Many businesses today are having employees use Gmail for business related communications instead of maintaining their own mail servers. It certainly saves the company money, but will you end up with some unexpected (and unwanted) “fringe benefits?” Some Gmail users have been complaining that messages are being sent in their names, attempting to get their contacts to use Google products. A Google rep says it happens because you send an invitation to chat, but some users say the “Google spam” goes beyond that and even shows up in their Sent folder. Undoubtedly Gmail users (knowingly or not) have consented to this when they accepted the Terms of Service, but some aren’t very happy about it.
If your company is thinking about switching to Gmail for business (or has already done so), it’s worth checking into if you’re concerned about the effect on your company’s image in the eyes of potential customers, partners, etc.