In a move that satisfies as many as nine out of the top 20 requests that Google Apps users frequently make to the company, Google announced on May 6 that by summer this year, Google Apps users will be able to sign in to other Google properties – like Google Reader, Blogger, YouTube, iGoogle, and Picasa Web Albums – using their Apps email address and password.

Furthermore, by fall, the new Apps infrastructure will become an opt-in feature for all users. However, the new apps will initially not be covered by the Google Apps support and service level agreement for firms that use Google Apps Standard, Premier and Education Edition.

Nonetheless, the change will open up the spectrum of Google’s functionality to businesses, organizations, and schools using Google Apps; with future support options also to be evaluated.

Essentially, the move will expand Google Apps beyond collaboration to other modes of information-sharing; thereby helping Google to ward off potential rivals like IBM, Cisco and Microsoft, whose Office 2010 suite is scheduled for a May 12 launch.

Talking about the new Apps functionality, Dennis Troper, Google Apps’ product management director, said: “For example, co-workers will be able to publish their organization's blog on Blogger, share project images with Picasa Web Albums, track industry news in Google Reader, advertise online with AdWords and much more, all without switching back and forth between multiple accounts.”