It’s starting with recommendations for eight apps that it says have passed security and performance tests: ProsperWorks for CRM, Smartsheet for project management, Ringcentral and Switch for cloud-based communications, AODocs and Powertools for document management, and Ping Identity and Okta for identity and access management.
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For its new Recommended by Google Apps for Work program, Google is working with a number of partners to start making recommendations on apps for its users.
Meanwhile, Google has also updated its Apps Marketplace to make it easier for employees to find apps that their companies have licensed for them. Google Apps is one the top five application suites sanctioned and deployed by IT leaders, and Gmail is the number-one email app among small business customers as of August 2015. The user interface was one of the first to adopt Google’s Material Design and creates a unified user experience across the Web app, mobile apps, and Chrome extension.
“We believe our new package, combined with Google’s new pledge will give more businesses the opportunity to function without hefty maintenance contracts, use the modern tools they prefer, and spend their money on transforming their business, rather than maintaining the status quo”.
The announcement points to the different markets Google is trying to attract with Apps for Work. Google noted in a blog post that the “apps are reviewed by Google and an independent third-party security firm to make sure that these solutions are safe and reliable, and meet our requirements for high quality integrations”.
For those companies chosen, Google’s seal of approval should translate to greater in-store visibility, greater adoption, and greater revenue.
On the other side of the equation, Google is also using this program to encourage more software makers to work on its platform.
Google has been busy retooling the corporate version of its Apps productivity suite, but the Internet giant is putting outside software providers in the spotlight this week.
Outside of the initial pool of endorsements, the digital marketplace hosts hundreds of apps that tie into (and possibly fill a few productivity gaps) Google Apps.
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In addition to the new recommended apps, Google is also adding to the Apps Marketplace with a new dashboard third-party developers can use to see metrics on customers and end-user app installs, Sood said.
