The Virtual Office just got more crowded

Derek Parham makes the big announcement today:

Now, I'm excited to tell you that our baby has finally graduated and is entering the business world. Google Apps Premier Edition is a new version designed to take on all the challenges presented by businesses with complex IT needs. For $50 per account per year, you get the whole Google Apps package plus many new business-oriented features, including access to our APIs and partner solutions (so it’s easy to integrate with existing systems), conference room scheduling for Calendar, 10GB of inbox storage, extended business hours phone support, and mobile access to your email on BlackBerry devices (just in case you can't get enough at the office).

Google takes a big shot at Microsoft today just as they are preparing to launch Vista Office 2007. It will be interesting to see if the Microsoft Groove Virtual Office and Office Live offerings can compete and don't rule out Zoho Office Suite.

MedInitiatives signs deal with online drug store

A Rancho Cordova-based health information technology company has signed a deal with an online pharmacy communications network to provide software tools to help drug manufacturers and pharmacies evaluate whether their programs are effective.

The agreement between MedInitiatives Inc. and ChainDrugStore.net was announced Tuesday. No financial details were given.

Founded in 2000, MedInitiatives is one of the fastest-growing companies in Greater Sacramento and has annual revenue of more than $8 million.