Whether it's Apps Standard, or Voice, or something else. I meant my point more generally; if you aren't paying for it, somebody is, and they may decide to stop.
Apps Standard has been on my mind because it is currently a useful solution for a few small businesses I know, but I caution them about becoming over-reliant.
(I've argued the cost efficiency of Premier, but they are watching every nickle and dime, at present. Hopefully, if the free Standard version does go away, Premier or similar will remain -- I mean, Google's been been engaging in large, long term Apps contracts with outfits quite capable of "lawyering up" -- and at a price that is manageable.
I know: I'd just plunk down the money, for something that is business critical. But, it's not my call. Their initial use is not business critical, but that's a slippery slope.)
P.S. I haven't researched nor thought it through, but my perception of Voice has been as a partial workaround and/or escape hatch for carrier lock in. For the time being, it helps keep the pressure on.
Longer term? Well, rumors are that Google has invested in a LOT of backbone capacity. Voice may be a step in capturing interactive content transfer, and the advertising/marketing niches that exist both within it and from analysis of resulting meta-data. It may also offer some direct revenue; they already charge (U.S. customers) for foreign calls.
Hmm... will Google roll out a SIP telecommunications service, at some point, to go along with their professional Apps offers? (Maybe the regulation would be far too hairy; otherwise, it would seem a likely cross marketing opportunity, at least until such communications become more fully integrated into a more general communications paradigm, if ever.)
Apps Standard has been on my mind because it is currently a useful solution for a few small businesses I know, but I caution them about becoming over-reliant.
(I've argued the cost efficiency of Premier, but they are watching every nickle and dime, at present. Hopefully, if the free Standard version does go away, Premier or similar will remain -- I mean, Google's been been engaging in large, long term Apps contracts with outfits quite capable of "lawyering up" -- and at a price that is manageable.
I know: I'd just plunk down the money, for something that is business critical. But, it's not my call. Their initial use is not business critical, but that's a slippery slope.)
P.S. I haven't researched nor thought it through, but my perception of Voice has been as a partial workaround and/or escape hatch for carrier lock in. For the time being, it helps keep the pressure on.
Longer term? Well, rumors are that Google has invested in a LOT of backbone capacity. Voice may be a step in capturing interactive content transfer, and the advertising/marketing niches that exist both within it and from analysis of resulting meta-data. It may also offer some direct revenue; they already charge (U.S. customers) for foreign calls.
Hmm... will Google roll out a SIP telecommunications service, at some point, to go along with their professional Apps offers? (Maybe the regulation would be far too hairy; otherwise, it would seem a likely cross marketing opportunity, at least until such communications become more fully integrated into a more general communications paradigm, if ever.)