Internet censorship rules mean that accessing Google services when travelling in China can be something of a hit-and-miss affair. One tactic that can help, especially if you’re using Google Apps for Business? Access those services on your mobile rather than a notebook or desktop machine.
In a post discussing Google’s potential business future in China, Forrester analyst Frank Liu notes that Google’s cancellation of plans to build a data centre in Hong Kong makes it less likely that Google Apps for Business will see a Chinese release. Despite not having been officially launched in China, Liu estimates it has some 32,000 Chinese users.
Many of those users experience variable access, since Google’s services are often blocked by Chinese censors. However, Liu notes that mobile access doesn’t appear constrained to the same degree:
As the Chinese government has not blocked the Google exchange server, accessing Google Apps accounts from a mobile device works better than via a web browser on a PC.
Worth bearing in mind if you’re visiting the Chinese mainland.
Google Apps For Business May Be Doomed In Mainland China [Forrester Blogs]
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