Google Overhauls G Suite: Key Points

At the start of the month, the billion-dollar business announced a rebrand for their G Suite – a range of intelligent productivity apps – to Google Workspace, and with it some tweaks and updates to the offering. In this post, we’ll go through the benefits of the rebrand and what it could mean for your business.

Why an overhaul?

Google stated that their original business plan for G Suites was to develop individual, problem-solving apps. Over time, the lines between those apps have become blurred, necessitating a service that offers a ‘more connected, helpful and flexible experience’. An example of this is Google Meet, the video meeting app. Thanks to Google’s Workspaces, the app could allows clients to see and sign consultation forms while simultaneously seeing, and speaking to, your staff on camera.

What’s included in Google Workspace?

All the same apps are included, such as:

– Gmail
– Calendar
– Drive
– Docs (Sheets, Slides, Forms and Sites)
– Hangouts and Meet

You can see a full list in the footer here.

Google hopes that the move allows for a more ‘integrated experience’ for businesses wherever they’re based and however they want to interact with customers. It’s important to note that both also offer management interfaces, which can help with compliance and archiving.

Who is Google Workspace aimed at?

It’s mainly for new businesses, small businesses, and ‘enterprises’ – so would suit a small practice just as it would a chain of clinics. The business model is based on a subscription, with access to each app, as well as storage and support, for a monthly fee.

How much does it cost?

There are plans available to suit most budgets, and there’s also a two-week trial available. What other options are there?

There’s a range of alternatives available, but not all offer the same range of features as Google:

Microsoft Office 365 – the most similar to Google’s offering, but has even more storage both for emails and for files.
Slack – Slack can help with online consultations and encourage communication between your team.
Dropbox – ideal for safely storing client files and clinic policies.

What’s the benefit of using Google?

While Office 365 is perhaps more familiar to people based on Windows programs (and now desktop apps) such as Outlook and Excel, Google has the benefit of its browser, Chrome, to aid with offline storage.

Google has also streamlined its subscriptions, so it’s a lot simpler to choose something that works for you and your clinic. And, lots of these are cheaper than the Office 365 alternative.