OK, not everyone likes Google Apps, including Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. He firmly believes that the search giant doesn't have a clue about how to provide enterprise-grade software, and its application suite is proof of that. Is Google cut out for the enterprise, or not?Bill Gates' comments came at the SharePoint Conference at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. During his speech, he had some unfavorable things to say about Google's attempts to break into the enterprise.

He said, "In terms of Google, not to overstate it, but they really don't understand the special needs of business. Today, their economic model is based on consumer search. They have done an incredible job there and obviously we're investing in challenging them in that space. If you've seen ... the Google tools that have tried to do productivity type things, they really don't have the richness, the responsiveness. You can see that relative [to] the success they have had there. Most of these Google products, to be frank, the day they announce them is their best day and then after that..."

Ouch.

I agree in basic terms that Google needs to bolster the robustness of its Apps suite if it really expects enterprise-level adoption. For example, there's no arguing that Word is a more able word processor application than Google Docs. It offers a very robust feature set that simply isn't matched by Google's offering. I want you to ask yourself, though, how often do you really use all those advanced features? In all the years I spent using Word, it was a rare occasion for me to do more than simple composition. And that's what I use Google Docs for.

Enterprise-grade it may not be, but for the moment, I think Google Apps are a great way for small businesses to save some money and take care of basic productivity needs. Not everyone needs the full functionality of Microsoft Office, and not all small businesses can afford it. Google's Apps are a great alternative.

What do you think? Will Google Apps or other services ever truly be adopted by the enterprise? Can Google churn out the apps necessary to compete with Microsoft?