Google to raise commissions for resellers of Google Apps for Work in a push to woo larger organizations
Google Makes Move on Microsoft's Turf in Workplace — Gmail Operator to Offer Bigger Fees to Resellers Amid Push to Challenge Outlook Owner — Google Inc. plans to boost …
Context & Ripple Effects
Google’s workplace-software effort has been building since its 2007 launch of business applications, followed by an expansion of its corporate email service later that year. By 2012, coverage framed the contest explicitly as Google moving into Microsoft’s business-software territory.
The higher reseller payout makes distribution a more deliberate part of that challenge. It follows an earlier period in which Microsoft responded as Google gained ground, underscoring that enterprise adoption is contested through sales channels as well as product capabilities.
First-order effects
- Google Apps for Work resellers receive a stronger financial incentive to prioritize Google deployments, particularly in larger-organization sales pursuits.
- Google gains a more attractive route to enterprise buyers through partners that can package, sell, and support its workplace suite.
Second-order effects
- Microsoft faces added pressure to defend partner attention in business productivity accounts, where reseller economics can influence which suite reaches procurement teams first.
- Resellers can shift more sales effort toward Google Apps for Work, making partner compensation a competitive lever alongside email and office-product features.
Third-order effects
- Enterprise productivity competition is moving beyond direct software comparisons toward control of the partner channel that shapes large-account purchasing decisions.
- If Google and Microsoft keep using reseller incentives to win accounts, channel economics will become a more central determinant of workplace-suite adoption.
The trend: Business-software rivals are treating reseller incentives as a strategic tool for penetrating larger enterprise accounts.