Women in tech: a chat with Kelly Campbell, Director of Enterprise Marketing at Google

Editor's note: From Ada Lovelace to the ladies of ENIAC, women have played an important part in driving technology forward. As Women’s History Month winds down, we’re highlighting a handful of women who are making strides, driving change and shaping the future of technology. Today, we hear from Kelly Campbell, Director of Enterprise Marketing at Google.

How did you get into technology?
I entered the world of technology when I joined Google in 2005 after getting my MBA. I’d worked in Finance earlier in my career and did an internship as a brand manager at a large CPG company, but both had left me wanting more. In my second year of business school, a handful of companies from various industries came to campus to talk about potential job opportunities. I popped into my first tech session, with Amazon, and was blown away. There was so much energy and excitement around what they were doing and where the tech industry was going that just didn’t exist in the other sessions. Then Google visited, and I was hooked. I joined the company after graduation and haven’t looked back since. In this industry, you have to constantly challenge the status quo and think about the future first. I love the pace, energy, challenges and vast opportunity. 

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in technology since working in the space?
Since I joined Google, I’ve seen a dramatic change in the way people work and the way people learn.

When I started, most people used devices and apps in their home life that they loved, while they were stuck with slow, heavy enterprise software and devices at work. Working from home, on the road or from a remote office meant feeling disconnected and operating in isolation. Now, with the incredible growth in the mobile space and the development of smartphones and tablets, people can use whichever devices they want to work with and work from wherever they need to be. You don’t have to be in the same place to feel like you’re working side by side with someone. You’re seeing their face over a video conference or collaborating on a document at the same exact time, watching as the words they type appear right on the screen in front of you.

On the learning front, if you look at a classroom today and compare it with eight years ago, the landscape has changed exponentially. Students are relying more on technology to learn, and education content and devices are opening new opportunities for teaching all over the world.

What advice do you have for other women interested in technology?I’m one of four girls in my family, and my father always taught me the importance of having thick skin. I definitely think this applies to anyone working in the technology space. Decisions are made quickly. Change happens often. It’s important to be open to all perspectives and to be ready to push hard for what you really believe in. 

How did starting a family affect your ability to continue to move fast at work in the tech space?It was incredibly hard to take that first step away from work, and then to come back five months later and acknowledge how much I’d missed. But becoming a mother has also helped me in ways that I didn’t anticipate. First, it helped me put things in perspective. It’s incredibly inspiring to look at my child and think about all of the possibilities that technology will enable for him. Second, I increased my productivity quite a bit when I had a child. It’s important to me to be fully present whether I’m with family or colleagues. To strike this balance, I need to draw clear lines between work time and family time.

Women in Tech: a chat with Carolyn Cheng, SVP of Strategic Services for Royal LePage

Editor's note: From Ada Lovelace to the ladies of ENIAC, women have played an important part in driving technology forward. As Women’s History Month winds down, we’re highlighting a handful of women who are making strides, driving change and shaping the future of technology. Today, we hear from Carolyn Cheng, SVP of Strategic Services for Royal LePage, a Google Enterprise customer.  How did you first get involved in technology? I’d say that technology found me. I began my professional life as a management consultant in strategy and operations at Deloitte Consulting, then joined the growth strategy group at Brookfield Real Estate Services to help drive new business opportunities. After a strong growth period for the company, each person from the team took on a strategic role in one of the operating companies - and I joined Royal LePage. I was brought on to develop new products and services for their network of agents (now more than 15,000), and since they’re distributed so widely across North America, many of those products and services had to be delivered over the web. And thus began my journey into the world of technology. Have any mentors or communities been especially instrumental to your interest and success in tech? The Royal LePage culture has played a huge role in driving and developing my career in tech. When I started at the company, the CIO and half of our senior executives were women, so having those positive examples was inspiring. Our culture is also very entrepreneurial, driven in particular by our President, who ensures that employees who show enthusiasm, curiosity and capability are given opportunities to pursue new ideas - even if they’re outside their defined job role. I wasn’t a technologist by trade, for example, but once I’d established my capabilities and strengths, I was given new opportunities that happened to intersect with technology. In general, I think the inquisitive, analytical problem solving skills that are the backbone of strategy are well aligned with developing and delivering services through technology. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in technology since working in the space? For one, it’s now much easier and faster to implement technology projects. A decade ago, we often built our own custom solutions in-house, which meant building the software, installing the hardware and learning by trial and error along the way. These were greater stress-induced days, to say the least. Today, third-party solutions in real estate are far more mature and require much more straightforward configuration. And when we choose to build custom, differentiated solutions, we partner with experienced vendors, use an agile process supported with documentation and, most often, ensure those solutions is cloud-based. On the whole, projects deliver in almost half the time, at a lower cost and with a far higher quality product. What advice do you have for women interested or working in tech today? Technology is such an integral part of the fabric of how work gets done that I think it’s critical for all women to learn about it one way or another. There’s no role that doesn’t touch technology somehow: sales people need CRMs, marketers have to be conversant in SEO, SEM and social media, finance relies on tech-based tools to deliver business intelligence. The choice revolves more around where you want to sit on the spectrum of technology - on one end, purely as an end user, or on the other, as a more technical creator or implementer. But the more you know about technology, the more opportunities you open up for yourself. So, if I had one piece of advice, it’s to learn about technology from a young age, then decide what interests you most and go after it. Technology has a much broader definition and is more accessible than ever before. And from what I’ve experienced myself, women in technology are often very grounded, extraordinarily passionate and want to achieve great things, so you’ll be in good company.

Admin default setting for Google+ profile discoverability

Google Apps admins now have the ability to set the default state for profile discoverability in their domain through a control in the admin console. The setting is available for customers who have enabled Premium Features. It is checked by default (i.e., profiles are discoverable in public web searches). At launch: All users with discoverability on will get the admin default All users with discoverability off will be unaffected by the default (since they explicitly set it off) Example 1: User has set profile to be discoverable prior to launch, admin changes default setting to not be discoverable, user’s setting changes to not be discoverable Example 2: User has set profile to not be discoverable prior to launch, admin changes default setting to not be discoverable, user’s setting does not change Going forward: Changing the admin default will change the users setting if the user has not yet set discoverability Once a user manually sets their profile discoverability setting (off or on), that setting persists even if the admin default is modified Example: User has set profile to be discoverable after launch, admin changes default setting to not be discoverable, user’s setting does not change Note: In domains where an admin sets profile discoverability to be off by default (i.e., unchecks the setting), users may still want to be able to discover their co-workers in the same domain. To enable this functionality, we extended Google+ to leverage contact sharing. If the admin has enabled contact sharing for services such as Gmail then co-workers will be suggested in autocomplete results irrespective of their discoverability setting. Editions included:  Google Apps for Business, Education and Government For more information: http://support.google.com/a/answer/4524919

Edit images right in Google Slides and Drawings

Google Slides and Drawings make it easy for you to tell a story and share your ideas. And a big part of storytelling is the images you use to bring a concept to life. Now it’s even easier to get those images just right, because Slides will let you crop, apply shape masks, and add borders to your images right within your presentation.  Cropping To crop an image, select it and click on the crop image icon in the toolbar. Then drag the corners to your desired crop size and hit enter to make the crop. Applying masks  To crop your image to a particular shape, apply a mask from the pull-down menu next to the crop icon. There are tons of shapes, arrows and callout designs to choose from, like the heart example below. Adding borders  Add a border to your image by clicking on the line weight icon, and give it a little extra pop by changing the line color. Look out for image editing in Slides and Drawings over the next couple of hours. Here’s to more beautiful presentations and drawings! Posted by Brian Levee, Product Manager

U.S. Geological Survey and Google Maps Gallery unlock maps across America

Posted by Mark DeMulder, Director of the National Geospatial Program at the U.S. Geological Survey

Editor's note: Today’s guest blogger is Mark DeMulder, Director of the National Geospatial Program at the U.S. Geological Survey. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. 

Maps were made for public consumption, not for safekeeping under lock and key. From the dawn of society, people have used maps to learn what’s around us, where we are and where we can go. 

Since 1879, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been dedicated to providing reliable scientific information to better understand the Earth and its ecosystems. Mapping is an integral part of what we do. From the early days of mapping on foot in the field to more modern methods of satellite photography and GPS receivers, our scientists have created over 193,000 maps to understand and document changes to our environment. 

Government agencies and NGOs have long used our maps everything from community planning to finding hiking trails. Farmers depend on our digital elevation data to help them produce our food. Historians look to our maps from years past to see how the terrain and built environment have changed over time.

While specific groups use USGS as a resource, we want the public at-large to find and use our maps, as well. The content of our maps—the information they convey about our land and its heritage—belongs to all Americans. Our maps are intended to serve as a public good. The more taxpayers use our maps and the more use they can find in the maps, the better. 

We recognize that our expertise lies in mapping, so partnering with Google, which has expertise in Web design and delivery, is a natural fit.Google Maps Gallery helps us organize and showcase our maps in an efficient, mobile-friendly interface that’s easy for anyone to find what they’re looking for. Maps Gallery not only publishes USGS maps in high-quality detail, but makes it easy for anyone to search for and discover new maps.

Maps have always played a fundamental role in the development of society. Our understanding of the world through written history was built with the help of maps. Now, thanks to advances in mapping technologies and Maps Gallery, USGS maps can play an even broader role in more peoples’ day-to-day lives.

Celebrating women in technology for Women's History Month

Editor's note: From Ada Lovelace to the ladies of ENIAC, women have played an important part in driving technology forward. As Women’s History Month winds down, we’re highlighting a handful of women who are making strides, driving change and shaping the future of technology. Today, we hear from Jeanne DeWitt, Head of Americas SMB Sales for Google Apps. How and when did you first get involved in technology? I grew up watching my dad sell the first PCs for IBM and alpha testing computer games like Midnight Rescue! and Reader Rabbit, so when it came time to graduate from college, I knew I wanted to apply to Google. I ended up on the Gmail Support team just two months after the product launched. It was my job to answer users’ questions and help diagnose bugs, which ultimately led to me working closely with Product and Engineering to help shape the future direction of Gmail. What other women do you look up to?  I’ve always looked up to Claire Johnson, one of my first Google managers and now VP at Google [x]. As a manager, she delivered tough love that was both direct and highly inspirational — a skill I’ve attempted to emulate throughout my management career. As a leader, she’s incisive and quick to get to the crux of the issue. She’s a classic “all-around athlete” who can take off her functional hat to lead any team. On top of all this, she’s authentic and incredibly witty. What advice do you have for women interested or working in tech today? For those considering tech, don’t be worried about having a non-traditional background. I’m a French major who worked in Support, who’s now leading a Sales organization across two continents. You just have to dive in! For women in tech, realize that the fact that you may be one of the few women in the room is an asset and a differentiator. Embrace your unique perspective and style. It contributes to a better outcome.

City of New York and Google Maps help people stay street smart

Posted by Colin Reilly, Director, New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications  Editor's note: Last year, the City of New York enacted legislation requiring the creation of a crime map that the public could use to get information about safety on city streets. The Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) worked with the New York Police Department (NYPD) to create an interactive visualization of crime trends in the city. Today we hear from Colin Reilly, Director ofDoITT’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Unit, who led the team that developed the map. For a bustling city of more than eight million, New York City has remarkably low crime rates — it’s the safest big city in the country. However, that doesn’t stop the government from always looking for new ways to keep the public safe. Last year the city passed a law requiring the Department of Information Technology (DoITT) to create an interactive crime map. The ability to visualize crime incidents empowers people to make informed decisions about their safety. Additionally, publishing the data in such a public and accessible way makes each precinct more accountable for crime in its area. With these goals in mind, we worked with the NYPD to release the NYC Crime Map. We used Google Maps Engine to layer information about specific crime incidents – including felonies like murder, rape and theft – on top of a Google Map. Now New Yorkers have a tool at their fingertips to quickly assess the safety of their surroundings through the familiar Google Map interface. People planning a move can search specific addresses before relocating. Neighborhood and community organizations use the map to view patterns over a certain period of time to understand, for instance, whether crime has increased in the area of a new nightclub. The default map view lets you zoom in and out to quickly see the crime rate for a particular area. You can search for crimes by type and date range. We’ve also added a heat map that color codes crime incidents per 1,000 residents, which makes it easy to compare the concentration of crime by precinct or location. Previously, the police department posted raw data – such as listings of crimes, dates and addresses, on a website. The new, intuitive map interface visualizes these statistics by geographical area, type, and date, making it much easier to read and overall more helpful for New Yorkers. Before starting the project we assessed several open-source tools, but we chose Google Maps for Business because it allowed us to develop the map quickly and without the need for specialized GIS skills. Google hosts all of the data in the cloud as well, which allows us to focus on our core mission – developing innovative technology solutions for the New York City. Thanks to Google Maps, the NYC Crime Map can handle large volumes of traffic – a third of which comes from mobile devices – which we couldn’t have managed on our own. The NYC Crime Map is part of a larger citywide campaign to be more transparent and accountable to the public. With the easy-to-use interface the NYC Crime Map provides, policymakers and the public they serve are provided a clearer view into the safety of neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

Staying at the forefront of email security and reliability: HTTPS-only and 99.978% availability

Posted by Nicolas Lidzborski, Gmail Security Engineering Lead  (Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog and Gmail Blog) Editor's note: The updates below apply to both consumers and Google Apps users. Your email is important to you, and making sure it stays safe and always available is important to us. As you go about your day reading, writing, and checking messages, there are tons of security measures running behind the scenes to keep your email safe, secure, and there whenever you need it. Starting today, Gmail will always use an encrypted HTTPS connection when you check or send email. Gmail has supported HTTPS since the day it launched, and in 2010 we made HTTPS the default. Today's change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail’s servers—no matter if you're using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet. In addition, every single email message you send or receive—100% of them—is encrypted while moving internally. This ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail's servers, but also as they move between Google's data centers—something we made a top priority after last summer’s revelations. Of course, being able to access your email is just as important as keeping it safe and secure. In 2013, Gmail was available 99.978% of the time, which averages to less than two hours of disruption for a user for the entire year. Our engineering experts look after Google's services 24x7 and if a problem ever arises, they're on the case immediately. We keep you informed by posting updates on the Apps Status Dashboard until the issue is fixed, and we always conduct a full analysis on the problem to prevent it from happening again. Our commitment to the security and reliability of your email is absolute, and we’re constantly working on ways to improve. You can learn about additional ways to keep yourself safe online, like creating strong passwords and enabling 2-step verification, by visiting the Security Center: https://www.google.com/help/security.

Cisco WebEx and Cisco UC: coming to Chromebooks near you

Posted by Saswat Panigrahi, Product Manager, Chrome for Business  Chromebooks are designed to make computing easier and better for everyone. Businesses of all sizes prefer their low total cost of ownership,central web-based management console and built-in, strong security mechanisms. They’re also great devices for collaborating from anywhere, any time. Today we’re adding another tool for businesses to connect on the go. At the Enterprise Connect conference, Rajen Sheth, Director of Product Management, Chrome for Business announced we’re working with Cisco, and demonstrated a proof of concept of Cisco WebEx running on a Chromebook. We're also integrating Cisco UC technologies into Google Apps, helping our joint customers work better together. Imagine joining a WebEx meeting directly from Calendar, or starting an instant meeting from Contacts or the Gmail People widget. Starting today, if you use Cisco and Google Apps, features you love, like messaging, fax, click-to-call and Cisco presence, are visible alongside Gmail. If you’re a Cisco customer and you’re interested in learning more, get in touch with your Google sales team or contact Google Enterprise sales here. To learn more about Chromebooks, find more details here.

Concord Hospitality uses Google Chromeboxes to connect hotel employees

Posted by Andrew Switala, Network Administrator, Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company

Editor's note: Today’s guest blogger is Andrew Switala, Network Administrator for Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company, a private hotel developer, owner and operator based in Raleigh, North Carolina. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. 

Concord Hospitality operates nearly 100 Marriott and other premium-branded hotel properties in the United States and Canada, catering primarily to business travelers. We’ve expanded quickly in the past seven years, growing to about 4,900 employees and doubling the number of our hotel properties. The hotel industry is constantly changing and we strive to be at the forefront of the evolution even as we grow. We’re always looking to embrace the newest and best technology. So when we needed a technology to offer all employees access to human resources information – particularly those who don’t normally have access to a computer – we opted for the Google Chromebox.

All of our hotel employees use the communal Chromeboxes to view their pay stubs and tax forms, see how many vacation hours they’ve accrued, and ask for time off. They also can send any of this information to nearby printers using Google Cloud Print from nearby printers. 

The management console for the Chromeboxes adds great efficiency to our HR operations. Chrome kiosk mode allows us to keep the Chromeboxes switched to show only the HR app, so employees always have what they need at their fingertips. My IT staff doesn’t need to worry about provisioning other apps, or monitoring Internet usage. Also, if our IT team needs to update anything, we can go into the management console, make the change, and apply it to all Chromeboxes at once. 

The boxes were simple to set up and we finished our rollout of the devices and management console nearly two months early. Price was a big factor in our decision to deploy the Chromeboxes. Initially, we planned to invest in traditional computer kiosks, but the costs were prohibitive. Our human resources department only had $1,000 to spend on new technology for each property. We realized that one slim little Chromebox would accomplish essentially the same thing as a bulky, $5,000 computer kiosk in terms of information access for our staff – but for a fraction of the cost.

We put Chromeboxes in the breakrooms at every one of our hotels last year and employees are thrilled. They love the speed with which the pages load and find them easy to use; we haven’t needed any support so far. We created a Spanish-language tutorial for the employees who are not native English speakers and they’re able to hop right on the system. The computers are easy to use, durable and reliable. 

Chromeboxes allow us to provide necessary resources and services to all of our employees without requiring full Internet access for workers who have limited needs and computer skills. While cost may have been the initial reason we went with Google, the benefits of easy management and speed have us considering additional uses. We may end up using Chromeboxes for our hotel guests in the future.

World Bank adds maps to Google Maps Gallery, opening data for the world to see

Posted by Neil Fantom, Manager, Development Data Group, Nicole Klingen, Sector Manager, Health, Nutrition and Population, and Aleem Walji, Director, Innovation Labs at the World Bank  Editor's note: Today’s guest bloggers are from the World Bank, which provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. Almost half of the world’s population lives each day on the equivalent of just a few dollars. In 2010, 1.2 billion people tried to feed and clothe their families, put roofs over their heads and pay for healthcare and other essential services with less than $1.25 a day. About 3 billion people lived on less than $4 a day. That’s why at the World Bank, our goals are as enormous as the challenges people face. We’re working with countries to end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost the prosperity of the poorest 40% of people in developing countries. These goals are ambitious. But they’re also achievable if we start with data that’s open and accessible to everyone who needs it: the policymakers, researchers, civil society, journalists and citizens who are effecting transformational changes in their countries. At the World Bank, we’re serious about open data because it helps countries understand where their nations’ poorest live in relation to the resources they need most, such as food and medical supplies. We’ve curated estimates for years of indicators, such as infant and maternal mortality, life expectancy, malnutrition, and access to water and sanitation. These indicators give country-level estimates that help shape a country’s development agenda—but we need to look beyond national totals and averages to better understand what’s happening locally, where there’s a unique set of challenges with an equally unique set of solutions. Recently, we’ve been working with the World Health Organization to curate a dataset of malnutrition indicators. Now, this malnutrition dataset is in Google Maps Gallery—and it’s just one of the datasets that are helping countries map their people in relation to essential services, systems and resources. With Maps Gallery, we’re making national, subnational and granular data more understandable—and we’re also creating rich, multi-layered maps that paint a vibrant picture of the challenges countries face and the opportunities that await. For example, through Maps Gallery, if policymakers overlaid statistics about sanitation, health services and poverty on top of a map of malnutrition rates, they could better understand the specific causes of malnutrition in a particular area and guide planning on how to address them. This knowledge spurs debate and improves decision-making—helping countries target their investments and most importantly, save lives. These datasets are part of our Open Data Initiative. We’ve also geo-coded our World Bank projects in countries with the locations where they operate, making this data publicly available. And we’ve created our own “mash-ups” with this information and other datasets through Mapping for Results. We’re looking forward to seeing the innovative ways that others are using the datasets. For years, at the World Bank we’ve been gathering and curating data that we’ve made available through our Open Data Initiative, in machine-readable formats. Bringing the figures in a spreadsheet to life, through maps in the Gallery and other ways, helps reveal the story hidden among the data. And that story helps governments make better, more informed decisions and develop innovative solutions to their trickiest problems.

Auberge Resorts empowers guests and enlivens corporate culture with Google Apps and Chromebooks

Posted by Tim Dickson, Director of Technology, Auberge Resorts  Editor's note: Today’s guest blogger is Tim Dickson, Director of Technology for Auberge Resorts, a boutique luxury hotel company with hotels in seven locations, including the Auberge Resorts, Esperanza Resort, Calistoga Ranch, Solage and Malliouhana, a new property in the British West Indies. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. It may seem counter-intuitive in an industry that strives to offer a more human touch, but at Auberge Resorts we try to minimize guest interaction with staff. Our luxury hotels offer immersive experiences ranging from mineral baths and wine tastings in Napa Valley to private casitas overlooking the Sea of Cortez in Baja Mexico. The less time our guests spend at the front desk, the more time they have to explore all that our properties have to offer. So we purchased Chromebooks for our guests to check in and out at their convenience — whether that’s from the pool or their room — but they don’t have to wait for us. Employees at our resorts and residential vacation rental properties will be using Chromebooks behind the front desk for the day-to-day operations soon, too. They’re easy to deploy and support, which saves us money from an infrastructure and maintenance perspective and makes life easier for the small IT teams in our various locations. Plus, Chromebooks automatically check for security updates and download them as needed, saving our team from the tedious task of installing frequent patches. We can focus on providing the best services and experience for our guests, instead of dealing with computer issues. We also switched our 2,000 employees from Microsoft Outlook to Google Apps. One of our primary goals in moving to Google Apps was to improve coordination among sales and marketing staff across the company. Employees at the resorts and offices in New York, San Diego and Los Angeles can share the same documents and spreadsheets. Sales associates can work in the same doc at the same time and see which potential guests have been called so they can avoid duplicating efforts. Using Google Apps hasn’t just improved our productivity - it’s changing our corporate culture. Meetings used to be boring: people sat on phone calls, reading from agendas. Now, employees are excited to have discussions over Google Hangouts. They bring out our employees’ creativity and personalities, and they getting to know each other better as a result. During a recent companywide Hangout to share updates about our sustainability efforts, teams from the different resorts acted out skits to relay stories about their conservation efforts. One team installed a chicken coop on their property and wore chicken costumes on the Hangout as part of their performance, and another group told their story using a children’s rhyme. Google Apps and Chromebooks are bringing our employees closer together, helping us improve communication and productivity and enhancing the resort experience for our guests in ways we never dreamed of before. The technology allows us to improve our customer service in a unique manner, to offer visitors more flexibility and convenience and to set our resorts apart. Guests still get the smile and top-notch service they expect from our friendly staff, but we let them be in control over their own experiences.

Sure Indonesia gains better IT management with a low cost by using Google Apps

Organization
Being established in 2011, PT Sure Indonesia (Sure Indonesia) is a new company focus on the development of social economy and culture. They initiate comprehensive social development program that is known as Smart Village. This program included several aspects such as education, health, green energy saving, agribusiness, mining, social economy and culture development.

As the new company, Sure Indonesia is considered fast-growth company with more than 200 staffs. Sure Indonesia’s head office is located in Tangerang, Banten.

Challenges
Smooth communication is needed among the staffs in a company so that they can work together to achieve the company’s goal. The same goes for the communication with customers. For a company like Sure Indonesia, communication among staff and departments and with the customers is certainly fundamental in order to make the company can work well to embody their programs and serve the public. Before moving to Google Apps, Sure Indonesia experienced challenges in sending and receiving emails as well as sharing and managing data.

Each staff used their private email to do company’s correspondence. First, the emails sent out does not represent the company. Second when the employee leaves, the data is gone with the employees. The company is losing valuable information.

The absence of company email was also making Sure Indonesia at risk since they did not have total control on their own data. There was no security assurance because they could not manage those who could access the data. It was really essential that Sure Indonesia had their company email system.

Solution with Google Apps
SADA Systems Asia then introduced Google Apps for Business to Sure Indonesia. The team at Sure Indonesia welcomed Google Apps for Business as their messaging and collaboration solutions. Emails with company domains, having control over the email data with Google Vault, collaborating internally and externally using Google Drive really being appreciated by Sure Indonesia to run their businesses.

“Using Google Apps for Business is indeed very helpful especially in company correspondence, sharing and controlling our data so that the company’s confidential will be securely managed. Our company is also more representative by having our company name domain in emails,” explained Johan, who found that Google Apps with its rich features has made a great impact in the communication among the staffs’ and clients.

Result
For the IT Department, Johan expressed that his company can save more on IT cost with Google Apps for Business. They do not need to invest in high price to the server, hardware maintenance, and licensing. With the SLA 99.9%, Sure Indonesia can focus on their business process and not to worry about managing email.

“Overall,” said Johan, “using Google Apps is making us easier in doing the tasks, secure in sharing and accessing data, and really cost-saving. It is the apps that every company should have.”

Google Apps Seminar: “Leave Your Worries in the Cloud: Work Anywhere, Any Device, Any Time”

On February 18th, 2014, Google Apps’ seminar “Leave Your Worries in the Cloud: Work Anywhere, Any Device, Any Time” was conducted to introduce Google Apps for Business to the SMB and Mid Market Enterprise. The seminar was held in Google Office which was recently opened in Jakarta. The seminar was co-host by Anna Smith from Google Australia and Johannes Candra from Sada Systems Asia.

What is Google Apps?
Google Apps for Business is a cloud-based communication and collaboration suite that helps you and your team to connect and get work done from anywhere on any device. Google Apps empowers your organization with the best-of-breed productivity tools with reliability, flexibility, and security you’d expect from Google.

Why Google Apps?
Having learned about main features of Google Apps and practiced on using the apps, the attendees, then, should also be more aware about the benefits of Google Apps such below:

• Fast, secure and reliable with 99.9% SLA and 24/7 support
• Cost effective, no hidden cost and the pricing is straight forward
• Access your data from anywhere and using and any device. Stay connected with co-worker, clients, and anyone
• Collaboration is easy with Google Apps. Working together at real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentation slides with others. WIth Google Docs, everyone gets the latets version of any file
• Google Apps makes IT easy. No servers, no softwares, no maintenance required. Google takes care of everything. You can focus on your business process and growing your business. Google Apps is easy to setup and grow with your business and it cost only $5.00 USD /user/month - just 2 cups of coffee a month.

SURE Indonesia has gone Google
PT Sure Indonesia (Sure Indonesia) is a company that focus on the development of social economy and culture. They initiate comprehensive social development program that is known as Smart Village. This program included several aspects such as education, health, green energy saving, agribusiness, mining, social economy and culture development.

Sure Indonesia is considered fast-growing company with more than 200 staffs. Sure Indonesia’s head office is located in Tangerang, Banten.

Pak Johan Yahya, the IT Manager from PT. Sure Indonesia gave testimonials in the event.

 “Before using Google Apps, each staff used their own mail resulted correspondence became more difficult and insecure. Moreover, when there was staff resigned, the data then was gone with them. It was very disturbing. At the time we wanted to have our own domain in mailing, but the cost for investment to the server was too high, so we delayed it. Until finally we decide to use this Google Apps. This is really helpful. Now, we have our own company name in mail domain so our data is more secure. Besides, we are also able to back up mails via Google fault. Sharing data and organizing events are also much easier. Overall, using Google Apps bring to us a lot of advantages, not only in the IT department, but also to the whole company,”
explained Johan Yahya who was working with Sada Asia in migrating to Google Apps.

Aligned with what had been said by Johan Yahya, the seminar about Google Apps was exactly an eye-opener for any company who wanted to have cost-saving IT management. It was the smartest solution to grow business much better, both in regional or international.

To find out more about Google Apps, please visit our website www.sadaasia.com or contact us gapps@sadaasia.com

Omada Health chooses Chromebooks to grow its business

Posted by Andrew DiMichele, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Omada Health  Editor's note: Today’s guest blogger is Andrew DiMichele, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Omada Health in San Francisco. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. Every young company has to make careful decisions about technology purchases and how to get the most value for their money. At Omada Health, the decisions get more challenging: How do we stay compliant with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)? Can we manage how people in our company access and share protected health information? Can we assure our customers that we can keep this data secure – and can we do it affordably? Chromebooks allow us to build our business in a way that we think is best for reducing the impact of chronic disease. Omada creates software programs that help at-risk people improve their health. Insurers and employers buy our programs, which help people share their progress as they become healthier and receive support from a social community. Our first product, Prevent, is a 16-week online program that helps people lose weight and change the factors that put them at risk for Type 2 Diabetes. All work by our health coaches is done with participants, but their task is still to make sure the program's goals are being met. These coaches work from home or at client sites – for instance, they may be nutritionists or dieticians with their own businesses. We need to give them tools for managing Omada programs and participants without worrying that data is being accessed by unauthorized people. We considered allowing health coaches to use their own computers, or supplying them with laptops from other brands, but we realized we’d have no way to control how or where they download information, or who else might use the machines and gain access to our participant data. Supplying health coaches with Chromebooks is the simplest, most cost-effective way we’ve found to provide easy yet secure access to program information. Through the management console, we configure our Chromebooks to delete local data when users log off, so if a Chromebook is lost or stolen, data won’t fall into the wrong hands. We limit logins to our health coaches only, so no one else can use a Chromebook to gain entry to our coaching and program solutions. Because Chrome is the browser on Chromebooks, and because we can prevent other programs from being loaded onto the devices, we can protect ourselves from malware and viruses that could damage our networks. When we talk to prospective customers for our Prevent program, they have many questions about how we secure health information and remain compliant. Giving Chromebooks to our health coaches makes us confident we can meet these strict requirements in a way that doesn't break the bank.

Bring a little something extra to Docs and Sheets with add-ons

Posted by Saurabh Gupta, Product Manager  (Cross-posted on the Google Drive Blog) You use Google Docs and Sheets to get all sorts of stuff done—whether you're staying up late to finish that final paper or just getting started on a new project at the office. But to help take some of that work off your shoulders, today we're launching add-ons—new tools created by developer partners that give you even more features in your documents and spreadsheets. To browse through add-ons for Docs and Sheets, select Get add-ons in the Add-ons menu of any open document or spreadsheet. (Add-ons for spreadsheets are only available in the new Google Sheets). Once you install an add-on it will become available across all of your documents or spreadsheets and you can start using it right away. Here are just a few examples of how add-ons can help you do more with Docs and Sheets: Get approvals from Docs and Sheets  Need to gather approvals or feedback? Letter Feed Workflows routes your document to the right people and adds a simple “Approve” button right inside your document or spreadsheet. You’ll be notified as soon as it’s approved, and can publish the final version with a single click. Print address labels and name tags  With Avery Label Merge you can seamlessly import addresses or names from Sheets into Docs for printing. Just pick the type of Avery labels you’ll be printing and your document will be formatted to match the layout of your label pack. Create a bibliography without leaving Docs  Citing sources is about to get much easier for the millions of students who use Google Docs to write papers. The EasyBib Bibliography Creator helps you cite books, journals, and websites in MLA, APA, and Chicago style by entering in titles, journal article names, and websites right inside your document. Send customized emails  With Merge by Mailchimp you can send customized emails from Google Docs. Use merge tags to pull info from a spreadsheet into your document. Once your data is merged, hit send and your personalized emails will be delivered. These are just some of the many add-ons that are available for you to use right now in the Docs or Sheets add-on stores, with lots more on the way.

Introducing the Google Apps Referral Program: Share a better way of working with customers, friends and networks

Posted by Prajesh Parekh, Google Apps Marketing  When we discover something amazing – whether it’s a new local coffee shop or a tool that improves the way we work – we want to share it with people we know so they can also benefit. For those of us who use Google Apps, the ability to access all of our documents from anywhere on any device and being able to seamlessly collaborate with colleagues or customers across the world, are impressive moments. These are moments we want to share with friends and colleagues because the more the people in our networks use Google Apps, the more seamlessly we can collaborate with them -- whether it’s video conferencing via Hangouts, working together on Docs or sharing calendars. Best of all, it means we can all begin to experience a new way of working. Many of the millions of Google Apps customers learned about tools like Hangouts, Drive and Gmail for business from their customers, friends and networks. To help continue the momentum, we’re launching the Google Apps Referral Program. The referral program makes it easy to share Google Apps with your network and show them how they too can use these tools at work. To show our appreciation, we’re offering a $15 referral bonus for each new Google Apps user you refer. Joining is simple. The Google Apps Referral Program is currently available for anyone based in the US and Canada. Find more program details here and start benefiting when the businesses you know sign up.

Wrapping up the 2014 Global Partner Summit

Posted by Alan Wrafter, Global Channel Marketing  Editor's note: This week we’re featuring news, stories and updates about our vibrant partner community as we host more than 700 partners for our second annual Global Partner Summit. Keep an eye on this blog, our Google+ page and visit our program site for more information on the Google Apps Reseller Program. As our second annual Global Partner Summit comes to a close, we bid adieu to the 700 guests that joined us from all over the world for three days of thought leadership, networking and best practice sharing (and, of course, a bit of fun). Our partners heard from Googlers including Amit Singh, President of Google Enterprise, and Sundar Pichai, SVP of Android, Chrome and Apps, about the state and future of business technology, all while taking in the vision of our Enterprise business. Amit Singh and Sunday Pichai discussing 2014 plans with our partners We also announced a handful of exciting updates and launches to better support our growing partner community, including: The news that we now have more than 10,000 Google Apps Resellers. A formal technology partner track as part of the Google Apps Partner Program, to enhance our relationships with software vendors that build complementary business apps and tools. A tiered Google Cloud Platform Partner Program. Our Premier tier recognizes top service and technology partners, while we've also opened up the program for new partners to join. The launch of the Chrome partner program, which includes resellers of Chrome OS management console, as well as technology and content partners that develop business and education applications for the Chrome OS and browser. Finally, we’d like to congratulate our 2013 Global Partners of the Year: Our partners aren't just partners — they're a critical part of everything we do. From on-boarding and training new Cloud customers to creating specialized software to integrate with Apps, from reselling Chrome OS to managing change management, they ensure our customers get the most out of the technology they use.

Designer Lorna Syson uses Google Apps and Sage One to run her company while on the go

Posted by Lorna Syson, founder of Lorna Syson

Editor's note: This week we’re featuring news, stories and updates about our vibrant partner community as we host more than 700 partners for our second annual Global Partner Summit. Today’s guest blogger is Lorna Syson, founder of Lorna Syson, a British countryside-inspired home accessories company that sells directly online and in interior design shops around the world. Keep an eye on this blog and our Google+ page and visit our program site for more information on the Google Apps Reseller Program.

I have an assistant and interns who come and go, but for the most part, Lorna Syson -- an award-winning purveyor of British countryside-inspired interior accessories -- is a one-woman operation of five years. I wear many hats: founder, designer, salesperson, accountant, customer support specialist, IT admin and marketer. 

People always ask me what my secret to success is -- it’s technology. Since the beginning, I’ve used Google Apps for Business to help me accomplish all these jobs. By accessing Google Apps on my smartphone and tablet, I’m able to manage my emails, calendars, inventory, invoices, and budget, all while running back and forth between meetings. The beauty of keeping records in Google Drive is that my assistant and I are able to update them simultaneously thanks to real-time collaboration.

Recently, I added Sage One, the online invoicing and accounting from Sage to my workflow and it works perfectly with Google Apps. Anytime I spend money or send a bill to a customer, Sage One captures the record and stores it in Google Drive. This way, I know exactly how much money I’m sitting on at the end of the day, and it helps me make smarter business decisions. Previously, I spent anywhere from two days to a week going through boxes of bills and entering them into Excel, trying to figure out how much money I had in my accounts and what payables were outstanding. Now with a couple of taps, I can see which customers are overdue on payments, find them in Google Contacts, and follow up immediately to settle the account.

Because I juggle so many roles, I find myself working from the road far more than from my office. I could easily be on a train, in a park getting design inspiration, or in a coffee shop. This wouldn’t be possible without the mobile capabilities of Google Apps and Sage One. These cloud-based services allow me to stay on top of all aspects of my business from literally anywhere. That, in turn, gives me the freedom to do the stuff that has to be done in person, like meet up with customers and suppliers face to face.

Now that I’m somewhat established in the UK, my next step is to expand internationally. It’ll take a lot more marketing and face time with prospective customers, but armed with the right mobile tools, anything is possible.