Google’s Jeff Ragusa showed up at The VAR Guy’s hotel suite in San Francisco about an hour ago. It’s time for a speed date with one of Google’s best-known channel leaders. During the discussion, Ragusa offered multiple updates on the Google Apps Authorized Reseller partner program, special training and trial opportunities for partners, and the long-term partner implications for Google Chrome OS and Android. Here’s a recap.

1. Application Management Consulting: Ragusa says this is the prime area where partners are helping customers get the full value of applications.

2. Bundling Applications: Ragusa says Google partners are playing a vendor management role with customers. “Partners are able to take bits and pieces of multiple [SaaS] applications to create a solution,” said Ragusa. “Partners are becoming inventory gurus on the Google Apps Marketplace, pulling bits and pieces and the hidden gems together for customers. There are more than 350 applications available in the marketplace.”

3. Custom Integration: Partners are beginning custom integration and custom development activity, Ragusa said. Key tools involved include:

  • Google App Engine: To create custom logic hosted by Google.
  • Google Apps Script: “It’s even more lightweight than Google App Engine, while App Engine is a bit more flexible,” said Ragusa.
  • Google Gadgets: Various parts of Gmail and other Google Apps support Gadgets, which are like widgets. “One of the coolest examples is within Gmail, where you can create Gadgets right within Gmail itself,” said Ragusa.

There’s a difference between (A) custom integrations and (B) developing full-blown SaaS products you’re going to sell and have support wrapped around it, Ragusa said. Partners can get started with Google App Engine and Google Apps Script without feeling like they have to have their own big SaaS applications, Ragusa noted.

4. Totally Global: The Google Apps Authorized Reseller program is global. “There’s really great growth in EMEA, particularly in Europe,” said Ragusa. In APAC, Google has fewer partners but each one of those partners is doing significant business with Google, he added.

5. The Postini Connection: “Many of our Google Apps partners are also doing Postini,” said Ragusa. “The products are integrated. On the partner side we have global distributors who work to provide optimal support and training on Postini.”

6. Next Moves: “For the remainder of 2011 we need to do a better job of taking our learnings and tools and make them available and really polished for the partner reseller experience,” said Ragusa.

7. Partners Helping Customers: Google has launched a program called Appsperience. It’s a 90-day trial program for end customers — but it’s delivered bychannel partners. The free program includes Google Apps licenses but not Gmail.

8. Adjusted Subscription Model: Google is launching a monthly payment option for Google Apps. There are two paths:

  • Annual Commitment: The customer commits up-front to an annual engagement, and pays monthly
  • No Annual Commitment: The customer still pays monthly, but the cost is slightly higher since there’s no annual commitment.

9. Scheduled Release Option: Instead of leveraging all Google Apps releases and features the day they debut, the partner can batch the updates for customers. This allows the partner to test the updates a bit before delivery.

10. The Future of Android and Chrome OS: “We’ve got a 100 percent Web vision,” said Ragusa. “Business applications and data are stored centrally and served out over scalable, secure, multi-tenant infrastructure and delivered to a Web-enabled device. Partners are in prime position to drive the 100 percent Web vision. Today that’s certainly focused on Google Apps and the marketplaces. But certainly moving forward we see partners moving out to the device layer as well. The message is you can create comprehensive solutions tailored to your customer’s business need.”

11. Mobile Device Management: For MSPs, there are also Mobile Device Management opportunities like password and lock policies, remote wipe and more.

12. Certifying Individuals. Google recently launched the Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialist certification. It’s designed for individuals. “Particularly in the SMB space it helps the partner differentiate,” said Ragusa. “We intend to expand that into other skills.”

13. Chrome Web Store vs. Google Apps Marketplace: The marketplace is more for IT administrators and partners for business applications, while Chrome Web Store is more for end-users (consumers or business users). The Apps Marketplace applications are integrated with Google Apps. The Chrome Web Store apps can be integrated with Google Apps, but it isn’t a requirement.

The speed date with Ragusa just ended. The VAR Guy’s next guest will be showing up shortly. More details soon.

Meet The VAR Guy: For more information about future speed dating engagements send email to TheVARGuy [at] NineLivesMediaInc [dot] com. Use the subject line “Speed Dating.”

Sign up for The VAR Guy’s Weekly Newsletter, Webcasts and Resource Center. Follow The VAR Guy via RSS, Facebook and Twitter. Follow experts at VARtweet. Read The VAR Guy’s editorial disclosures here.

Read More About This Topic

Share This Post

Leave a Comment

 

Blog-Powered Site By ContentRobot