Google+ courts business users with new corporate privacy settings

Internet giant Google has added several new collaboration features to its social networking site, Google+, to bolster its appeal to business users.

Google Apps users will get free preview access to the new features until the end of 2013, but no further pricing information has been disclosed.

The company announced the move in a blog post earlier today. "Web-based collaboration and social tools have dramatically changed the way people connect," it stated.

"Like Google Apps, we think Google+ can help colleagues collaborate more easily and get things done, and get to know each other along the way."

The new features include a restricted post function, which allows organisations to control who can see content published on Google+ and prevent people outside the company accessing it.

On top of this, IT administrations can set company-wide access restrictions on posts and set up private company meetings using Google Hangouts.

Google has also introduced changes that allow users to hold video meetings with up to 10 people using Google+ Hangouts.

It also used the post to reveal that an enterprise-focused, mobile version of Google+ is in the pipeline.

"If you're a Google Apps customer, we encourage you to bring Google+ to work today," the post concluded.