Google Apps Add-on

Google Apps as so called by Google and all over is a very useful innovation for bigger corporates to a small personal website its service particularly aimed to provide the Google products/services like Gmail, Google Calendar ,Google Groups, Google docs etc. for any custom domains (eg: www.anydomain.xxx) and making it more ease their are available many add-ons for Google apps having different functionality in different arenas. Let me throw some light about a popular & useful add-ons .

OffiSync-(Integrate Microsoft office with google apps)

OffiSync is a free add-on for Microsoft Office applications that takes it to the next level with the power of Google services enabling users to:

• Store files online.
• Access and edit them from any computer in any part of the world.
• Search and organize Office files.
• Find them using the integrated Google search.
• Perform real time collaboration through the integration with Google Docs.

OffiSync devloped by OffiSync Corp. acts like a add-in to Microsoft office applications when installed in the computer. After installing you can see a new toolbar named “OffiSync” in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint having different functionality from saving the file in Google Docs to searching the stored online documents.

The best part of it is that this works from within MS Office Application and feels like it works locally when you try to save a file ,open a online document or search online documents. Within the MS Office Application you can also use the advance collaboration features of Google Docs.

Some use Google docs as it is great alternative to MS Office providing online functionality to your docs but for those who use MS Office this product can help them go online with their docs providing web capabilities to their docs and use them as if using it like Google Docs with the help of OffiSync & Google Docs.

OffiSync add-in is compatible with Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 .

Requirements :

• Google Apps Account
• MS Office 2003/2007/2010
• And of course you must be connected to internet to work with the toolbar from the MS Office Applications.

To use this add-on you need to follow the following steps

Steps to Configure OffiSync

1. Log on to http://www.google.com/enterprise/marketplace/viewListing?productListingId=3506+18157877874930227237 this URL directs you to the Google Marketplace’s OffiSync Page which will look like the below image.

2.  Click the Add it now button present in the right side which will display a text box where you need to enter your Google Apps domain then click th GO Button.

3.  Once you entered Your Domain name and clicked the GO button the page will direct you to the google apps page of your domain where you need to login using your administrator account credentials of the Google Apps for the domain (remember to login with your administrator account only)

4.  Once you login a terms agreement page will be displayed where you need to click the “I agree,Continue” Button to proceed further. See below for reference.

5.  The Next Screen will ask to Enable the Apps now or later so if you want the apps to enable now then click the “Enable app now” Button.

6.  In this step the application is installed as add-on to your Google Apps and displays the OffiSync Settings

7.  Now your Google Apps is ready to use OffiSync Add-on but you need to download OffiSync Add-in for MS Windows Application to collaborate with Google Docs. To download the OffiSync Add-in for MS Office click here

once your download complete run the OffiSyncSetup.exe  file which you have just downloaded.

8.  When the OffiSync Installation will start it will check for windows component listed in the above pix that are needed for the OffiSync Add-in if they were already installed in your computer then the installation will start immediately else it will first download the components then it will start to install. In the above picture you can see that Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (x86) , Windows Installer 3.1 , Office 2003 SP3 & Office 2003 Compatibility  pack are previously installed but Office 2007 SP2 & OffiSync are checked because they were not previously installed so when you click the install button it will start to download Office 2007 SP2, after downloading Office 2007 SP2 the installation will proceed and complete respectively.

Congratulation ! Now you are ready to work with OffiSync. Open any of your MS Office Application and look out for OffiSync Toolbar. Below is a example with MS Office Word.

Using this toolbar you can save a document in Google Docs, Open a online Google Doc or your previously Saved Documents,Searc for online docs etc.

Before you proceed with the toolbar options it will ask for a license agreement so choose the “I accept the license terms” radio buttons and click the activate button.

After clicking the Activate button ther will appear a login screen where you have to provide your Google Apps credentials.See the below image.

Once you are done with the login screen you are ready with OffiSync !

Hope you find OffiSync very useful like me and enjoy the product. Any comments and Questions are invited