Google Workspace integrates all G Suite tools in one place

On Oct 6, Google launched Google Workspace, a better home for work which includes all of the G Suite productivity apps you know and love like Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet and many more. This means, G Suite is now Google Workspace and it features three major developments:

1. A new, deeply integrated product experience that helps people accomplish more at work, at home and at school.
2. A new brand identity that reflects Google’s ambitious product vision.
3. New ways to get started with solutions tailored to the customers’ unique needs.

Now, work itself is transforming in unprecedented ways. For many of us, work is no longer a physical place we go to and interactions that used to take place in person are being rapidly digitised. Office workers no longer have impromptu discussions at the coffee machine or while walking to meetings together and instead have turned their homes into workspaces. Frontline workers, from builders on a construction site to delivery specialists keeping critical supply chains moving, are turning to their phones to help get their jobs done. While doctors treating patients and local government agencies engaging with their communities are accelerating how they can use technology to deliver their services. Amidst this transformation, time is more fragmented which is split between work and personal responsibilities and human connections are more difficult than ever to establish and maintain.

These are unique challenges but they also represent a significant opportunity to help people succeed in this highly distributed and increasingly digitised world. With the right solution in place, people are able to collaborate more easily, spend time on what matters most and foster human connections, no matter where they are. That solution is Google Workspace: everything you need to get anything done, now in one place. 

New user experience

In July, Google brought together core tools for communication and collaboration like chat, email, voice and video calling and content management and collaboration into a single, unified experience to ensure that employees have access to everything they need in one place. This integrated experience is now generally available to all paying customers of Google Workspace.

In the coming months, this new experience will be coming to consumers to help them do things like setting up a neighbourhood group, manage a family budget or plan a celebration using integrated tools like Gmail, Chat, Meet, Docs and Tasks. 

Google already made it easier for business users to connect with customers and partners using guest access features in Chat and Drive, and in the coming weeks, you’ll be able to dynamically create and collaborate on a document with guests in a Chat room. This makes it easy to share content and directly work together with those outside your organisation and ensure that everyone has access and visibility to the same information.

When every minute you spend at work is a minute you could be helping your daughter with her homework, efficiency is everything. For example, in Docs, Sheets and Slides, you can now preview a linked file without having to open a new tab which means less time spent moving between apps and more time getting work done. When you @mention someone in your document, a smart chip will show contact details including for those outside your organisation, provide context and even suggest actions like adding that person to Contacts or reaching out via email, chat or video. By connecting you to relevant content and people right in Docs, Sheets and Slides, Google Workspace helps you get more done from where you already are.

Back in July, Google was working on Meet picture-in-picture for Gmail and Chat, so you can actually see and hear the people you’re working with while you’re collaborating. In the coming months, Google will be rolling out Meet picture-in-picture to Docs, Sheets and Slides. This is especially powerful for customer interactions where you’re pitching a proposal or walking through a document. Where before, you could only see the file you were presenting, now you’ll get all those valuable nonverbal cues that come with actually seeing someone’s face.

Many companies are implementing a mix of remote and in-person work environments. That’s why Meet supports a variety of devices with the best of Google AI built-in. From helpful and inclusive Series One hardware kits that provide immersive sound and effortlessly scalability, to native integrations with Chromecast and Nest Smart Displays that make your work experience more enjoyable whether that’s at home or in the office. 

New brand identity

10 years ago, when many of Google products were first developed, they were created as individual apps that solved distinct challenges like a better email with Gmail or a new way for individuals to collaborate together with Docs. Over time, the products have become more integrated, so much so that the lines between them have started to disappear.

The new Google Workspace brand reflects this more connected, helpful, and flexible experience and the icons will reflect the same. In the coming weeks, you will see new four-colour icons for Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Meet and collaborative content creation tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides that are part of the same family. 

As an existing G Suite Basic, Business or Enterprise customer please look for an email to the primary administrator in your domain arriving no later than Oct 16. This email will outline the specific impact on your organisation and who to contact for more info. G Suite Essentials will now be called Google Workspace Essentials. There are no additional changes to Essentials at this time.

Google Workspace is also making its way to the education and nonprofit customers in the coming months. Education customers can continue to access tools via G Suite for Education which includes Classroom, Assignments, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet. G Suite for Nonprofits will continue to be available to eligible organisations through the Google for Nonprofits program.

New ways to get started

In order to provide more choices and help customers get the most out of Google Workspace, Google is evolving its editions to provide more tailored offerings. The new editions for smaller businesses are aimed at those often looking to make fast, self-serviced purchases. The editions for larger enterprises are designed to help organisations that have more complex implementation needs and often require technical assistance over the course of a longer buying and deployment cycle. 

You can learn more about these new offerings on our pricing page. 

Google Workspace embodies Google’s vision for a future where work is more flexible, time is more precious and enabling stronger human connections becomes even more important. It’s a vision they’ve been building toward for more than a decade and years to come.