Google Spreadsheets Gets Monitoring Software

ClusterSeven, a spreadsheet monitoring software vendor based in New York and London, announced this week that its technology is now compatible with Google's hosted spreadsheet offering.

The company's marketing materials compare its product to a closed-circuit security camera system. The software captures all activities and changes associated with a spreadsheet and helps users spot and fix irregularities. Customers include Mitsubishi UFJ Securities International.

Google's hosted software doesn't provide such functionality, which may be desired by enterprises that wish to leverage its collaborative capabilities, but also worry about security and compliance issues.

"For SMBs, the world beyond the firewall is a scary place," said Ralph Baxter, vice president of product marketing for ClusterSeven. "A lot of people compare the heavy lifting of Excel with what's available online. The organizations we're talking to say there are different business scenarios that require different strengths."

Kevin Smith, head of enterprise partnerships for Google, would not say whether the company would look in the future to build functionality like ClusterSeven's on its own. "I can't comment on a roadmap. But certainly we recognize that security and compliance are important and part of an enterprise solution," he said.

Overall, Google's application offerings are part of amigration of traditional office software to the Web, a trend often dubbed "Office 2.0."

Observers such as Burton Group analyst Guy Creese have said Google's applications are rudimentary compared to Office, but could provide adequate power for certain organizations' needs.

Pricing for ClusterSeven's Google spreadsheet service begins at US$1 per spreadsheet per day.