Having visited and spoke with many companies over the last 6 months, there seems to be a rising tide of interest in all things Google but in particular the adoption of their messaging and collaboration tools collectively referred to as Google Apps.
Gartner reckons that 20% of the worlds corporate email will be in the cloud by 2012 and to be sure, Google will be a, possibly the, major player in that space so its right to be interested in developments whether you are a small business or a corporate giant.
The key point of this post though is not why or when you go Google but how.
I’ve had very disparate feedback in terms of how differing organisations aim to tackle the prospect of moving their organisation to this new platform. It has ranged from “I’ve used Gmail for years and I’m not anticipating any problems” to addressing the elephant in the room at big corporates with 2 year worth of analysis and study. Both extreme and both wide of the mark in my opinion.
There are of course a lot of options in between, but the ones least likely to succeed are the ones that don’t prioritise training and support at the very top of the agenda. The worst case is ‘customer revolt’ (and remember this could go all the way up to board level) and even best case is not satisfactory which is a serious delay in personal productivity amongst the users. The latter despite the fact that Google offers free, class leading help for users utilising all forms of media. That’s not the point though.
The point is that it doesn’t matter how easy it is to step on the Google bus and drive. Its different. And different means change and the management thereof.
So at the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs etc I’ve put the following guidelines down, aimed at IT Management/HR as a proven way of adopting Google and ensuring a rapid decrease in the time it takes for the end users to maximise their use of Google Apps.
Don’t worry! This approach shouldn’t delay or cost an inordinate amount of money!! For more information on our approach please go to http://www.cloudsolutions.co.uk/main/why-google/which-apps/how-to-go-google/ where you’ll also find links to referenceable and useful templates to get the job done easier.
ASSESS
the existing costs of the following; Messaging, Collaboration, Docs and Spreadsheets, Intranet development, email servers, backup servers, storage and tapes, SPAM, Anti Virus, administration, support and management salary costs etc.
Ask yourself who will be the agents of change within your organisation, hereinafter referred to as ‘Google Guides’! More on this later.
PERFORM
a total cost of ownership study over a 3 year period comparing the platforms you are considering and your existing legacy system. Also complete a Return On Investment study.
CONDUCT
a user survey to determine the use of messaging and processes they currently have adopted. If you haven’t already, determine who the ‘power’ users are. You should have completed a technical audit of servers, comms and software associated with delivering your existing messaging and collaboration platform.
SELECT
the most apt size of Pilot Program for your organisation. We recommend up to 10 users for a network of up to 500 users and spanning up to 50 users for much larger enterprises. These pilot users will become your Google Guides. So what does the ideal Google Guide look like? They may be a power user of your existing system but they must be adaptive to change and understand the benefits that the new system will give the organisation. They will represent a segment or more of your organisation (not necessarily by management) and will have an in depth understanding of the systems, processes and hidden protocols of your unique organisation.
This is the vital step. By mentoring the Google Guides from a technology standpoint you will equip them to mentor other users such that the new technology embeds in to your internal systems, processes and protocols and you will maximise rapid take up and so realise massive functional benefits in productivity.
SELECT
Any additional software that is required such as blackberry integration, microsoft integration, any migration tools needed etc etc (see http://www.cloudsolutions.co.uk/services/your-next-step/).
Start the Solution Supplier Selection process.
BUILD
your case for change and submit. Develop company training plan.
DECIDE
on the level of support required external to the company and agree SLA’s with suppliers.
MONITOR
end user satisfaction regularly via intranet and monitor performance of suppliers.
SIT BACK
and bask in the glory!
Steve Kaye