14 DAY TRIAL // Google has imposed an extremely fast release pace for all new versions of its software and services, from its open source browser to its Cloud offerings, which serves only Google and really nobody else, Microsoft argued.
The Redmond software and the Mountain View search giants have been trading jabs over their respective technologies, including on-premise and Cloud-based email, and not only on public forum, but also in face-to-face confrontations with customers.
This is what made Julia White, Senior Director, Exchange Product Management author a blog post inviting customers to get Google to talk straight to them.
White noted that the latest release cycle modifications from Google imply that the search giant is starting to understand the enterprise environment, but that they still have a long journey ahead of them.
Google is now allowing some customers of its Cloud services to receive one week notification ahead of the introduction of new features, although it’s still delivering them immediately to others.
“Not all features will adhere to the new release cycle and not all features will be in beta or even final versions, nor is there a timeline that shows when those features will be pushed out, without a choice,” White said.
“This isn’t the first time customers have experienced ambiguity from Google. Gmail was in beta for four years, Google Wave came and went, Google Docs was available offline with Gears and then offline access was removed.”
White noted that Google’s model for the evolution of its software and services is nothing short of a haphazard feature release strategy.
“Google’s release cadence is convenient for Google, painful for consumers and downright disruptive for businesses,” she underlined.
In contrast to Google, Microsoft has all its eggs in the predictability basket. White underlines that a predictable release process is designed to put customers in control.
“We know the cadence of our product release cycles is important to large enterprises and small businesses, because it provides a predictable series of events that our customers can plan for and depend upon,” she stated.
Microsoft traditionally unveils new features in upcoming products at least 12 months in advance, and Exchange is an illustrative example in this regard. Not only this, but the company also makes sure to provide Beta release of next generation products to ensure that they can be tested ahead of finalization.
The same process is applied to upgrades, in addition to major iterations of software and services.
Control is also about flexibility in adopting next generation technologies, and I must agree with Microsoft on this one.
Customers should have the option to migrate from on-premise solutions to the Cloud in a number of steps, not only in a single leap, depending on their needs.
With a product like Exchange, companies still allow their users to benefit from a single email system, even if they might be running both the on-premise and Cloud versions of the technology. Those that switch to Google need to brace themselves for a ‘rip and replace’ move.
White also disputed Google’s view that Gmail’s uptime is much better than on-premises Exchange.
“The majority of Exchange customers have either recently completed their upgrade or are in the process of upgrading to Exchange 2010,” White stated.
“Utilizing the latest tools available in Exchange 2010, our customers are seeing up to 99.999% uptime on premises. On the services side, Exchange Online customers get a financially backed, 99.9% uptime guarantee.
“If you are considering Exchange for your next e-mail system, these are the only two versions that are relevant to you.”
Of course, uptime in terms of on-premise deployments of Exchange depends largely not only on the IT pro administering the solution, but also on the investment made by the company. This is why embracing the Cloud makes sense, no more infrastructure hassles, including cost-wise.