SharePoint is a comprehensive solution that fosters collaboration across an organization but it can be expensive. Google Sites is hoping to swipe a piece of that wiki application business by offering a low cost, easily implemented solution.

A while ago Google acquired JotSpot which claimed to be the “first application wiki company.” It provided Google a running start in the wiki space and now with JotSpot reborn as Google Sites, the competition is about to heat up.

Google is the first to admit that Google Sites “is not a new innovation as much as a cheap and easy [solution] that takes advantage of so-called ‘cloud computing,’ or using an Internet browser to access products from a data center,” according to Forbes.

With ads present, Google Sites is free as part of the Google Apps bundle, otherwise it run $50 per client. Microsoft SharePoint “costs about $4,400 for server software, and client licenses range from $94 to $187 apiece–though the Microsoft product does offer more functionality, including enterprise search and business intelligence features.”

The vast majority of Google’s revenue comes from search advertising right now, but that might change if the company can build relationships with larger organizations willing to invest in enterprise-wide solutions.

The product director for Google Sites, Matthew Glotzbach told Forbes “we’ve passed 500,000 organizations using Google Apps, and we’re adding 2,000 to 3,000 more a day. The vast majority have been small- and medium-sized companies, plus educational institutions, but the pace and interest from big companies is picking up.”

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Entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 9:51 am under Google, Microsoft.

Read more entries by Matt Jansen.
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