Google Workspace is a collection of communication and collaboration software designed for business users. The basic Google Workspace communication programs, including Gmail and Google Meet, as well as the collaboration apps, such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms, are widely used around the world. The collaboration tools were designed from the start to allow numerous individuals to simultaneously edit a document, spreadsheet, or presentation.
What Is Google Workspace, And How Does It Work?
In contrast to the typical free Gmail or Google accounts that anybody can create, Google Workspace accounts are created and maintained by an administrator. Google Workspace defaults, app access, and security settings are all at the administrator’s discretion. Distinct configurations for different groups of people—or, in Workspace terms, different organizational units—can be implemented using Workspace. Google Workspace can also be set up to help firms that deal with extremely confidential information. An administrator, for example, can restrict Workspace data such as email, calendar items, and Drive files from being saved offline.
What Google Workspace Apps Are Available?
For most Google Workspace editions, the following apps are included in the core offering. To learn more about each app, go to the appropriate Google Workspace page by clicking the link name. The speed of Workspace apps is an important feature. Google offers.new shortcuts, which, when typed into the URL box of a contemporary browser, create a new item of the specified kind. Cal.new, for example, makes a new Google Calendar event, while doc.new makes a new Google Doc.
- Gmail is the most extensively used email service on the planet.
- A calendar is a scheduling tool (cal.new)
- Hardware for meetings and gatherings: group video and audio conferencing (meet.new)
- Team chats and project locations can be found in chat and spaces.
- Drive: A private cloud storage service that also allows users to share files and folders.
- Collaborative documents are referred to as docs (doc.new)
- Collaborative spreadsheets are known as sheets (sheet.new)
- Collaborative presentations on slides (slide.new)
- Forms and questionnaires that can be customized (form.new)
- Collaborative notes should be kept (note.new or keep.new)
- Collaborative websites are referred to as sites (site.new)
- Social networking and involvement in the workplace are hot topics right now.
The following apps aren’t prominently displayed as essential Workspace apps, but they’re frequently available, depending on the Google Workspace edition you’re using. These may necessitate further purchases in some circumstances.
- Groups and Business Groups: Email Lists and Access Control
- Search across your Google Workspace with Cloud Search.
- Data retention and eDiscovery in the Vault
- Jamboard/Jamboard hardware: A visual board for collaboration (jam.new)
- Virtual phone system (voice/voice hardware)
- Script for Apps: Automating Business Processes
- No-code application development with AppSheet
- Teachers and students have structured learning spaces in the classroom.
- Domain registration with Google Workspace sign-up and settings integrated
To Use Google Workspace, What Do I Need?
A Modern Browser Is Required (Chrome Strongly Recommended)
Google Workspace apps can be accessed using a contemporary web browser on desktop platforms including Windows and macOS. Organizations that employ Workspace will almost always want to use the Google Chrome browser as well. Signing in to your Workspace account through the Chrome browser offers you access to Workspace apps as well as some Chrome-only features. People can, for example, configure Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Slides to sync locally for offline work if an administrator allows it. Many other modern browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Safari, allow users to use the majority of Google Workspace app functionality while online. Google Drive for Desktop (previously Google Drive File Stream) is a locally installed program for Windows and macOS that allows users to access Drive files and folders. This makes accessing items saved on Drive seem very similar to navigating a local file system.
Apps for Android, iOS, and iPadOS
On Android, iOS, and iPadOS, there are several Google Workspace apps to choose from. Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Chat, Keep, and Currents, for example, are all available for download and installation through Google Play (Android) or the AppStore (iOS) (Apple).
Note: Neither Google Sites nor Google Forms have mobile apps yet, but the websites and forms built with both tools operate fine on mobile devices.
Hardware And Chrome Enterprise Are Optional.
Many Google Workspace users opt to acquire additional products like Chromebooks, Google Meet gear, Jamboard devices, and Google Voice phone equipment. All of these devices, as well as their associated services, can be linked to your company’s Workspace account and controlled by a Workspace administrator. People can sign in with a Google Workspace account and have full access to all Workspace apps on Chromebooks (and other Chrome OS devices in various configurations, such as tablets or 2-in-1s). Most current Chromebooks can run Android apps, while a few higher-end computers can run Windows apps with the use of third-party software. An administrator can use Chrome Enterprise controls to completely manage and deploy Chrome and Chrome devices.
What Google Workspace Editions Are Available?
Workspace editions are divided into three categories: number of accounts, customer organization type, and capabilities. First and foremost, the Business editions are limited to businesses with up to 300 user accounts. Organizations that want more than 300 accounts should inquire about Google’s Enterprise versions. If you only need Workspace for one person, Google Workspace Individual is a good option, but you could also go with any Business or Enterprise model. Second, some versions are restricted to certain types of organizations, such as non-profits, educational institutions, and so on. Third, as you progress from Starter to Standard to Plus editions, storage restrictions, Meet limits (participant numbers and the recording option), administration capabilities (security configuration and reports), and access to particular apps tend to expand. Pricing is determined by your organization as well as the Google Workspace edition. Educational institutions and charitable organizations, for example, may be eligible to utilize various Workspace editions for free, however, they may choose to upgrade to premium versions for more features and controls.
Individual Google Workspace
Google announced a new Individual edition in mid-June 2021, which includes booking services and email marketing, as well as access to the core Workspace apps. When only one individual needs Workspace apps and does not need to add or manage any more accounts, the Google Workspace Individual edition makes sense. Individual edition, for example, would be appropriate for a part-time side business or a solitary entrepreneur. Individual subscriptions will cost $9.99 per month, with a $7.99 per month introductory discount.
Editions For Business (From 1 To 300 Accounts)
Most small businesses will pick one of these three options:
Business Starter: $6 per month per active account
Business Standard: $12 per month per active account
Business Plus: $18 per month per active account
The amount of storage (Starter 30 GB, Standard 2 TB, Plus 5 TB), the maximum number of video meeting participants (Starter 100 Meet participants, Standard 150 Meet participants, Plus 250 Meet participants), and Meet recording features are the main variations between the plans (not available for Starter, but available to Standard plus accounts). Plus, comes with greater endpoint management controls and access to Google Vault.
Editions For Businesses (From 1 To Any Number Of Accounts)
An Enterprise edition is required for organizations with more than 300 accounts, as it provides access to additional technological security and management controls. Access to limitless storage is included in the Enterprise Plus edition. Smaller businesses can join up for an Enterprise edition because there is no minimum number of user accounts required for either Enterprise Standard or Enterprise Plus. These features, on the other hand, are often more beneficial in businesses with a larger number of people and devices. Because Google does not publicize pricing for these editions, you will need to contact their sales department.
Essential is a special edition of the book (for organizations with existing email and calendaring solutions)
You may keep your existing email and calendaring system, such as Microsoft 365, and add Google Workspace Essentials on top of it. This allows employees in your company to collaborate using Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, Meet, Sites, and Keep, as well as legacy solutions. Essentials accounts are $8 per month per active account.
Frontline Edition
The Frontline edition offers access to essential Workspace apps including Gmail, Calendar, Chat, Meet, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites, as well as endpoint control capabilities to secure data on mobile devices, and is designed to enable communications between frontline workers and other employees. However, each account is restricted to 2 GB of storage. Google does not announce the price for the Frontline edition and instead directs interested parties to sales.
Editions For Education (For Qualified Educational Institutions Only)
Institutions that meet the criteria, such as K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, can apply for free access to Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals. Not only do students, teachers, administrators, and staff have access to Workspace collaboration apps, but they also have access to Google Classroom. Teachers can use the Google Classroom app to share lessons with students, students can complete and turn in work, and teachers can grade and provide feedback on that work.
Among the Education editions available are:
For approved institutions, Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is free.
Standard: $3 per student per year for Google Workspace for Education
Upgrade to Teaching and Learning: $4 per month per license
$5 per student each year for Google Workspace for Education Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)
Editions For Non-Profits (For Qualified Non-Profit Organisations Only)
Those that apply and are approved can use Google Workspace for Nonprofits, which is effectively the Google Workspace Starter Edition, for free. Nonprofit companies, on the other hand, can upgrade to other editions at a significant discount from Google. The following plans and prices are available to the qualifying and approved non-profit organizations:
Google Workspace for Nonprofits: Free for qualifying organizations
Business Standard: $3 per account per month
Business Plus: $5.04 per account per month
Enterprise editions: Discounted about 70% from the standard price
Why Would I Pay For Google Workspace When I Can Get A Lot Of The Features For Free?
Instead of utilizing a free Gmail account, there are at least three reasons to upgrade to a paid Google Workspace account:
Workspace can be configured to work with your organization’s domain name. That way, instead of sending emails from a gmail.com address, you can send them from your domain (e.g., you@exampleorganization.com).
Account management: Because Workspace allows you to manage accounts from a central location, you may add or remove user accounts as employees join or depart your company.
Security: An administrator can strengthen security settings by requiring longer passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and restricting external sharing, among other things, to lessen the chance of unwanted data leaks.
What’s The Quickest Method To Get Google Workspace Up And Running?
If you’re starting a new company, go to Google Domains and buy the domain name you like. After you’ve registered your domain name, you’ll be able to choose and set up Google Workspace accounts for the domain. Several domain name server configuration tasks that would normally have to be done manually are eliminated using this solution.
Is It Possible To Use Google Workspace If We’ve Always Used Office Files?
Yes. Google Workspace has several capabilities that help companies with files in Microsoft Office formats. Many file types, including.doc/.docx,.xls/.xlsx, and.ppt/.pptx, are supported by Google Drive. If you have Google Drive for desktop installed, you can open and edit these files with locally installed Office software. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, on the other hand, offer native editing and collaboration of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
What Third-Party Applications Are Compatible With Google Workspace?
The Google Workspace Marketplace, a catalog of third-party apps managed by Google, should be your first stop when looking for new apps that work with Workspace. Hundreds of apps are available, ranging from productivity tools (such as LucidChart Diagrams, MindMeister, Trello) to signature services (such as DocuSign, HelloSign), storage services (such as Box, Dropbox), and backup providers (such as Backupify, Spanning Backup).
With Single Sign-On and Security Assertion Markup Language, Workspace also allows you to connect to third-party apps. This enables employees in your company to login into their Workspace account and then obtain access to associated third-party online apps without having to authenticate again. When a new Google Workspace account is established, the system can be configured to automatically add a new account at a third-party provider. The companies that offer pre-integrated SAML apps are included in the Pre-integrated SAML apps catalog.
What Are Some Google Workspace Alternatives?
Microsoft 365 has a similar suite of collaboration and communication solutions that are enterprise-friendly. Many firms continue to utilize Microsoft Exchange, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams as standard apps. Zoho Workplace, Nextcloud, and KolabNow are some of the less well-known alternatives to Google Workspace. Alternatives to Docs, Sheets, and Slides include LibreOffice and CryptPad for those who don’t require the organizational email and account management features but still need to work on papers. Apple users should take a look at Apple’s iWork apps (i.e., Pages, Numbers, and Keynote).
