Thanks for signing up with us for Google Apps for Business. Google Apps work best with the Google Chrome browser (download).
To get to your Google Apps, go to mail.YOURDOMAIN.COM (of course, replace YOURDOMAIN.COM with the name of your own domain).
Use the id and password that we sent you. You'll be prompted to change your password at first login. You should use a 'complex' password (the longer the better). Don't use dictionary words, birthdays, etc. Don't use the most common passwords. Some people really use 'password' or '123456' or 'abc123' or 'qwerty' or 'letmein' or other simple strings that can be cracked in milliseconds. Make your password at least 12 characters - 20 is exponentially better. Use a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. There are lots of techniques to devise complex, but easy to remember, passwords using character substitution, phrases, and acronyms. Microsoft suggestions. Google suggestions. Consumer Reports suggestions
Your email contains lots of information you don't want bad guys to know. Make it hard for them to get it. Even more secure is 'two-factor' authentication. Your Google account can be configured to use both your password and an ever changing code generated on your cellphone.
If you want a secure place to store your passwords (and, no, the sticky note on your monitor does not qualify) consider a password vault such as KeePass Password Safe. There are many other options.
To easily get to your Google Apps., download the Google Apps desktop. This will set up some shortcuts for you and launch your apps in a streamlined Chrome window. To get the desktop features, go to
http://dl.google.com/tag/s/ap=YOURDOMAIN.COM/googlewebapps/en/googleappsstandalonesetuptagged.exe (replace YOURDOMAIN.COM with your own domain name)
You probably won't need to use Outlook. We suggest trying Google Apps without it. There are some differences (see here), but most people can quickly adjust. One thing that we've heard most about is Gmail's default setting to show emails in conversation mode, with notes and replies grouped together. If you don't like that (as we do not), go to the gear icon at top right of your email panel, click settings, and go to the 'General' tab. Turn off conversational mode (if we haven't already done it for you).
If you really, really, really need Outlook, get Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook. Follow the instructions at that link.
To setup Google Apps on your mobile device (Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows), find instructions here. After setup, you'll be able to use your Apps on all your devices and keep them in sync.
Be sure to explore using all the other applications in Google Apps for Business (Contacts, Chat, Calendar, Documents, Drive, Sites, and Groups). With Google Drive, you can store your documents safely and securely AND keep them in sync with your desktop.
Find some useful Tips & Tricks here.
| Annual Plan | |
| Contract | 1 year |
| Cost | $60/user account/year $199 setup For more than 5 users, there may be additional cost for training and set-up |
| Payment frequency | annually |
| User maximum | unlimited |
| Gmail storage | 25 GB / account |
|---|---|
| Interoperability with Microsoft Outlook email and calendar | ![]() |
| Sync with Blackberry Enterprise Server | ![]() |
| Easy contacts management | ![]() |
| Mobile email, calendar and IM access | ![]() |
| Email security, powered by Postini | ![]() |
| Gmail ads can be disabled | ![]() |
| Resource scheduling in Google Calendar | ![]() |
| Mailing list functionality and easy content sharing with groups | ![]() |
| Google Drive storage | 5 GB per user for file storage |
|---|---|
| Google Sites storage | 10 GB plus 500 MB per user for shared storage |
| Google Video for Business offers private, secure video sharing | ![]() |
| Google Apps Script | ![]() |
| 24/7 phone and email support for critical issues | ![]() |
|---|---|
| 99.9% uptime guarantee SLA* | ![]() |
| Synchronous replication | ![]() |
| Self-service online support | ![]() |
| SSL enforcement for secure HTTPS access | ![]() |
|---|---|
| Customizable spam filtering | ![]() |
| Customize password strength requirements | ![]() |
| Email routing and email gateway support | ![]() |
| Customizable policies to filter email containing sensitive information | ![]() |
| Email encryption using standard TLS protocols | ![]() |
| Manage multiple domains from one Google Apps account | ![]() |
|---|---|
| Email migration tools and API | ![]() |
| Directory sync with LDAP systems | ![]() |
| Email routing and email gateway support | ![]() |
| Single sign-on API | ![]() |
| User and group provisioning API | ![]() |


Your business needs an email address at your own domain. We use Google Apps (after having used other solutions) and are well pleased. You should also consider this package for your business. Use the provided web interface, or continue to use Microsoft Office Outlook.
More details > Google Apps Business Edition
Set-up and management costs are additional and not shown below.
|
|
Standard |
Education (also available to 501c3) |
|
|
Annual cost per user |
0 |
$50 |
0 |
|
User maximum |
10 |
unlimited |
Unlimited (3000 for 501C3) |
|
Gmail storage per user |
7GB |
25GB |
7GB |
|
Calendar resource scheduling |
no |
yes |
no |
|
Postini email security
|
no |
yes |
Optional(66% discount) Free for K-12 |
|
Mobile access |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
Disable Gmail ads |
no |
yes |
yes |
|
Gmail Calendar |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
Google Groups |
no |
yes |
yes |
|
Google Docs |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
Google Docs storage |
1 GB |
1 GB per user |
1 GB |
|
Google Video |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Google Video storage |
n/a |
10GB plus 500MB per user |
10 GB |
|
24/7 email & phone supportfor critical issues |
No |
Yes |
no |
|
99.9% uptime guarantee |
no |
yes |
yes |
|
SSL access enforcement |
no |
yes |
yes |

Google Apps is an enterprise-ready suite of applications that includes Gmail, Google Calendar (shared calendaring), Google Docs and Spreadsheets (online document hosting and collaboration), Google Sites (team site creation and publishing), and Google Video (easy, secure sharing of video content).
Google Apps messaging tools include email, calendar and instant messaging solutions that help employees communicate and stay connected, wherever and whenever they work. These web-based services can be securely accessed from any browser, work on mobile devices like BlackBerry and iPhone, and integrate with other popular email systems like Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and more. What’s more, Google Apps’ SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) capability integrates seamlessly with existing enterprise security and authentication services. Google Apps deliver productivity and reduce IT workload with a hosted, 99.9% uptime solution that gets teams working together fast.
Google Apps messaging tools include email, calendar and instant messaging solutions that help employees communicate and stay connected, wherever and whenever they work. These web-based services can be securely accessed from any browser, work on mobile devices like BlackBerry and iPhone, and integrate with other popular email systems like Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and more. What’s more, Google Apps’ SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) capability integrates seamlessly with existing enterprise security and authentication services. Google Apps deliver productivity and reduce IT workload with a hosted, 99.9% uptime solution that gets teams working together fast.



Google Calendar
Google GroupsGoogle Apps enable secure, real-time collaboration among workgroups of all sizes. With hosted documents – word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations – web-based video access, and easy site-building tools, Google makes information usable from any browser or smart phone, whenever and wherever users work.
Google Docs (documents, spreadsheets, and presentations)
Google Sites
Google Video|
Feature |
Details |
|
Applications included |
Gmail, including integrated IM and voice and video chat, Google Calendar, Google Docs (word processing, spreadsheets, and pesentations), Google Sites, Google Groups, and Google Video. |
|
Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Sites Uptime |
99.9% uptime SLA for Premier Edition customers. |
|
IMAP and POP |
Integrate email with popular programs like Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook. |
|
Administrator control panel |
Usage reports, disk space usage, account provisioning (no preset account limit). |
|
Provisioning API |
Manage user accounts and synchronize Google Apps users with your own user management system. |
|
Reporting API |
View and generate reports (e.g. usage data, user information and stats) using your own reporting system. |
|
Authentication |
Google Apps provides a complete and secure user authentication system for all applications. For enhanced security, you can use a SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) service, which allows you to tie your own authentication system to the Google Apps web-based login. |
|
SSL |
Automatically enforce Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connections. |
|
Security |
SAS 70 Type II audited. |
|
Solutions Marketplace and third party applications and services |
Connect to vendors whose solutions integrate and extend Google’s messaging, collaboration, and enterprise search products. |
|
Mobile access |
Access Google Apps from mobile devices like the BlackBerry and iPhone. |
|
Sharing controls |
Set policies for user-sharing privileges, including limiting the ability to share content outside of your domain. |
|
Advertisements |
Display of relevant, text-based advertisements is optional and turned off by default. |
|
Online support resources |
User-to-user group for administrators; Help Centers for administrators and users. |
|
24/7 assistance |
Email and phone support for system critical issues. |
|
Supported browsers |
Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 2, Safari 3 , Google Chrome and later versions of each. |
© Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. For more information: www.google.com/apps/business