Google Apps v. Microsoft Outlook

Idealware has a great article comparing Google Apps (offered for free to nonprofits) with Microsoft Outlook in six different areas: Email Functionality, Calendar Functionality, Contact Functionality, Shared Folder Functionality, Remote and Mobile Access, and Setup and Support.

The bottom line?

Google Apps is a pretty compelling alternative that is certainly worth serious consideration if you’re starting from scratch with your infrastructure, particularly for small organizations. If you’re already using Outlook, the cost of the migration needs to be taken into account, but it’s worth weighing the pros and cons.

There is more risk inherent with Google Apps. It provides strong functionality for much less money than Outlook, but it's possible that you will encounter problems that are not within your power to solve. If the applications become more unreliable, you may have little recourse other than starting over with another service. It's possible to create a more bulletproof setup with Outlook, but remember that this will take a sizable investment in expertise, setup, and maintenance. If you’re not investing the proper resources into Outlook, it’s as likely — or more likely — than Outlook will fail you. Regardless of your package, make sure you are backing up your email.

Read the complete article here.

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