In fact, Google made the playing field easier for smaller players.
A startup launching in 2020 looks very different from a startup company launched in 2007. In 2007, a new company required a large capital expenditure to set up a Windows infrastructure for email, file storage, accounting, and marketing tools. It would cost tens of thousands of euros and would require hiring IT experts to develop and manage the infrastructure.
Today, all of these solutions can be “purchased” using a credit card and paying a monthly fee. With just a decade to go, all of the essential solutions needed to run a company are extremely easy to purchase and install – all it takes is a credit card to purchase them.
But how did we get to this point? It certainly didn't happen overnight, and we understand that the big changes were made by Google that led to the acceptance of "software as a service" in businesses.
Google Workspace is Google's all-in-one solution for getting everything done. Many businesses use Google Workspace as it brings together Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides , and more, so we think it's important for businesses to realize the influence Google has had and what that means for businesses today.
One key thing to remember is that Google Workspace not only helped simplify companies’ IT infrastructures, but it also fueled innovation. Before Google Workspace, Microsoft was the only “player” in the enterprise space. Outlook was the only email available on desktops – even mobile devices either used Outlook or required dedicated “connections” to an Exchange server.
The only way to ensure “productivity” was Microsoft Office. If you wanted to create an application, the only way to develop it was to connect directly to the Active Directory service. In short, in enterprise technology the leader was Microsoft and its applications.
Therefore, rather than fearing Google's popularity, we believe it is important to see how it has opened the market to new subscription software solutions.
At first, IT professionals were hesitant to “outsource” the management and storage of their emails, but over time their doubts were dispelled. IT departments didn’t feel like they were losing their jobs by allowing Google to host their emails. They began to see it as a way to free up resources to focus on leveraging technology as a business tool instead of fixing “broken servers.”
Today, as a result of all of the above, there are many innovations in businesses that could not have existed in the past.
Fifteen years ago we were in a world where everything a business did was tied to a Microsoft application or something that potentially required millions to develop custom software. As companies became more comfortable with Google, they suddenly became more comfortable with many other online companies that help manage their business operations.
