Google+Hewlett Packard partnership is planning to offer enterprise-class Google Now to small and medium-sized businesses
In the wake of the recent Apple+IBM alliance, Google and HP have reportedly come to an agreement carrying the potential to leverage Google Now to fit the needs of small to mid-size entrepreneurs, and possibly larger entities, as the search giant’s digital assistant continues its relentless evolution.
According to The Information, the concept behind this partnership is to enable corporate employees to use Google Now to retrieve company information, such as inventory data, sales statistics, invoices, and other internal information, the same way a regular user would “OK Google” a nearby restaurant, or the cheapest gas station.
Virtual assistants are becoming increasingly sophisticated and reliable, and the most recent rumors about Apple’s “Siri for Mac”, as well as the new exciting project Viv, by the very same creators of Siri, are indicators that virtual assistants are on the verge of becoming more than novelties.
The most important factor that will drive virtual assistants in the future, is the fundamental difference between enterprise environments and domestic settings.
While regular users may reserve judgement for virtual assistants and other forms of artificial intelligence, with regard to personal feelings for a technology they may or may not feel they need, entrepreneurs and employees need every available instrument to accomplish tasks as efficiently, accurately and swiftly, as possible, with no room for comfort zones.
Survival of the fittest (partners)
As Apple Siri and Google Now, evolve beyond their boundaries, providing increasing levels of accuracy and bringing new levels of efficiency to the enterprise world, it becomes apparent how Microsoft needs to gear up for the next best thing, and it needs to do it now.
Big alliances are in the making, and surprisingly, Microsoft has yet to seal significant deals with any noteworthy business partner, at least in the direction Satya Nadella intends to steer the company to, and at this point it could be literally anyone: from Blackberry to SAP, the pool of available enterprise-level partners is shrinking.
Apple and Google are in very comfortable front-row seats overlooking oceans of revenues, thanks to one thing: their focus on innovation. No matter where it leads. This is where it becomes crucial for Microsoft to work on regaining its position as a technology innovator, not only for its own sake, but for the sake of maintaining a healthy level of competition, as the market continues to saturate with Apple, Chrome OS and Android devices.