Google Launches Apps Reseller Program

[Marcia]

Google unwraps Apps partner program [infoworld.com]

With the new program, Google intends to offer the resellers training, support, and tools for integrating Google Apps into customers' infrastructures, including APIs for tasks such as directory synchronization, migration, reporting, and single sign-on. Resellers, in turn, can bundle in their own services and support and maintain a direct relationship with customers.

[wheel]

Microsoft > Linux > Google apps. No sale there.

What it is, is a way for resellers and integrators to get the pretty Google logo in their front window beside the Windows and the fading Novell logos :).

[Marcia]

Actually, some of the apps take a lot of tech savvy to get done (and done right); they aren't all that easy, but they're outstanding for use and features.

And it so happens they've been referring to outside consultants for development using their apps for quite a while that I know of. This sounds like it's all now being structured into a formal business model.

[night707]

Touble is, that support is only available for the fairly expensive premium and pro versions.

[Marcia]

As far as expense is concerned, looking at the Google Apps [google.com] information, my guess would be that any organization that would need that level of collaborative interactivity would be (or should be) able to afford it. The resellers will have to provide the support to their customers, so it'll have to be worth their while, too.

More details at Network World [networkworld.com].