The unified communications industry is generally what was previously known as the PBX industry. These vendors, and many new ones, evolved their solutions well beyond voice communications to include broader forms of real-time, IP-based communication, collaboration, and mobility.
Google doesn't fit the image of a unified communications vendor. It doesn't offer much in the way of physical products, doesn't have a strong enterprise account management brand, and doesn't directly offer dial-tone. Nor does Google make much of a splash at industry events like Enterprise Connect, Interop, or the UCSummit. Google doesn't fit the image of the current industry, and certainly not of where the industry came from. However, distinctions get a bit blurry if you look at where the industry is headed.
Consider the current buzzwords laced within the industry's press releases: collaboration, video, mobility, APIs, CEBP, XMPP, speech recognition, HTML5, location-awareness, VDI, social integration, consumerization, browser-based applications, and WebRTC. These terms, part of the collective UC vision and direction, also appear on Google's presumed list of priorities.
Google continues to steadily increase its enterprise foothold with real-time communication and collaboration tools as well as ongoing penetration of Android. It is building an impressive channel with enterprise chops while making inroads into government, education, and SMB accounts. The company has a market capitalization near Microsoft's and significantly larger than UC market share leaders Avaya and Cisco. Google was founded only some 15 years ago, yet most of us "Google" on a near daily basis.
Android
Android reportedly now controls about 68% of the global smartphone market (2Q12, IDC). Apple's share dropped to about 17%, and Nokia, Microsoft, and RIM each count for less than 5%. That makes Android the 800-pound gorilla in smartphones. With its latest release known as Jellybean and its Asus co-branded Nexus7 tablet, Android now has a viable offering in the tablet space. Expect to see many new form factors, including units optimized for vertical sectors, to emerge later this year.
When the iPhone was released in 2007, Steve Jobs claimed it was "Five years ahead of its time." It seems he was right, as it took Android about that long to catch up, but the unique and compelling advantages of the iPhone are rapidly disappearing. More and more iPhone-exclusive apps are becoming available in Google's Play store. Even Siri, the digital personal assistant, can't get a word in against Android's new voice recognition capabilities. Jellybean has limited availability, but several partners have already committed to upcoming releases. Android's hardware partners include Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG, Motorola Mobility (now part of Google), Dell, Huawei, and many more.
Android also powers a variety of other devices, including Cisco's recently abandoned Cius tablet and the Avaya Desktop Video Device. It can be found in televisions, DVD players, laptops, e-book readers, appliances, even IP phones. Android also powers the TelyHD Skype device (if you prefer an alternative network, then consider the Biscotti device which utilizes the Google Talk network).
Google Voice
Google Voice isn't at all that it could be, and certainly not what many wanted (or feared). But it is something that continues to be highly disruptive and important. Google Voice best sits atop--rather than replaces--other services. Google Voice combined with, say, an obsolete Nortel PBX, could transform the system into a modern UC solution complete with unified messaging (with transcription), ring-anywhere, click-to-dial, ad-hoc conferencing, call recording, and a client for mobility. Outbound caller ID can be set to the same Google Voice number on the desktop computer, desktop phone, and mobile device.
Behind the calling features associated with Google Voice, there are two noteworthy features. Google has the ability to assign phone numbers throughout the US. They are immediately available, and users even get a choice in their selection. Also, Google Voice is one of the least expensive options available for outbound international calls from a mobile phone. These carrier-like features are already within the Google portfolio.
Video
Google has several solutions for interactive video calls, but it is working to simplify and consolidate them. Google Talk offers the ability to promote IM to video calls within the web browser or on a mobile device. This is an increasingly common capability among UC clients. The service can be federated with other XMPP services. Just recently, Google announced that the video technology in Google Talk would be replaced with the Google Hangout technology used in its social network Google Plus.
Google Hangouts are an extraordinary feature or service. Google Hangouts support up to 10 participants in a multi-user video conference (plus two by audio only) with no specialized hardware (except a webcam). Hangouts are also supported on several smartphones and tablets. Google Hangouts does not support federation, but video communications are supported across organizational lines to any Google-ID.
Perhaps the most significant feature of Hangouts is the On Air option, which enables a private interactive video conference to be recorded and broadcast on YouTube--effectively tranforming a interactive conversation into one-way public media. The latest release of Hangouts now supports mobile clients with On Air. This equips the average user with the ability to host an HD video conversation with a small interactive group and broadcast it without any special tools, facilities, or specialized training.
Next page: Google Apps, Chrome, Developers
Google Apps
Google Apps is the business version of Gmail and its related applications including its office productivity suite known as Google Docs. Google Docs does not have feature parity with Microsoft Office, but is suitable for general use. Where it truly shines is with multi-user document collaboration by enabling up to 50 simultaneous editors complete with revision control. Microsoft has aggressively responded to Google Apps with Office 365 (browser based, per user/month pricing), but still hasn't matched Google's multi-user collaboration. The features and capabilities shift with each release, but the important thing here is that Google offers what many consider a viable alternative to Office, Exchange, and SharePoint. With Google Apps, Google Talk, Google Voice, and Android, an organization has calendaring, unified messaging, conferencing, video, collaboration, and mobility. The vast majority of UC vendors offer varying degrees of integration with Microsoft, and some, such as Siemens Enterprise, are beginning to integrate with Google Apps.
Just last week, Google updated Google Apps with more features aimed at enterprise users. These upgrades include user policy management tools, email content filters, and improved archiving capabilities. Google also secured ISO 27001 certification for its Google Apps for Business, which is sometimes a customer requirement for hosted services.
Chrome
The web and web browser are central to Google's go-to-market strategy, so providing its own browser was critical. The Chrome browser is very fast, and now available for PC, Mac, Android, and iPhone. Now Chrome can synchronize a user's bookmarks and history among devices. Chrome is also a platform, and Chrome applications or plugins extend the features and capabilities of the browser. Google is also the prime contributor to Firefox.
Google has two Chromes--in addition to the browser there is Chrome OS, and it represents the desktop device for Google's VDI solution. Chrome OS is available as a desktop (ChromeBox) and notebook (ChromeBook). Both offer nearly an instant boot and effectively run a web browser. They are targeted primarily at enterprise and education, they are reasonably inexpensive and require very little maintenance. For organizations that have web-enabled business applications, it's a very interesting and low-cost kiosk-like alternative. Chrome OS also runs Citrix clients to access traditional client/server Windows applications or Active Directory services.
Developers
Most UC vendors actively recruit and cultivate developers to extend, enhance, and complement core offerings. Communication-enabling core applications is one of the biggest benefits of UC. Google offers a range of APIs and solutions to extend their products and services. The Google Apps Marketplace offers categories for accounting and finance, calendaring and scheduling, customer management, productivity, project management, sales and marketing, security and compliance, and workflow applications.
The recent Google IO conference was practically dedicated to the development of Android applications. Hundreds of thousands of applications are available for Android at Google Play, which also provides music, movies, and books. Android applications can also be directly installed without requiring acceptance in Google's store.
Google encourages plugins for Chrome known as extensions. The Chrome Web Store offers hundreds of applications for voice, IM, and SMS. Now it is possible to add specific applications for just Google Hangouts. An example highlighted at the recent Google conference was a solution from Symphonical that provides a real-time group collaboration tool. Google also provides various open technologies and has been one of the key drivers behind WebRTC.
Other Initiatives
The above includes a few of the more visible projects and services Google offers the enterprise, but many more exist. Google recently announced a new Google Cloud computing service aimed at customers with very large computing needs. Google Drive offers easy access and sharing of files from any device. Google Plus is a social network that offers simplified controls for who sees what. Honorable mention to UberConference, a freemium conference calling service with ties to participant social profiles by FireSpotter Labs, initially backed by Google Ventures.
I've casually spoken to several companies that have "Gone Google," and the experience and stories are fairly consistent. Most companies report a significant savings in cost--typically comparing Microsoft Office with Google Apps. One company that had not stayed current with Microsoft versions found Google significantly less expensive than what first appeared as a competitive alternative. It will be interesting to see how Office 365 changes the dynamic.
Another consistent theme is that the collaboration capabilities of Google Apps is well received and changes collaboration, particularly among distributed teams. A school district preferred Google because its students were already familiar with it, Office actually required more training. Another firm cited that the Google channel partner had impressive best practices regarding the pilot and cutover.
It seems clear that Google has enterprise designs. How the company fits into the UC ecosystem is not as clear, but a collision course is inevitable.
Dave Michels is a contributing editor and independent analyst at TalkingPointz.com
