Crowd, Cloud and Google Apps - How They Became Loud

A year ago, I took a challenge.  That challenge was deploying Google Apps for Education.  A year and a half ago, I half-heartedly accepted the task of looking into “cloud computing” (which I mistakenly heard as “crowd”) from my visionary boss C.  Little did I know how this cloud computing could change the concepts of communication and collaboration in my humble workplace. 

With limited resources and budget, not-so-techie staff and language barrier, it was picture perfect for chaos. With chaos, I mean duplicates, missing files, clutter.  To add more, double engagements, missed meetings and overlooked events.  The whiteboard wasn’t effective anymore.  And so, inquiring into cloud computing and reflecting on our needs gradually revealed that Google Apps could be the solution. 

So it was. 

Here are the top 3 Google Apps that became my company’s communication and collaboration enhancers:

1.    Google Docs

2.    Google Calendar

3.    Gmail

I must also give credit to the teachers and staff who were very open-minded for a radical change. 

What Google Apps is essential for you?