Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office links native Office documents with a company&39's Google Apps account.

Google is putting its DocVerse team to use, unleashing a new plug-in for Google Docs that lets offline Microsoft Word documents talk to Web-based Google Docs files.

DocVerse, acquired by Google earlier this year, has ported its software onto Google's network and is ready to let early testers get a crack at Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office. The software lets Microsoft Office users who also have Google Apps accounts sync their documents with Google without having to work within the Google Docs Web interface, creating a Web-based copy of that native document for sharing and collaboration.

Google's been trying for several years now to convince businesses to migrate away from Microsoft's Office suite, but there are still lots of businesses that prefer all the bells and whistles that come with the native applications. This application lets them stay within the familiar Office suite but add the benefits of Web syncing.

The software works with Office 2003, 2007, and 2010, Google said, and interested Google Apps customers can sign up to test it out before a wider launch.