14 DAY TRIAL // Google+ has been around for a year and a bit and since then it's grown quite a lot. Of course, the growth isn't that impressive given that this is Google we're talking about. Still, there are plenty of things left to do and one area that Google has lately been focusing on is the enterprise sector.
Google+ is not quite ready for business, but several new tools and options unveiled today pave the way. It is now possible for organizations to enable employees to share stuff on Google+ with other employees and with other employees only.
Google is also bringing its killer feature, Google+ Hangouts, to the enterprise market where, arguably, it's a perfect fit. Employees will now be able to collaborate via video chat and since it works from Gmail too, they don't even have to use Google+ to do it.
"Like Google Apps, we think Google+ can help colleagues collaborate more easily and get things done—and get to know each other along the way," Google said.
"So today we’re launching an initial set of Google+ features designed specifically for businesses, and we’re excited to move into a full preview mode for Apps customers. During this preview period, organizations that have gone Google will be able to use the business features of Google+ for free through the end of 2013," it announced.
One of the obvious and necessary tools for any Google+ usage in the business environment is control over who sees what's being shared. Thankfully, Google+ was built with great share controls from the ground up.
Posts shared inside the company remain inside the company and can't be shared with any outside people. However, those writing the post can choose to share it with collaborators or third-parties, if needed.
The star of the show though has to be Google+ Hangouts. Recently, Google made it possible to start and join a hangout from Gmail. Hangouts already supported several apps, one of the first being the ability to collaborate on a Google doc inside the video chat.
"When you’re on Google Apps, holding a face-to-face meeting with colleagues or clients around the world doesn’t require coordinated travel schedules or expensive video conferencing technology. All you need is a device with a camera and an internet connection. Hangouts lets up to 10 people join a video meeting from their laptop, phone or tablet," Google explained.