Google draws global bead on Microsoft, IBM

Search giant Google will today introduce a mass marketing campaign across the world in a bid to draw customers away from Microsoft and IBM office apps into its own application web.

Google claims that it has over two million businesses using its Google Apps and now wants to convince corporate users that its own cloud based services can offer more for less than the competition.

The search giant relies on cloud computing to maintain its own web of servers and wants to convince people and businesses that their data is safe in its hands.

While Microsoft has made limited forays into cloud models for client applications, it relies heavily on client apps linked to its enterprise software.

IBM is making a big song and dance about cloud computing. At the Etre conference in Paris a few weeks ago, a senior partner at a law firm warned that there were legal problems using a cloud based model which have not yet been resolved.

If providers go bust, said Olivier Edwards, the legal liabilities were far from clear.

IBM’s Deborah Majid, however, insists that customers’ data is safe in Big Blue’s hands.