Google, Inc. has acquired Google Apps training firm Synergyse Training, Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 2013, Synergyse offers a Google Chrome extension that places a virtual guide into Google Apps, allowing users to learn how to use the service in the most productive way while also staying up to date with any changes rolled out.

Pricing for the extension started at $10 per year per user, with discounts available for business with more than 5,000 employees; the extension was available for free to students.

Although far from being a well-known name, Synergyse has had some strong success with the extension, with 4 million  people and 3,000 organizations globally using the product.

Starting immediately post-acquisition, the extension is now being offered at no additional cost, with Google planning to eventually integrate the training aspects into Google Apps itself in the medium term.

“Synergyse built a virtual coach inside of the Google Apps interface, built on Google Cloud Platform. With voice and text interactive modules that are searchable by topic within our apps, Synergyse will help your users get up to speed quickly — including when new features are rolled out. The trainings are always up to date, thanks to the power of the cloud,” Google Apps Operations Senior Director Peter Scocimara said in a blog post announcing the deal.

“Organizations that use Synergyse see on average 35 percent higher adoption across Apps products, meaning those organizations are more likely to be productive, collaborative and embrace digital transformation … given the enthusiasm that exists for Synergyse already, we want to extend this service to all of our customers. That is why we’re happy to announce Synergyse will be joining Google.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPGaKhov9sM#action=share

No brainer

Google buys companies all the time and sometimes those buys can be questionable, but when it comes to Synergyse the acquisition was a no brainer.

The service provides simple, intuitive training and support that makes Google Apps products easier to use, and, once baked into the service will make Google Apps more appealing to those enterprise customers that are interested but wary of making the switch due to the staff training required.

Image credit: Synergyse.