Microsoft Pans Google Apps with Silly but Effective Mock Video

This week’s browser privacy and Web tracking wars between Google and the rest of the world notwithstanding, Microsoft also delivered a fairly humorous lampooning of Google and Google Apps (video above).

This is something Microsoft does about once a quarter to remind us that Google is an advertising company and Google Apps is a side project that makes no money.

“Google’s primary focus as an advertising company puts it at odds with the security and privacy needs of customers and users,” writes Tom Rizzo, Microsoft Senior Director for Office and Office 365, in a company blog post.

The Microsoft Office team has hammered home the “Google is in over its head with Google Apps” argument many times. The latest blog post is served as a reheated dish as Google Apps closes in on its fifth birthday.

But the post is accompanied by a goofy yet amusing video criticizing Google of merely moonlighting as a business software provider — coined “Googlighting” – but in reality it cares more about making money from search advertising than supporting data privacy and business needs. Office 365 on the other hand, writes Rizzo, is “the online collaboration solution for businesses that don’t want their documents and mail read.”

(It’s worth noting that CloudLock, a cloud-based data protection software company with an app that works with Google Apps and will soon work with Office 365, took umbrage at being cited in the Microsoft blog post as an example of how Google Apps is not “enterprise-ready.” CloudLock’s CEO plays the role of peacekeeper in this blog post.)

The Microsoft video — which ironically or not was posted on Google-owned YouTube — rewrites the theme song of the long-forgotten ’80s TV show “Moonlighting” but does not parody the show’s premise of two flirting, sparring private eyes (Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard). Couldn’t Microsoft have come up with a more modern, relevant show? The concept doesn’t make much sense, but it still ekes out a few laughs (the obnoxious Google guy is funny) and makes some pointed criticisms of Google Apps’ shortcomings.

While Microsoft may still have control of the enterprise productivity and collaboration game, Redmond is definitely hearing Google’s footsteps and playing more aggressively with blog posts and mock videos like this one.