HCP's wife says to HCP all the time.