So the domains are verified and I am now going to configure them to get the full functionality.

The first stage is to note the set up you get ‘out-of'-box’.

On completion of the GApps signup & Verification you are presented with a step by step guide of tasks to do:

The BPOS version of this is a list of ‘to do tasks’ at the top of the admin console:

GApps ‘out-of-box’ install lacked the main component – EMAIL. I had to configure the email service manually by going back into the Domain Admin settings, and adding the MX records. However you can select a drop down for the main registrars and the instructions will be very specific

Out of box everything in BPOS is configured EXCEPT for the Office Communication Online service, however this needed just a button to be clicked to enable.

To use the service on a local machine GApps used its home in the cloud to arrange everything except the chat client and your users can receive an email with all the links to their service within it:

Whereas BPOS used Microsoft’s Client experience to offer both clients to access BPOS and online logins:

BPOS needed  downloads, the Single Sign on Client, and Office Communicator 2007 R2

GApps chat client as mentioned above is downloaded from here:

So there we have in, configured to the ‘Out-of-Box’ level. The next stage will be in the user console and experience of carrying out basic tasks like IM, Email, editing documents and collaborating online.