Zimbra 6 vs. Google Docs – Careful!
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Zimbra 6 includes a number of document features already in Gmail and Google Docs, providing spreadsheet and Word-like document features. Considering the price of Microsoft Office these days, Zimbra 6 and Gmail/Google Docs can be very cost-effective alternatives.
Unless of course the spreadsheets and documents you are creating you want to keep private.
You see, the Google Terms of Service give Google a perpetual and irrevocable right to use all of your Content pretty much any way they want, including republishing rights (It’s all in Section 11, here). Sure, those same terms of service allow you to retain the copyrights in your works, but so what if Google can repurpose your content at will.
So, if you are using Gmail or Google Docs for anything confidential, well… it’s not. If you are a bank, doctor, attorney, accountant or any other kind of professional with a fiduciary, regulatory or contractual responsibility to protect information and you have put any of that information in Gmail or Google Docs, you probably ought to speak with an attorney–fast.
Zimbra 6 on the other hand, has no such content licensing terms. Nor do we (we are a Zimbra Premiere Hosting provider BTW); you not only retain full ownership of your data, you grant no Google-like licensing to us nor to Zimbra when you use Zimbra.
So if you are looking to avoid an expensive company-wide upgrade to Microsoft Office and/or Microsoft Exchange, while Gmail and Google Docs may look like good value for money, you’ll get what you pay for. Talk to us about Zimbra (our system is very secure and HIPAA-compliant out of the box.)
And the next time you speak to your own attorney, accountant or health professional, ask them if they are using Gmail or Google Docs, and if they answer yes, you may want to find a different attorney, accountant or health professional…
Mark Stone,
CIO
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 PM
and not to be forgotten:
1) that Google may use the information you put on their systems for their competitive advantage (think industrial spying made easy)
2) Google may be legally bound to disclose all this information, without you being able to legally stop it.
June 2nd, 2011 at 5:58 PM
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