Guess Who's Chasing Google Apps?

At first glance, Google Apps’ biggest potential competitor in the online application world is Microsoft.

But another software as a service provider, named Zoho, continues to generate strong buzz in the Web 2.0 world. In addition to offering some basic online applications for word processing and spreadsheets, Zoho has developed online HR, CRM, reporting, Web conferencing and other business-oriented applications.

I’ve met the Zoho team a few times at various open source events. I think they’ve got a good thing going. And yes, they’re looking for partners and resellers.

Zoho’s latest offering is Zoho People, a human resources application suite that manages organizational charts, recruiting and hiring, expense reports.

On the partner front, Zoho is pursuing:

You can find more info here. And the company’s blog does a good job of highlighting Zoho’s day-to-day business strategies. Startups come and go. But based on some private meetings I’ve had with Zoho partners, I sense that the company is poised for a break-out year.