Sprint bundles Google Apps into enterprise service

You can forgive the enterprise space for getting a big head as it seems a day has not gone by in which some new mobile enterprise partnership or solution has not been announced.
The latest ego-boosting move was made by Sprint, which said beginning in August it will offer Google Apps for Business through the carrier’s business channels. Sprint said the deal will allow it to support business adoption of Google’s cloud-based services.
Sprint said the offering will include support and services targeted at getting enterprise customers up and running with the Google applications; provide a “one-stop shop” for enterprise customers by “packaging all elements needed to support a comprehensive cloud-based collaboration experience; and access to the carrier’s network assets. The Google applications include its popular Gmail service, plus cloud-based applications like Google Calendar, Google Sites, Google Drive and Google Docs.
Sprint’s business unit was bolstered by the carrier’s acquisition of Nextel Communications, which while in hindsight was a difficult merger, did provide Sprint with access to Nextel’s expansive experience in the enterprise space. Nextel for years touted industry low churn levels that it said were due to its strong relationship with business customers. Rumors earlier this year suggested that Sprint was actually looking to bring back the Nextel brand in targeting the enterprise market.
The Sprint-Google news follows up on last week’s announcement from IBM and Apple about a partnership to collaborate on enterprise mobility solutions that will tap into IBM’s offerings in big data and analytics, Apple’s mobile devices, and a host of new native iPhone and iPad applications custom-built for specific verticals.
Earlier this week, NEC and Meru Networks announced a partnership to tap into software-defined networking to bolster enterprise Wi-Fi deployments. That deal is expected to help enterprise customers deal with the growing “bring-your-own-device” phenomenon in the workplace that is putting increased pressure on information technology departments.
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