Seriously, why does ANYONE use anything other than Google Search and Analytics? Why do you willfully choose to expose yourself and your business to what they can do to you? From the article:
"A few minutes into my Google-less existence, I realized how dependent I had become. I couldn’t finish my work or my taxes, because my notes and expenses were stored in Google Drive, and I didn’t know what else I should work on because my Google calendar had disappeared. I couldn’t publicly gripe about what I was going through, because my Blogger no longer existed. My Picasa albums were gone. I’d lost my contacts and calling plan through Google Voice; otherwise I would have called friends to cry."
And that list of losses can be expanded if you use other Google tools.
Personally, I just don't get it. I was using various forms of email before Google even existed. I settled on Outlook and self-hosted email on Linux a long time ago. Oh yes, MS Office for docs, calendars, etc.. Perfect? Nope. But nobody can flip a switch and take it all away overnight.
I simply could not fathom running any of my businesses with this kind of daily risk. Any one of your employees could trigger a Google account shutdown and cost you dearly.
What's the problem here? Are MS license fees too expensive when compared to loosing all of your data overnight?
As for the other non-MS Office services offered by Google, well, there are tons of alternatives, free and paid.
I was lucky enough to learn this lesson about three years ago when a client's account was shut down merely for moving about two hundred domains to a an "AdSense for Domains" service they used to offer. Bam! Three days later their entire account is shutdown, AdWords, AdSense, Gmail, Docs, everything. Wow. New user too.
From that point forward I made a few decisions I have yet to violate:
- Use Google Search if you must
- Use Google Analytics if you must
- Use Google AdWords if you must
- Do not base a business on Google AdSense.
Your entire revenue stream could evaporate overnight.
- Do NOT use ANY OTHER Google service, no matter how enticing or
convenient it might be. Consider what the cost to your business
might be if that new sparkling offering on the table
is pulled away without notice or recourse.
- Do not build a business on a foundation someone else has full control over.
So far, so good. Email, documents, backups and collaboration existed just fine before Google was even an idea in someone's head. Don't be lured into something that can kill your business and cause you personal financial damage.
If I were running an investment firm I would have a clause in my contracts requiring that no business-critical services are to be hosted by Google on any companies we'd invest on. Talk about playing with fire. Invest millions into a venture and Google pulls their data backbone from right under them? Crap! Screw that.