Next for Google: Accounting?

In a recent post at ReadWrite Web, they believe that the next breakthrough application from Google will be the next an online accounting application.

What are some of the advantages they list for Google having an accounting system? Since it would be online, the possibilities are endless. ReadWrite Web believes they are: collaboration, retention of records, and accessibility. The drawbacks would be simplification and cost.

So why would Google take this approach for their next application? They have a knack for simplification as we saw with Gmail for email. This accounting system, due to simplicities among other things, could be of most benefit for those who own small businesses and have little training.

They already have several applications that would be able to play a key role in accounting: Google Scan, Google Docs, and Google CheckOut. Do you believe this is the next step for Google? Would you be worried if Google had access to your small business’ financial information?

Future Product Releases for Google Apps

I stumbled across this blog this afternoon written by Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, and it spotlights cutting-edge upcoming plans at Google. Portal giant Google seems to a pioneering the movement to innovate Web 2.0 technologies within the enterprise. First off, Google is planning to launch Google Sites, which will be based collaboration tools featured on Jotspot, to allow businesses to create extranets, project management systems, as well as intranets.

Another announcement that I find particularly interesting is the expectation that Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs will soon work offline via Google Gears. This prediction has been heavily awaited, and I’m personally delighted to hear that it is currently in the works. Editing docs, presentations, and spreadsheets offline will soon be made possible, even if the document is being edited by another user on the online version. Changes will simply be made based on chronological order.

This is definitely a starting point for Google in the long road of constant updates in Enterprise 2.0 applications. Google is leading in collaboration efforts for now, but it will be interesting to see if other search engine giants like Yahoo and MSN will begin to mimic Google’s model.

Technology Priorities for 2008

What are your technological priorities for 2008? The CEO of EMC listed his in a recent blog post at EWeek. They are:

1. Virtualization
2. Storage
3. Security
4. VOIP
5. Enterprise 2.0
6. Software in the cloud
7. Green computing

The two most interesting ones for me are Enterprise 2.0 and Software in the Clouds.

Even though EMC is a large enterprise that specializes in helping other business run and create technology to manage data, Enterprise 2.0 is still a priority. The social networking aspect is something that is new to business, and but it will be around for years to come. Many companies are trying to use these applications to improve their business, even their clients and networking skills. It’s nice to see a company acknowledging that they will make it a priority for their advancement in 2008.

The other is software in the cloud. Many times in this blog, we have written about Google and how they’re striving to keep their new applications up to date such as Google docs. This is just one example of how the future of software and applications is on the Internet. What’s next? Does your company currently use software that is in the clouds?

What are your company’s priorities for 2008? Are they similar to EMC’s?