How to setup Google Apps for your domain

How to Setup Google Apps for Your Domain

Why Google Apps?

Google Apps provides everyone at your organization a custom email address (like bob@yourdomain.com), tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations (Google Docs), a shared calendaring system and access to a flexible intranet system (Google Sites). All this for free in Google Apps Standard Edition.

Google Apps Premier Editions also gives security and compliance services. Or you can buy same separately. Premier edition gives you 25GB mailbox, Postini (security and compliance), and host of other features you may need for an enterprise.

More details on Google apps can be found at

http://www.google.com/a

If you you are already sold on Google apps - here is step by step tutorial to setup Google Apps for your domain:

Step 1: Register with Google Apps

You got to go to

www.google.com/a

and sign up for an account. While signing up you can either buy a domain (if you do not have one) or can enter your existing domain. If you enter your existing domain chose an option that you are an administrator for this account.

You will now be asked for

Number of users - Chose the number of users you want (if you have doubt - enter a large number)

You may need to enter an your first & last name, email id, phone, country , job title, company name, type and company size. Make sure you neter an email which the other than email in the domain your are configuring. (This will be the id where they will send you welcome email. This email will be used in case you forget the admin password- so use this email carefully)

Next you will be asked for your admin user id and password for your domain.

Step 2: Verify your domain

Now that you have registered your Google apps account you have to verify that you own this domain. You are required to do this step otherwise anyone can register your domain at Google Apps and start using your domain. Domain verification ensures that right owners of domain are configured.

Google offers two methods of verification. You can either upload an HTML file with a name (UNIQUE CODE) Google specify, or you can change the CNAME record for your domain using the values (UNIQUE CODE) they specify. You can choose your preferred method.

To verify your domain login to your admin id and click on verify domain ownership link at the top of page.

Chose the method you want from drop do

HTML Verification
To do HTML verification create a HTML verification file named

googlehostedservice.html

And copy the (UNIQUE CODE/STRING) specified in your verification into it, and upload it to your website's root directory. You can create a file in any word processor and save it as html document.

Once you have made the changes, make sure you can see the file at http://yourdomain.com/googlehostedservice.html.

Then click on verify domain button to verify.

Cname Verification
Sign in to your domain control panel at your name server locate the DNS management page. The location varies by service, but can typically be found under Domain Management or Advanced Settings.

Use the UNIQUE CODE/STRING provided by Google to create a new CNAME record for the yourdomain.com domain:

Point the CNAME record to: google.com

Once you have made the changes, you can verify that the record exists by doing a lookup for

http://UNIQUESTRING.yourdomain.com

this url should take you to google.com

Wow - you have verified your domain

Remaining in next part of this tutorial...