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08 May 2009
Google has scored a major channel coup by gaining the backing of significant Microsoft partner Insight Enterprises.
Insight has signed up to sell the search engine giant’s Google Apps online applications and services to its EMEA client base. Stuart Fenton, president of Insight EMEA, said the partnership would enable it to offer customers more choice.
“This partnership provides an assortment of offerings for our clients,” he said.
Further reading
“Google will be a driving force in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) cloud market and has proven itself to be channel friendly.
“Our relationship with Microsoft remains strong because it has some excellent off-premise solutions. Some customers may want a mixed mSaaS environment, which we can now provide.”
Google Apps offers messaging and collaboration applications for business
which includes Google Mail, Google Calendar, Google Video and Google Sites
intranet for
knowledge sharing.
Fenton added: “Google offers a credible set of applications and is developing them at a real pace - it added 150 new features to its application suite last year.”
The search engine behemoth claims 3,000 businesses a day are signing up to Google Apps, but Microsoft remains confident it can hold the interest of its partners.
Simon Gautrey, software-plus-services lead at Microsoft UK, said offering a choice is a positive move as customers have multiple needs.
“We are working with Insight on our new Business Productivity Online Suite and have already signed 2,000 partners,” he said.
“Google makes the partner pay up front for the customer, but in this climate many SMEs are disappearing we take on that risk.”
In a statement, Adrian Joseph, managing director of Google Enterprise EMEA, said: “Given that Insight has one of the broadest customer coverage models of any reseller and a broad portfolio, it is in a unique position to offer customers choice and independent advice.”
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