Switch.co Intends to Complete Google AppsSwitch.co Intends to Complete Google Apps
Integrating unified communications into the Google Apps experience sounds great, but UCaaS providers like Switch.co have their work cut out for them.
November 3, 2014
Integrating unified communications into the Google Apps experience sounds great, but UCaaS providers like Switch.co have their work cut out for them.
There's a new UCaaS provider in town, Switch.co, and it's targeting the neglected market of Google Apps users. It has a great concept, but finding a home for itself won't be easy.
Google Apps, which was estimated to have as high as 50% market share for cloud-based productivity suites in 2012, includes Hangouts for instant messaging and presence (IM/p). However, the service doesn't yet have an API to allow IM/p in Hangouts to be accessible to third-party applications. Switch.co, along with other third-party integrations, will need to overcome this and other barriers to creating an integrated Google Apps experience.
Most organizations choose between two mainstream approaches for their productivity and email needs -- the Microsoft Office suite (private or hosted) and Google Apps. While the Office/Exchange side is well covered for voice integrations, (EVERY major UC vendor integrates with Exchange), the Google Apps ecosystem is significantly smaller. However, it has been growing steadily.
A key component of any UC implementation is IM/p, the oldest of the "new" communication modes popularized over a decade ago with services from AOL and Yahoo. The three basic camps for IM/p today are Microsoft with Lync and/or Skype, Google Hangouts, or a third-party solution typically implemented across a single organization.
Switch.co At a Glance
Team: Led by Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet, the twisted pair that previously launched DialPad (sold to Yahoo) and GrandCentral (sold to Google); team also includes veterans Dulce Ramirez and T.R. Missner and about 60 developers
Backed by: VC firms including Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures
Claim to fame: Began life as Firespotter, creator of UberConference. For now, UberConference remains a standalone service but will eventually integrate with Switch.co
