Seven independent software vendors, whose products are among the most heavily installed applications in the Google Apps Marketplace, today announced a series of business and technology partnerships that are designed to make it easier for Google Apps users to select and implement complementary business applications.

 

The partnership network — a first among Google Apps Marketplace vendors — will henceforth be known as the Cloud Alliance for Google Apps. The founding members, each vetted according to their reputations within Google, Marketplace rankings, product reviews and more, are Cloud Sherpas (with its SherpaTools application), Expensify, Insightly, Okta, RunMyProcess, SmartSheet and Spanning. More information about the Cloud Alliance can be found at www.cloudallianceforgoogleapps.com.

 

Cloud Alliance members are capitalizing on Google Apps’ considerable momentum in the enterprise. The platform is used today by over four million companies worldwide, and Gartner recently recognized Gmail, a centerpiece Google Apps application, as being enterprise ready.

 

Still, it is a challenge for Google Apps users to determine which add-on applications are the best. Cloud Alliance solves this problem by uniting the top Marketplace applications for IT administration, CRM, security and compliance, workflow and integration, expense management, identity management, and project collaboration. Users can now more easily identify the best-of-breed applications, easing their selection burden and speeding application deployment.

 

Cloud Alliance membership requires a meaningful commitment from every participant. For example, vendors must agree to develop deep integrations between their products. Cloud Alliance members must also develop and distribute free “best practices” materials, including white papers and webinars.

 

“Cloud Alliance is a huge win for businesses using Google Apps,” said David Politis, chairman of Cloud Alliance and vice president for Cloud Sherpas, a leading Google Apps cloud services provider. “Most don’t have time to research, evaluate and integrate applications, they just want technology tools that work. By creating an alliance of the top Google Apps Marketplace vendors and products, we’re taking the pain out of application selection and implementation, so Google Apps users can manage and grow their businesses.”