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Story URL: http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/crm/0,3800002402,39159101,00.htm

Google: Business software 'bereft of soul'
'Users deserve better'...

By Will Sturgeon

Published: Thursday 25 May 2006

Google's head of enterprise has launched a scathing attack on business software applications, saying vendors deserve to fail if they do not attempt to bottle the excitement that surrounds consumer applications such as iTunes and the web 2.0 revolution.

His words come as Google readies services such as hosted email which will take aim at mainstays of enterprise software - in that instance, Microsoft Outlook.

David Girouard, SVP of enterprise at Google, claimed a major difference is that business software has seldom been designed with an end user in mind, whereas consumer technologies are only as good as the demand they can create by being desirable to end users.

Girouard said: "This is Darwinism. In the world of consumer technology you either meet the end user's needs or you're finished very quickly."

He added: "Innovation is happening in the consumer world. Enterprise software is entirely bereft of soul. It is designed for business not for humans."

However, he added that there is no reason why business apps should not address issues such as simplicity, pleasure or even aesthetics. Speaking at a Salesforce.com event in San Francisco on Wednesday, he praised the efforts of those few industry figures - such as Marc Benioff, CEO of CRM vendor Salesforce.com - who have recognised the need to bring enterprise software in line with end-user expectations, fed on a diet of Flickr, Google, iTunes and Skype.

Benioff returned the compliment, saying the growing number of on-demand applications available on his company's AppExchange that mash up services such as Google Maps and Google search are shaping the future of business applications. The two Google services are used to illustrate the location of sales leads and customers, or to track FedEx packages, since Google's search now recognises FedEx tracking codes.

Referring to the ability to make contacts databases far more informative than a list of names and addresses, Benioff said: "When we started Salesforce.com we didn't have Google Maps but we do now, and we love it." Skype facilitates another mash-up of services as it enables Salesforce.com customers to simply click on a contact to place a call.

Benioff said future innovations such as Gmail for the enterprise, which will let users put their domain onto a Gmail hosted service, will push things forward as services over the internet continue to replace traditional enterprise client-server software.

Benioff added: "I can't wait to get Outlook out of my business."