In the world of communication and collaboration, many groups are looking for a simpler way to bridge the gaps between their remote and in-house workers. Communication tools like Google Hangouts offer a competitive team collaboration solution similar to services like Slack, and Facebook Workplace. Unfortunately, when it comes to enterprise technology, Google’s track record is a little spotty, which might make companies feel somewhat uncertain about their offerings.
From a basic perspective, it seems that Google feels ready to tackle the communications market for enterprise-level businesses. After all, it’s decided to rather quietly release its cloud-based Google Hangouts apps for customers from business networks. However, Google’s fickle behavior towards products that exist beyond its core focus of search advertising has left tech buyers feeling unsure.
The New Hangouts for Business
Last week, Google officially launched “Hangouts Chat” for messaging among teams, as well as “Hangouts Meet” for audio and video conferencing. The former is being advertised as a limited release, though the latter is available to the general public.
It’s obvious that these new Google Hangout apps are intended to compete against some of the similar offerings provided by technology giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Cisco. Indeed, Microsoft and Cisco have both made collaboration and UC a central part of their product portfolios, while Amazon’s recent offering looks to hold quite a lot of promise too.
It’s safe to say that Google has both the expertise and the financial backing to create a competitive enterprise communication product. The company also has a host of complementary applications too, such as calendaring and mobile, and it recently introduced an electronic whiteboard for it’s in-room meetings. However, up until now, Google has largely ignored the communications platform, as other major players have made their way into the field. The new products seem to be a quick change by Google to show their interest in enterprise communication solutions.
An Uncertain Track Record
Google has a track record for pulling the plug on certain products that haven’t met up with its expectations. These products include things like Google Site Search, Google Spaces, and more. However, the company certainly has the resources required to emerge as a stronger challenger against some of the other multibillion-dollar suppliers within the UC and collaboration market.
For instance, in order to build a better competitor against the Microsoft Office 365 solution, the company will need to make Google Hangouts app available within its G Suite collection for cloud productivity software. However, the somewhat limitless resources that belong to Microsoft, Google, and Cisco don’t mean that the companies are necessarily leading the market in terms of features. Slack is currently the leader in capabilities and integration with other third-party solutions.
This means that enterprises that have bought G Suite, Office 365, and Cisco Unified Communications solutions would probably benefit most from the collaboration apps that have been built into those respective products. Other companies now need to think more broadly about the opportunities available from smaller players like Slack.
