Cloud Sherpas Launches Google App Engine Practice

By: Darryl K. Taft
2009-04-08

Cloud Sherpas, a Google Apps enterprise deployment partner, announces its support for Google’s addition of Java to the Google App Engine (GAE) platform. The systems integrator also announces the formation of a Google App Engine development practice dedicated to extending the utility of Google Apps in large-scale, enterprise deployments.

Cloud Sherpas, a Google Apps enterprise deployment partner, has announced its support for Google’s addition of Java to the Google App Engine platform. The systems integrator also announced the formation of a Google App Engine development practice dedicated to extending the utility of Google Apps in large-scale, enterprise deployments.

Cloud Sherpas’ announcement coincides with the April 7 Google Campfire One event where Google announced its new Java support for Google App Engine. The Cloud Sherpas team will leverage Google App Engine and the new Java language support to enable deep integrations and build new products for the Google Apps ecosystem, company officials said.

“The drive to reduce cost has created a groundswell of demand for Google Apps among large institutions and enterprise customers,” said Michael Cohn, CEO of Cloud Sherpas. “With Java language support, Google App Engine offers an open, scalable platform for organizations to integrate Google Apps with other applications, build custom workflow applications, and migrate legacy workloads to the cloud.”

Cloud Sherpas also published a whitepaper entitled “Extending Google Apps with Java for App Engine.” The whitepaper offers a high-level overview of the Google App Engine stack and describes an approach for integrating custom applications with Google Apps. The whitepaper can be downloaded at the Cloud Sherpas Website.

“Cloud Sherpas has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to execute in Google Apps deployments,” said Scott McMullan, Google Apps Partner Lead. “We’re excited to have them at Campfire One and expect to see their dedicated team develop unique Google Apps extensions and stand-alone products.”

Meanwhile, David Hoff, vice president of technology at Cloud Sherpas, said: “Google has responded to developer feedback. The new set of App Engine features, including scheduled tasks, more secure access to firewalled data, and of course, an early look at support for Java programming language, allows enterprise customers to extend Google Apps like never before to meet the unique challenges of their business.”

Cloud Sherpas Boosts Google Apps System Integration with Google App Engine Development Practice

Leverages Google’s Cloud to Enable Deep Enterprise Integrations

Atlanta, Georgia — April 8, 2009 — Cloud Sherpas, a leading Google Apps™ systems integrator, announced today the formation of a Google App Engine™ development practice dedicated to extending the utility of Google Apps in enterprise deployments. The team will leverage Google App Engine and eventually the new Java™ language support to enable deep integrations and build innovative products for the Google Apps ecosystem.

“The drive to reduce cost has created a groundswell of demand for Google Apps among large institutions and enterprise customers,” says Michael Cohn, CEO of Cloud Sherpas. “With Java language support, Google App Engine offers an open, scalable platform for organizations to integrate Google Apps with other applications, build custom workflow applications, and migrate legacy workloads to the cloud.”

Google App Engine is built on Google’s computing infrastructure and is optimized to run Web applications. Unlike other infrastructure services, applications deployed on App Engine more reliably autoscale to meet spikes in demand without the need to buy excess capacity. And since customers are only billed for actual usage, App Engine is an ideal pay-as-you-go platform that further drives cost down.

“Cloud Sherpas has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to execute in Google Apps deployments, said Scott McMullan, Google Apps Partner Lead. “We’re excited to have them at Campfire One and expect to see their dedicated team develop unique Google Apps extensions and stand-alone products.”

At Google’s Campfire One event tonight, Google announced an early look at App Engine’s Java language support. “Google has responded to developer feedback,” said David Hoff, VP of Technology at Cloud Sherpas. “The new set of App Engine features, including scheduled tasks, more secure access to firewalled data, and of course, an early look at support for Java programming language, allows enterprise customers to extend Google Apps like never before to meet the unique challenges of their business.”

Cloud Sherpas also published a white paper today entitled “Extending Google Apps with Java for App Engine.” The white paper offers a high-level overview of the Google App Engine stack and describes an approach for integrating custom applications with Google Apps. Please visit www.cloudsherpas.com/whitepapers/gae.html to download the white paper. You can also meet the Cloud Sherpas team at the upcoming Google I/O conference on May 27-28.

About Cloud Sherpas
Cloud Sherpas (www.cloudsherpas.com) is a cloud computing systems integrator and application developer. As a leading Google Enterprise partner, Cloud Sherpas helps organizations leverage Google Apps and Google App Engine to dramatically reduce IT expenses. The company delivers deployment, change management, support and development services to commercial, enterprise and educational institutions seeking to adopt cloud computing.

Cloud Sherpas is a Google Apps Authorized Reseller and enterprise deployment partner. The company also supports cloud computing solutions from EMC/Decho, TriCipher and other best-in-breed vendors.

Google, Google App Engine, Secure Data Connector, Google Enterprise Partner, Google Apps and Google Apps Authorized Reseller are trademarks of Google Inc. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

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Atlanta startup raising cash and hiring

Atlanta Business Chronicle – by Urvaksh Karkaria Staff Writer
Friday, April 3, 2009

Atlanta startup Cloud Sherpas recently raised $170,000.

The company — one of many that populate the cloud computing ecosystem — resells, integrates and custom develops Google Apps, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) suite of business email, information sharing and security applications.

“We are one of Google’s top business partners in the country,” Cloud Sherpas CEO Michael Cohn said Friday.

The new money will be used for product development.

“We are growing,” Cohn said. “We are hiring people,”

With consumer demand in paralysis, companies are scrutinizing every expense to resuscitate the bottom line. Many businesses are turning to SaaS applications which require lower upfront costs.

The corporate penny pinching trend puts Cloud Sherpas in a market sweet spot.

Using Google Apps, Cohn said, Cloud Sherpas can help enterprise customers save about 70 percent over traditional messaging and collaboration software like Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes.

“There’s an incredible demand for Google apps [among large companies],” Cohn said.

Cloud Sherpas, which has raised more than $300,000, is focused on growing marketshare in the mid-size and large enterprise market. The company expects 2009 revenues of between $1 million and $2 million.