????長期以來，谷歌公司（Google）一直被指責在業務上缺乏重點，更有人質疑谷歌對企業客戶并無誠意。但是這家曾以搜索引擎著稱的公司堅信，它采取了一條正確無誤的道路——如果能為消費者打造出色的工具，企業客戶最終也會隨之而來——哪怕要花上好幾年的時間才能讓企業客戶動心。

????上周，谷歌舉行了“谷奧”大會（Google I/O conference）。會上，眾多驚人的技術成果紛紛亮相，其中有一些引人矚目的產品升級和新產品，公司宣布它們是專為企業用戶開發的。首當其沖的是谷歌計算引擎（Compute Engine），這是一種“基礎設施即服務”（IaaS）產品，它能讓開發者在谷歌的高性能服務器上運行自己的應用程序。谷歌還展示了一些更便于商業用戶使用的谷歌應用升級，比如離線編輯文檔的功能，以及可在蘋果iPhone和iPad上使用的Chrome瀏覽器。

????在目前的高科技競技場上，谷歌計算引擎可謂姍姍來遲，但對谷歌來說，這是順理成章、合乎邏輯的一步。之所以邁出這一步，原因和亞馬遜（Amazon）公司幾年前順勢推出云計算平臺的初衷幾乎如出一轍。亞馬遜并未公布其云計算帶來的收入，但據估算，去年這項業務貢獻的銷售額約為9.4億美元。谷歌計算引擎并不僅僅是個富有潛力的掙錢機器，就像亞馬遜早已擁有規模巨大的計算和存儲基礎設施一樣。它也是讓眾多開發者融入自己團隊的一條捷徑——這是用來和微軟（Microsoft）這樣的競爭對手展開角逐的十分寶貴的一招。

????Chrome和谷歌應用高級副總裁桑達?皮采伊對谷歌計算引擎的立場是：“對我們而言這是一個核心領域，我們正對此進行長期深入的投資。我們著眼長遠。”

????皮采伊稱，谷歌對企業級市場所采用的舉措已經歷了一次“進化”。谷歌的大多數產品在起步時都以消費者為目標人群，但現在也擁有了一支致力于為企業客戶服務的銷售和市場營銷團隊。而在皮采伊看來，消費者市場和企業市場之間的邊界正在日益變得模糊。比如：安卓（Android）操作系統經過了很長時間才在消費者中贏得了一席之地，隨后才獲得發展壯大。但是現在谷歌發現，有跡象表明，許多企業也已經開始采用這一系統。

????這其實并不是什么全新的概念。早在2004年，在“消費化”（consumerization）還沒成為流行詞匯之前，谷歌的Gmail就已經開始以僅通過邀請才能使用的電郵服務形式為消費者提供服務。然后，它慢慢地為企業所接受。像基因泰克公司（Genentech）這類大型公司是較早使用的客戶，不過Gmail絕大多數企業用戶都是小公司。谷歌稱，現在全美仍有500萬家企業在使用Gmail。當然，像很多谷歌產品一樣，一些成功打入企業的產品或服務最終也會鎩羽而歸。谷歌表示，自己正在對Chromebook進行長期投資。這值得慶賀，因為就算這一宏圖大志真的能夠實現，這些輕型筆記本也要花上數年時間才能在企業用戶中真正扎下根來（而對企業用戶來說，離線編輯的功能依然非常有限）。

????盡管進軍企業市場的構想還算不上盡善盡美，但谷歌確實鄭重其事地希望有所作為。而其闖入各種似乎互不相關的產品領域的一貫做法，恰恰是谷歌企業文化和組織特性的典型體現，也與其搜索引擎的風格一脈相承。那么，谷歌為企業客戶開發的下一代完全加密、密碼保護的“眼鏡”會是什么樣呢？可能還得等上一陣子。不過，等到水落石出那一天，人們也許并不會覺得太意外。

????譯者：清遠

????Google has long been criticized for a lack of focus, and some doubt its commitment to enterprise customers.But the company formerly known as a search engine believes that it's got the right approach -- build great consumer tools and corporate customers will eventually follow -- even if it takes years for its products to catch on in the workplace.

????Amidst all of the stunts and theatrics at last week's Google I/O conference, the company announced a handful of noteworthy upgrades and offerings geared toward enterprise customers. At the top of the list was the launch of Google Compute Engine, an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) product that lets developers run their applications on Google's (GOOG) high-performance servers. The company also unveiled a few business-friendly upgrades to Google Apps, like the ability to edit documents offline, and the availability of the Chrome browser on Apple (AAPL) iPhones and iPads.

????Google's Compute Engine is late to the game, but it's a logical step for the company for the same reason that it made sense for Amazon (AMZN), an online retailer, to launch its cloud computing platform years ago. Amazon doesn't break out revenue from its remote computing services, but it's estimated to have contributed about $940 million in sales last year. And Google Compute isn't just a potential moneymaker for Google, which like Amazon already has massive computing and storage infrastructure in place. It's also a way to get developers on its team -- a valuable play for competing with other rivals like Microsoft (MSFT).

????"This is an area which is core to us, and we are making a deep, long investment here," Sundar Pinchai, senior VP for Chrome and Apps, says of Google Compute. "We think for the long haul."

????Pinchai says Google's approach to the enterprise market has gone through an "evolution." Most products still start out on the consumer side but Google now has a dedicated enterprise sales and marketing team. And, Pinchai argues, the lines are blurring between consumer and business. Case in point: Its Android operating system took time to grow among consumers. But now the company is starting to see signs of its acceptance in the workplace.

????This isn't an entirely new concept. Back in 2004, before "consumerization" was a buzzword, Google's Gmail started out as an invite-only email service for consumers. It then slowly made its way into the workplace. Large corporate customers like Genentech were early adopters, but the vast majority of Gmail customers are smaller businesses. Still, Google says five million businesses across the country now use it.

????Of course, like many Google products, some of the offerings that make it into the enterprise will flop. Google says it's making a long-term investment in Chromebooks. Good thing, because it will likely be years before these lightweight laptops gain any significant traction among businesses, if it ever happens at all. (Even with offline editing they still have very limited functionality for enterprise users.)

????But Google's attempt to enter the enterprise is serious, even if it isn't entirely polished. And the company's forays into seemingly unrelated products are almost as integral to its culture and identity as, well, its search engine. So what's next, a fully encrypted, password-protected version of Google Glass for the enterprise? Probably not anytime soon. Then again, it wouldn't be much of a surprise.