Google lacks enterprise credibility

Big businesses feel that Google is not a suitable choice for enterprise contracts, according to a survey.

The Corporate IT Forum, which represents IT directors and CIOs, surveyed 100 heads of IT at some of the UK’s largest organisations. Just 5% currently regarded Google as a credible supplier to the enterprise market.

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Businesses that are using Google tend to be "lite" users, which do not require full functionality of the services, the Forum noted.

“If Google is to make serious headway in the corporate market, it will need to change its approach," said David Roberts, executive director of The Corporate IT Forum. 

"Reacting to consumer demand for immediate updates doesn’t work. The enterprise approach is more about planning and roadmapping, with more focus on building solid customer relationships, improving its credibility and development of richly functional products,” he said.

While Microsoft is the incumbent supplier of desktop software, Roberts said Google could offer users a compelling alternative, due to low licence fees. 

However, he added that Google was not regarded as a corporate supplier, as it has less flexibility and lacks familiarity of how a large corporate works, compared with other enterprise software providers.

The study found CIOs were also concerned about Google’s data privacy credentials.

“There is huge potential for Google to do great things in the corporate market," said Roberts. "The Forum’s research highlights speed, collaboration and development of new products as the key benefits of using Google's products and services. However, there are several issues, or perceived issues, holding back corporate users – mainly Google’s ‘missing features’ when compared with mainstream offerings such as Microsoft.”

Companies such as Premier Foods and Guardian Media Group are using Google products rather than Microsoft products.