Google Data » Serena Satyasai, Google Apps Marketing https://googledata.org Everything Google: News, Products, Services, Content, Culture Fri, 10 Apr 2015 22:28:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1 New Status Dashboard for Google Apps https://googledata.org/google-apps/new-status-dashboard-for-google-apps/ https://googledata.org/google-apps/new-status-dashboard-for-google-apps/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 We made a commitment last year to increase transparency and communication with Google Apps customers in several ways. We heard your feedback around the need for better communication when issues like yesterday's Gmail outage occur.

As part of that commitment, we're pleased to announce today the availability of the Google Apps Status Dashboard. Customers can use this Status Dashboard to check on the current service status of individual services such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Docs, Google Sites and Google Video for business. Administrators of Google Apps for their businesses, schools and organizations can also view the performance of the administrative control panel.

The Google Apps Status Dashboard represents an additional layer of transparency that we believe will be particularly useful for our business users, and it's also relevant to users of our consumer products. The Status Dashboard is the best place to check for information on service availability for Google Apps anywhere in the world. In my role on the sales team, I regularly talk with customers to make sure that they're getting the most out of Google Apps and I think that you will find this tool indispensable in managing your Google Apps deployment.

Additionally, here are other resources I often recommend to help account administrators get up and running quickly and smoothly and also to stay on top of new functionality:

Google Apps Help Center. Our Help Center for Google Apps admins can answer questions on "getting started" and also help you troubleshoot or find out the status about known issues. Topics include everything from email routing to data migration. We update the information in the Help Center regularly so it's a good starting point for any questions you encounter as you setup and manage your Google Apps account.

Google Apps Help Forum. In addition to our own online support resources (see below), we have a vibrant community of Google Apps administrators who are always willing to lend a helping hand. To read tips and get help from your peers, join this discussion board for IT admins. This forum is moderated by Google Apps Advisors and fueled by the knowledge of expert Power Posters. Recent questions answered in the Help Forum include ones on IMAP functionality and MX record settings.

Google Apps update alerts. Whenever we launch improvements to any of the apps or add new administrative capabilities – whether it's a minor user interface tweak or the release of major new functionality – we publish a summary with usage instructions and links where you can find more details. For example, we recently shared information on new capabilities for administrators to authorize who can upload videos to Google Video for business and instructions for setting password strength requirements. You can automatically get this information either as email alerts to your inbox, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed.

Google Apps Channel on YouTube Here you can find product tutorials and overviews, as well as video testimonials from Google Apps customers and recordings of Google Apps-related talks and webinars. We recently posted a tour of a corporate intranet built by one of our customers and created a Google Apps Learning Center playlist to educate end users on topics such as "Webmail vs. Desktop," "Archiving or Deleting" in Gmail, for example. Take a look at the videos we've created.

The Solutions Marketplace. If you know that Google Apps is right for you but need some extra help, visit the Solutions Marketplace to find details about products and services from vendors whose solutions integrate and extend Google Apps. You can find vendors to help you with setup and deployment, data migration, integration with existing IT systems, user training and more. You can see how vendors have been rated by other customers and also read about customer experiences with partners.

I hope that this information helps you get the most out of Google Apps. One of the great things about Google Apps is the community that has grown up around it, thanks to you!

Posted by Tessa Prescott, Google Apps Sales Team
]]> https://googledata.org/google-apps/new-status-dashboard-for-google-apps/feed/ 0 Organize the holidays with templates in Google Apps – Part II https://googledata.org/google-docs/organize-the-holidays-with-templates-in-google-apps-%e2%80%93-part-ii/ https://googledata.org/google-docs/organize-the-holidays-with-templates-in-google-apps-%e2%80%93-part-ii/#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:36:00 +0000 The countdown to the end of the year has begun and you may be searching for creative but low cost ways to spread a little holiday cheer. Today we shared some tips on the Official Google Blog (Part I) to show you how templates in Google Docs can help your business save time and money when sending cards and gifts to customers and colleagues. Here we share 5 more tips to help you promote your business, organize the holiday office party and make sure you stay within budget:




6. Bring some cheer with a holiday newsletter...







7. ...or send holiday gift certificates to your best customers.








8. Invite your employees to the office holiday party with a merry invitation card...







9. ...and capture their RSVPs with this easy invitation form.








10. Finally, avoid over-spending on gifts and parties by tracking your holiday budget in this pre-built spreadsheet.





It's easy to get started with any of these tips. In Google Docs, just click File -> New -> From Template to be taken to the main template gallery (it's worth a look!). Click the "Holiday" category to see just the holiday templates, or you can tab through to filter results by product. Pick the design you like and edit it for your needs. And you can always find help at the Google Docs Help Center.

We hope you enjoy, and Season's Greetings!

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Google Apps Marketing

]]> https://googledata.org/google-docs/organize-the-holidays-with-templates-in-google-apps-%e2%80%93-part-ii/feed/ 0 Innovation: It’s in the Genes https://googledata.org/google-apps/innovation-its-in-the-genes/ https://googledata.org/google-apps/innovation-its-in-the-genes/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:17:00 +0000
This Google logo, initially created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Understanding DNA, is a great representation of what happened when Genentech turned on Google Calendar for its 12,000 employees last month. Located in South San Francisco, Genentech is a leading biotech company focused on discovering, manufacturing and delivering medicines to patients with unmet medical needs. Genentech recently decided to adopt Google Apps and wanted to make a sure the migration went smoothly.  The company deputized "Google Guides," promoted Google Apps as superheros called the "Google Squad" and built out great training materials amongst other innovations. And even though Genentech expected a record number of helpdesk tickets to flood its "war room" given the size of the deployment, to the surprise of everyone, including Todd Pierce, the CIO of Genentech, the staff hardly heard a peep.  

Dec. 4, 10 AM PT: Lessons from Genentech's Google Apps Deployment 
John Nanninga, Sr. Project Manager at Genentech, shares his 7 steps for planning and executing a cloud computing initiative, including evaluation, migration and launch recommendations.   Open Q&A with John and Google product managers to follow.  Register here.

We are also pleased to host CEO Vinny Lingham from an Internet start-up called SynthaSite.  Vinny is a true fan of Google Apps after he recently moved his headquarters from South Africa to San Francisco simply by putting his people on a plane.  With no hardware or software to maintain, SynthaSite has relied on Google Apps to help them scale their business and access their key information from anywhere.

Innovate with Google AdWords and Apps.  Learn how SynthaSite uses Google AdWords and Apps to innovate in its industry on Thursday, December 11th, 10AM PST.  Talk with CEO Vinny Lingham on using AdWords to grow revenues and Google Apps to achieve rapid scale. Register here. 

We hope you can join us for these two guest speakers.  We devote half of the time to Q&A so this is your chance to ask current customers your most important questions.  Thanks again for your interest in Google Apps!

Serena Satyasai, Google Apps Marketing
]]> https://googledata.org/google-apps/innovation-its-in-the-genes/feed/ 0 The Risks and Rewards of Google Apps https://googledata.org/google-apps/the-risks-and-rewards-of-google-apps/ https://googledata.org/google-apps/the-risks-and-rewards-of-google-apps/#comments Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:54:00 +0000 When we talk to businesses interested in Google Apps, we're often asked the questions, Who is using Google Apps and how did they make the decision to switch? A key factor for many companies making the switch is cost savings and, as a result, we've seen more IT folks involve their finance counterparts in the decision-making and internal sell process. But even with significant cost savings, IT admins and finance naturally want to understand what risks there might be in moving their companies to Google Apps to decide if their companies are ready for change.

We thought that one of our customers would be the perfect person to answer these questions. Tom Kelly, is the CFO and CIO of 2nd Wind Exercise. This specialty retailer of exercise equipment has managed the rapid growth of its business using Google Apps while saving money at the same time. As an early adopter of Google Apps, Tom can tell you what has worked and what hasn't from both an IT and finance perspective. We hope you can join us for a lively discussion.

Tom will tell his story and answer questions on a live webinar tomorrow at 1PM East/12PM Central/10AM Pacific. Register here. 

We will also continue to post the recordings to our YouTube channel. Thanks again for your support!

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Google Apps Marketing
]]> https://googledata.org/google-apps/the-risks-and-rewards-of-google-apps/feed/ 0 Hot topics in Google Apps https://googledata.org/google-apps/hot-topics-in-google-apps/ https://googledata.org/google-apps/hot-topics-in-google-apps/#comments Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:02:00 +0000
In these uncertain times, like many folks, you may be trying to find ways of doing more with less.  You may already know how easy it is to use Google Apps to power your business email, calendar and instant messaging applications.  But you may not yet have discovered the power of our online collaboration tools that are included in the Google Apps suite - Google Sites, Google Video and Google Docs.  Last month we began a series of online seminars to focus the spotlight on innovative uses of Google Apps in the workplace.  We spoke with internal teams at Google on how they use Google Apps to manage teams and product launches and also Home Care Assistance, a customer who has grown its business 15-fold using the dynamic duo of Google AdWords and Apps.  We received a lot of good feedback and also questions on two topics in particular:  Moving to hosted applications sounds great but how should my business evaluate whether hosted applications are right for us?  And, if we move our business data "to the cloud," just how secure, private and confidential is all my data on Google?  So, for October, we have invited guest speakers to discuss the following topics:

A strategy for lean times:  Adopt a hosted messaging and collaboration solution with Google Apps.  If you’re thinking about upgrading your messaging and collaboration tools, come listen to Michael Osterman of Osterman Research on Thursday, October 9, 10AM PDT.  He will talk about factors to consider in moving to hosted solutions and how to best prepare for a smooth transition. Register here at Google Apps Online Seminars.

Investigate the Security of Google Apps.  Learn the steps that Google's taking to keep your Google Apps data safe on Thursday, October 23, 10AM PDT.  Hear from Google Apps security expert, Eran Feigenbaum, on new updates to Google's processes and technology that make our web applications even more secure.  Register here at Google Apps Online Seminars.

We hope you will join us for these live seminars.  But, if you can't make it, you can always listen to them later on at our Google Apps channel on Youtube.  We also keep our Google Calendar Gadget update-to-date with informative webinars and other events.  As always, let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to see us cover.  Thanks again for your interest!

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Google Apps Marketing
]]> https://googledata.org/google-apps/hot-topics-in-google-apps/feed/ 0 Using Google Apps in the workplace https://googledata.org/google-apps/using-google-apps-in-the-workplace/ https://googledata.org/google-apps/using-google-apps-in-the-workplace/#comments Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:55:00 +0000 Thanks to you, Google Apps has grown in numbers of users and diversity of products.  We're encouraged by the stories you've sent us on how you're using Google Apps to change the way you do business, save money for your company and improve service to your internal customers.  We're often asked to share ideas on how customers can use Google Apps to do things that they couldn't do before and so, we're kicking off a webinar series focused on Google Explorers such as yourself.  We'll shine the spotlight on IT evangelists, business owners and productivity gurus who have employed the suite of Google Apps - (which includes Sites, Video, Docs, Spreadsheets, Calendar, Gmail and Start Page) - to more broadly share information, organize projects and collaborate and communicate more effectively.  We'll also cover other topics from time to time, which we hope you'll find informative, such as demonstrating new functionality, hearing from industry experts and sharing tips on best practices.

Please join us at the following three events this month:

Run your business on Internet time! Lily Sarafan, COO of Home Care Assistance, discusses how her company has used Google Apps to grow nationally in a few short years on Thursday, September 18, 10AM PDT.  Learn how Google Apps and AdWords have helped boost profitability at this national staffing franchisor. Register here.

Use Google Apps to achieve rapid time-to-market. Three internal teams at Google delve into how they used Sites and other Google Apps to rapidly launch a new product on Tuesday, September 16, 11AM PDT.  Find out how Google product teams are able to release early and often.  Register here.

Introducing Google Video for business.  Get a demo of Google Video, the latest addition to Google Apps Premier Edition, on Tuesday, September 9, 11AM PDT.  Google Video provides secure, private video sharing for organizations.  Learn how other organizations are using Google Video and get your privacy, security and deployment questions answered.  Register here.

If you can't make it for the live presentation, you can find recordings of them on our Google Apps channel on Youtube. Also be sure to check out our Google Calendar gadget where we'll announce new webinars and other Google events.  And, always let us know if there are topics you'd like to see us cover.  Thanks!
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