Google launches online store for cloud apps

The Google Apps Marketplace goes live with 50 applications available from third-party vendors.

Chris Vander Mey, a senior product manager for Google, said:  "What we found as we talked to these customers is that they asked for more apps.

“They want a specific app for a specific vertical... We want to help them but one of the challenges has been that as you get more apps, there's more hassle. These apps don't naturally work together. They have to share data and they don't do it natively."

However, he added that the cloud-based applications being sold in the new marketplace are specifically designed to work with Google's own applications, which should take a lot of the hassle out of the integration.

Vander Mey noted that partners are going to be key to growing Google 's business in the enterprise. "These third-party vendors expand our breadth of being able to help enterprises run their businesses in the cloud," he said. "If you need payroll or accounting or image management, you can go to our partners. We will help each other grow a rich ecosystem."

Third-party developers that are selling their applications on Google Apps Marketplace include Intuit Inc.'s online payroll application, Manymoon's project management application, and Mailchimp's email newsletter management application.

David Glazer, an engineering director with Google, noted that the company will get 20 per cent of the revenue from all sales on the marketplace site.

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