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The battle between Microsoft (News - Alert) and Google continues as the two tech giants duke it out for market share as more businesses realize the benefits of hosting their applications in the cloud. Google (News - Alert) Apps and Microsoft Office 365 are the two most popular platforms for e-mail and productivity tools online.

However, a survey of 330 chief information officers showed Google Apps was the second most popular e-mail application in Australia, behind Microsoft Exchange and ahead of Novell (News - Alert) GroupWise and IBM Lotus Notes.

Google is able to leverage its strong Gmail brand (which has 450 million accounts), while Microsoft has shown its commitment to cloud with its Office 365 product.

Global pool care and marine equipment manufacturer, Zodiac, which employs about 250 people in Australia, joined real estate agency network Ray White, Flight Center and Fairfax Media, publisher of this site, in choosing Google Apps.

According to the report, when Zodiac took the first step in cleaning up its five-year-old IT systems, it aligned it with its call center voice over IP (VoIP) system which was upgraded in 2010, with Google Apps to allow mobile sales staff, service technicians, and call center workers, to access Office applications remotely, APAC IT manager John Khoury told The Age.

Meanwhile, Australian online travel company Webjet adopted Microsoft Office 365 and the company’s development platform Azure, joining Origin, Mr. Rental, Qantas and Caltex in making the switch to Office in the cloud.

“According to head of solutions delivery Graham Anderson moving to the cloud freed the support staff to focus on more valuable activities, and made email available globally, 24/7 – an important requirement for a website that books travel around the world,” the report said.

In related news, Microsoft’s recently unveiled a cloud deployment program that is touted as assisting channel partners building their portfolios around Office 365 and other applications.

Qualified individuals will gain access to training, support, and marketing benefits for their businesses via this exclusive program.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.