Say what you like about Google (and most people do, while using its services every day), but it knows how to branch out and defy convention.

The latest move that has people asking "WTF?" is its new relationship with online storage specialist Box Inc., whereby the web services giant's suite of Google Doc applications will be available for enterprises to use within Box's cloud environment. That defies conventional partnership practice because Google offers the ability for enterprise users to do the same thing in Google's own cloud -- in effect, it is partnering with a rival.

But, as this Business Insider article explains, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is seeking any avenue to make its apps the ones that companies use the most and, ultimately, prefer over alternatives. Remind you of another large tech company (called Microsoft)?

The point is, Google is playing nice with anyone that can help it extend its reach and become even more pervasive and is using a) the cloud, and b) collaboration to achieve that goal. That's a lesson that just about every company in tech could learn from, though for some it will be much harder to embrace than it is for others.

— Ray Le Maistre, , Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading