The Google Apps Marketplace has turned one year old today. Google Apps can now be exteneded with over 300 apps across 11 categories that work seamlessly with your domain.
The goal of Google Apps Marketplace is to make it easier for organizations to customize web-based solutions for their specific needs. Each web app in the Marketplace provides meaningful integrations that range from single sign-on convenience to contextual gadgets inside of a user's Gmail inbox.
A year ago today, the Google Apps Marketplace launched with 50 web apps integrated into Google Apps. That's pretty decent growth for one year, especially considering how useful the apps are for some businesses.
In May 2007, Google announced it was going to fight Microsoft with Google Apps Google officially going after Microsoft with Google Apps. Google has not been very successful so far, though some businesses and government have ditched Microsoft and completely switched. Redmond has in turn criticized Mountain View's offering while also pushing its own cloud options.
Although Google Apps may not be the best solution out there, it is certainly a solid alternative to Microsoft's offerings. Competition between companies is always a good thing for the end user.