Part of Apps' buzz comes from its cloud computing architecture, which Google maintains is a better option than conventional software that customers need to install and maintain on their own servers. While CIOs and IT managers are warming up to hosted software like Apps, concerns over relying on vendors to maintain the software and store the data haven't fully dissipated.

Launched about three years ago, Apps has traditionally appealed to small organizations, especially via its free Standard edition. However, since the introduction of the enterprise-geared Premier edition, Google has set its sights on medium-size and large organizations. Premier, which costs US$50 per user per year, includes IT management and e-mail security capabilities, as well as support and a service-level guarantee.