This isn't really news, but there's a nice rundown of which consumer "toys" the company may bring to the enterprise in this interview with Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager of Google's enterprise division at
Internet News. On mapping, it's a Gartner analyst that speaks:
Gartner analyst Whit Andrews said that Google is putting a lot of emphasis on geospatial services for enterprise. "They see a lot of power being available in that product line," he told internetnews.com.
Mashups with Google Maps is just one example of how Google consumer applications have the potential to drive significant enterprise dollars. Google has even signed service level agreements for enterprise contracts for Google Maps and Google Earth, he said.
Where in the media or analyst community is the deserved skepticism around Google's enterprise efforts? With the mapping, it is a new player virtually unproven in enterprise mapping of any sort. The integration challenge is significant - combining Google-built services with acquired technologies, of which Google Earth is one. But making the offerings relevant to enterprises requires more than integration - it requires features enterprises need to help meet their missions.
Google Maps and Google Earth have done a lot to promote location awareness amongst consumers. Whether Google can parlay that awareness into a solid enterprise offering remains to be seen and will likely take more time than many seem to think.
If they were serious about the enterprise they should start by getting some sales people to answer phones and email? Just a thought.