There was supposed to be a major announcement from Google yesterday and as expected it was announced in Wall Street Journal that they have launched Google Apps Premier, it subscriptions package of premium of hosted applications, such as G-Mail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, as well as Google Docs Applications all in one package. The Google Apps site has already been updated. Webmail will come with 10 GB of storage and Apps Premier includes service level agreements that promise 99.9% uptime and 24/7 tech support. A full comparison of the standard and Premier services can be found here.

The service costs $50 per user per year, dramatically undercutting Microsoft’s offerings. Previously they offered this Google Apps free, they still have that option besides this Premier version. It will be an excellent package for Small business and even business owners. The e-mail will be provided under their own domain name not only for the main owner but also for all of its employees. A 10GB storage is more than adequate. Google Apps doesn't include PowerPresentation tool or CRM, but I am sure they will add them soon to the package. General Electric and Proctor and Gamble are cited as among the first Google Apps Premier customers. TechCrunch says these are all fine except for Google Security problems and whether business owners would be able to trust in providing sensitive information, since there were many lapses of security the recent days. Compared to security problems with Microsoft, these problems of Google's is minor, plus they fix it right away. So, I think it won't be a problem. Google Apps is available free and also you can try Google Apps Premier for free until April, 2007. Beyond competition and concerns, tonight is a good time to recognize the incredible force of innovation that Google is as well. Its nearly full-service suite of sophisticated, integrated online services is something of historic proportion. Google’s technological brilliance is only beginning to be recognized. I think it is great news for many business owners, to be able to do everything online without the need of comprehensive software will make their lives much easier. Increased storage and a number of applications added to the existing ones, they can expect more from Google in the coming days. What do you think about Google Apps Premier, is the new suite of applications good for business?