Google Apps partner Cloud Sherpas has a lot to celebrate going into this week’s Google I/O developer and partner conference, and the company is claiming its SherpaTools for Google Apps admin suite is being used by 16,000 domains worldwide. At Google I/O, Cloud Sherpas will be demonstrating the new version of SherpaTools, giving Google Apps administrators delegation, end-user provisioning and privacy features — billing the new, improved SherpaTools as “the ultimate companion app to Google Apps.”
SherpaTools for Google Apps was one of the original 50 offerings in the Google Apps Marketplace, with a mission statement of bridging the gap between the simple-but-powerful Google Apps and the management that IT staff demands. There are both free and premium versions available, and Cloud Sherpas likes to boast that SherpaTools is a perennial entrant in “most-downloaded” lists.
As for those new features, let’s go down some bullet points, with information from the official press release:
- Constituencies – SherpaTools for Google Apps now supports the delegation of access privileges, calling user groups “constituencies.” For instance, the help desk constituency can have access to its own data, while the financial constituency access to its specific data with no crossover.
- Instant Seat Purchase – If you got your Google Apps licenses through Cloud Sherpas in the first place, SherpaTools lets you purchase additional seats right through the panel. The company claims to be the first Google Apps reseller that allows this.
- Product packaging: Right from the horse’s mouth: “The free edition of SherpaTools has been re-named SherpaTools for Google Apps: Base Camp, and the premium version, or module, is now called Collaboration Pack.” Cloud Sherpas says that eventually, Base Camp users will be able to download additional modules a la carte from Cloud Sherpas.
- Support for Standard Edition: SherpaTools now supports the free Google Apps Standard Edition in addition to the paid Google Apps for Business. Cloud Sherpas is expecting that alone to greatly increase the adoption of SherpaTools.
Cloud Sherpas is one of the most outspoken proponents of Google Apps out there, and the only one we’ve ever heard raise venture capital to build its business. But it’s going to be just one of many at Google I/O, so stay tuned for updates.
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