Google recruits resellers to land more business users for Apps

Google Apps is getting a few salespeople in a bid to gain more market share.

Google said Wednesday (blog, statement) that it will allow authorized resellers to sell, customize and support Google App Premier Edition for customers.

The goal here is pretty clear: Take Google Apps to more businesses. While the Web savvy take to Google Apps like fish to water a lot of small businesses need handholding. We're not all born to be IT folks. That's where the resellers--essentially the IT departments for many smaller businesses--come in. Simply put, if Google Apps is ever going to threaten Microsoft Office it needs resellers.

My read: The fact that Google needs resellers indicates that the search giant hasn't garnered the paying customers it wanted. For all the talk about Google Apps--1 million business users per Google--it's unclear whether Apps is an experiment or whole hog replacement for Office. Remember Cap Gemini's big Google Apps claims? Meanwhile, Office 14 looms.

Also see: Capgemini brings Google Apps to enterprises

Microsoft offers its take on CapGemini-Google deal

Google and Capgemini just doesn't add up

Here's how the program works: Google will train, support and give resellers access to integration tools. Resellers bill the customers and bundle additional services. Resellers get the revenue opportunity and Google gets the market share. Google said it has 50 pilot partners so far.

Google has launched a site to recruit resellers. A big request is that resellers are familiar with software as a service.