As you’ve probably seen when using Google Apps, Google is rolling out a new look and feel across Google products to make the interfaces consistent, streamlined, and easier to use.

The New Look for Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Sites

The new look is optional now, but will soon become permanent for all Google Apps users. These are target release dates and subject to change (see the New Look site for details):

Steps to help you and your users transition to the new look:

• Use the new look now
  See the Google Apps New Look site. You’ll find steps to enable the new look as well as the latest release schedule.

• Communicate to your users and helpdesk staff
  On the New Look site, you’ll find email templates and customizable presentations to help communicate the changes.

Tip: For Gmail, use the one-time switch in the control panel to opt-in all your users, and control the timing of when they see the new look.

• Help your users get up to speed
  Point your users to the Learning Center for guides, tips, and videos. Please plan to update any custom training material you’ve developed.

Please see the New Look site for the latest schedule information. We hope you find the refreshed interfaces easier to use and navigate.

The transition from standard business interface to cloud computing is becoming the IT function of choice for companies, each of which has been convinced by the cloud’s flexibility and efficiency. Here are reasons why your company should consider using Google Apps and cloud computing:

Simplicity

When your business operates in the cloud, there are many internal business functions that are no longer necessary, like an in-house IT team or maintenance to an internal server. This streamlines your company’s processes and communications and saves you money.

Security

There is nothing more terrifying than realizing your server has crashed or email has shut down. With cloud computing, that fear diminishes. Documents, emails and data are automatically saved every few seconds to ensure that they are never lost. These copies are stored in several data centers, keeping them safe and secure. Even if one data center is compromised, the cloud is able to seamlessly transition to another center without interrupting your work or business. There is also a two-step verification process for each user, ensuring that information is only accessible by the right persons.

Availability

The cloud is everywhere. Using cloud computing allows collaboration and telecommuting to take place easily. Multiple people using multiple computers in multiple locations can participate in file sharing. This flexibility allows workflow to continue whether you’re sitting next to each other or the other side of the world. In 2010, Google Apps achieved 99.984 percent uptime.

Accent Plus is committed to making cloud computing work for your business. Let us discuss with you how to harness the cloud for the benefit and growth of your business.

Business application software has been undergoing a decade of change, from its architecture, development and deployment to its business model.

Cloud computing and “software as a service” (SaaS) offers dramatic gains in the way your company operates, its efficiency, lowering costs on IT and labor.

Business practices are streamlined by storing all information on one platform, accessible from anywhere. Information and resources are shared across this network and distributed to computers, phones, tablet devices – any technology your company employs for business use.

You would no longer have to worry about losing access to a server, server downtime or misplacing a file. Once it’s in the cloud, it is easy to find and easy to access.

A recent Google study reported that running a cloud-based email platform is more energy-efficient than employing an in-house email system. The study found that using Gmail for a year consumes less energy than it would to send a message in a wine bottle (including drinking the bottle of wine).

Understanding the way cloud computing works doesn’t have to be difficult, and there are myriad ways to make the cloud work for your business.

Accent Plus is here to make your cloud needs a reality. From apps to email networks, Accent Plus can use to cloud to make your business and your life function more easily, and how much more can you really ask?

Over the next few months, Google products and experiences will get a facelift. It’s simple: These changes will give users a more focused, seamless and consistent online experience. Here are the three areas Google is improving.

Focus

With streamlined interfaces, Google will offer user-friendly apps and thoughtful design. Your focus, whether it’s checking your email, searching a product or finding a restaurant, will become Google’s focus. The design will be more intuitive, allowing users to quickly and effectively use the apps.

Elasticity

Consider all the ways that we access the Internet. From desktops to laptops, tablets to smartphones, there is no shortage of ways to use the Web. Google is committed to providing users a great experience across all platforms. Users will be able to access an app on their big screen television or their tablet without sacrificing design aesthetics or functionality.

Ease of Use

Google doesn’t need bells and whistles. Their apps and products speak for themselves. For that reason, the third design principle that Google is focused on is effortlessness. Designs will be clean and simple and will incorporate new technologies such as HTML5 and WebGL. More power and less distractions make for great products.

Interested in using the new Google design and experience for your business? Accent Plus can help you harness the power of Google apps in a way that works for you.

For more information on how cloud computing can make your business more effective, efficient and secure please contact Accent Plus.

As cloud computing continues to gain scale and popularity, the positive environmental impact of utilizing cloud-based servers is becoming apparent.

Google recently announced plans to open a seawater-cooled data center.  Traditionally, server warehouses have been cooled by air conditioning, which use incredible amounts of energy to both power the servers and keep them cool enough to stay operational.  Google hopes to use tunnels to push cold seawater into the building, keeping their machines cooler with less energy.  The water will be returned to sea temperature before being released back into the ocean in order to minimize environmental impact.

Data centers are just like energy sources; their effectiveness and efficiency grows with scale.  Many businesses that use in-house servers waste energy by not making the switch to the cloud, as they have to spend money and energy keeping these servers cool.  Data centers realize economies of scale by using the same amount of energy to cool more computing power.

Environmental initiatives are becoming more and more important to consumers.  If your business is serious about going green, you may want to consider an eco-friendly switch to cloud computing.

Google Business Solutions just got even more versatile with the addition of an official Google Docs Android app.  Now you can create, edit, and share documents on the go straight from your Android smartphone.  The Android app takes advantage of all of the features of the web-based software, allowing fellow collaborators to see edits to documents instantly across platforms.

Additionally, the app can be used to view regular documents and PDFs.  Should you need to edit such a document on the go, any traditional document (such as a Word doc) can be converted to a Google Doc in seconds, where you can then edit instantly from your phone or later from a computer.  The app even allows the capability to take a picture of printed text and convert it into an editable Google Doc.

Finally, the Google Docs app is designed for real-time collaboration.  Any doc can be shared with any number in your contact list, making it easier than ever to collaborate and communicate with family, coworkers, and friends.

Google Apps for Business has never been more versatile, and Accent Plus is proud to offer these solutions.  For more information on how your business can use Google Apps to become more efficient and effective, please contact Accent Plus.

Read more about the Android Google Docs app here.

On June 8th, 2011 — World IPv6 Day (http://worldipv6day.org/) — major web companies, including Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, and Microsoft, will enable IPv6 on many of their websites for 24 hours to test how IPv6 performs in the real world.  That day, Google will be using IPv6 (http://worldipv6day.org/faq/index.html) for Google Apps, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Sites.

More than 99.9% of people shouldn’t have any problems during this industry-wide test, but your experience on June 8th will depend on your computer and network configuration.
- If you only have IPv4, you’ll simply use IPv4 as usual and not see any test-related problems.
- If your configuration is ready for IPv6, you’ll automatically use IPv6 and not see any test-related problems.
- In rare cases if you have IPv6 enabled but not configured properly, you may have connectivity issues with Google Apps and other test sites on June 8th.

If you’d like to start checking your organization’s IPv6 preparedness before June 8th, you can instruct your users to visit ipv6test.google.com from the devices where they access Google Apps, like primary work machines, tablet devices and home computers.  If you discover IPv6 connectivity problems, please let us know.

If you are having a major issue related to this from now until the end of June 8th, 2011 and need to contact us about IPv6, please submit your inquiry here:

Submit a Support Request

We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Google Apps has recently released exciting new updates for their platform to help businesses operate more effectively and efficiently.  The highlights include:

• An update to the Comments feature in Google Docs

The commenting feature in Google Docs, already a powerful collaboration tool for businesses, has been updated to reflect the discussion-style setting of an editorial board or meeting.  Comments can now be edited, commented on by others, or deleted to reflect progress in the discussion.  Additionally, Google Docs comments now integrate with email, alerting you when a concern has been edited, updated, or resolved.

• Sending from another email in Gmail

Have you ever wanted to send a personal email from a personal account without logging out of your work email?  Gmail has recently added the feature to choose what address an email is sent out from right from the Compose screen. This feature has long been in demand from the multi-tasking professional preventing multiple log-ins and outs throughout the day.

• Advanced data filtering in Google Spreadsheets

A common criticism of the Google Docs platform has been Spreadsheet’s inability to keep pace with Microsoft Excel’s advanced data filtering and analysis software.  However, this gap is quickly narrowing.  One can now filter and sort many rows at once by multiple categories, and when combined with Doc’s collaborative editing and access-anywhere features, Spreadsheets becomes an extremely powerful tool.  Learn more here.

• Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office

The relationship between Google and Microsoft products has certainly been ineffective and inefficient for years, but appears to be progressing. If you just can’t break that tie to Excel, Google can still help your business operate more efficiently.  Google Cloud Connect adds collaborative editing, revision histories, and automatic cloud sync to Microsoft Office documents, giving users still chained to traditional office applications the chance to experience life in the cloud.

With such great tools already released and more, such as an official Google Docs app, on the way, there has never been a better time than now to make the jump to cloud computing.  Contact us for more information on how we can help your business become more productive and efficient.

Accent Plus is proud to announce that it has recently been named a Boost eLearning Authorized Reseller.  With Boost’s products, Accent Plus has never been better equipped to help clients effectively implement Google Apps into their core business practices.  Accent is now prepared to provide the training needed to make sure that every employee in your organization experiences a smooth transition to cloud computing.  Additionally, Boost is the only Google Enterprise Partner who provides end-user training on Google Search and the Google Search Appliance.

For more information on how your business can use Google Apps to increase productivity and efficiency, please contact us.