Google updated the functionality of its Apps hosted productivity software to allow you to share documents with anyone who has the same e-mail domain. It hopes to spread adoption of its Apps products virally, under the radar of corporate IT. Sharing is great. But is the underground approach the best route to enterprise adoption?

First, let me say I use Google Apps daily. I wrote this blog entry in Google Docs. I do all of my writing in Google Docs, as do my colleagues. We all share documents regularly with one another without the need to pass back and forth files that can quickly become outdated or out of sync with other people's edits. Having multiple versions of the same document leads to more work, not less. With Google Docs, there is only one. And it is always the up-to-date version. This is a fantastic way to collaborate, and I often ask myself why on earth I ever used anything else.

This is not always the best route for everyone, however. Some businesses or industries need to have documented steps of how things are altered or edited, with a firm record of who made what changes. Further, some businesses need to have some degree of control or security measures in place for protecting certain types of files. Because Google Apps are so easily shared with anyone with a Google account, using them can represent a threat to the security of your enterprise. This is why some enterprises don't like hosted software.

Google already created a Premier edition of its Apps suite, and it lets IT admins exert some amount of control over how the apps and documents are used. Earlier this week, Google offered up new security measures for enterprises that need secure e-mail.

Today, it dropped Google Apps Team Edition into the mix. Once users verify their business or school e-mail address, they can instantly share documents and calendars with other users within their e-mail domain securely without burdening IT for support.

The key phrase there is "without burdening IT for support." Do Google Apps need support? Nope, they've never failed me. But it seems that's sending the wrong message. I totally understand that Google wants to increase its market share. By allowing co-workers to show off how Apps works, you can see how it will catch on in pockets here and there. Still, this idea of taking the fight underground just seems a little wrong-headed.

That doesn't take away from the functionality, though.

"More than half a million businesses have already chosen Google Apps to collaborate and share information across the organization," said Dave Girouard, Google's VP and general manager of enterprise. "With Team Edition, groups of individuals at school or work can just as easily get the benefits of Google Apps by simply signing up online."

And, of course, it is all free.