Cloud computing offers users the ability to easily access applications from any computer that can launch a Web browser. Google, Salesforce and others have long made the case that cloud computing offers flexibility not available with traditional on-premise computing. But Google and other cloud purveyors have to convince customers the cloud infrastructure is secure and also can provide the variety and depth of applications companies require. Datamation reports on an expanded set of applications Google’s just announced for its Google Apps Marketplace.
New applications have been flowing to the Google Apps Marketplace ever since its debut in March, but today’s launch of 16 new programs is the biggest addition since the service launched.
More than just an online storefront, programs in the Apps Marketplace are designed to integrate with other Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) applications such as Docs, Gmail and Calendar, and they are all available via a single sign-on password enabled by OpenID.
The news comes at a time when Google and other cloud-based vendors are pushing online applications as an alternative to traditional on-premise applications. Even Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is getting into the cloud-apps game, releasing a Web-based version of its popular Office suite last week.
Most of the 16 new applications are business- or productivity-related. Google provided brief snapshot summaries of each application at its Enterprise Blog site.
