Learn Google Workspace in 5 minutes

The following article explains the difference between Google Workspace and the traditional office tool, the difference between Google Workspace and personal Gmail, tips for using Google Workspace, pricing, implementation process, and more! Please share this post with the link if it benefits you or if it could benefit someone you know.

Work on Cloud with Google Workspace vs Traditional Office Tool

Google Workspace is a cloud office suite developed by Google for businesses. It includes Gmail enterprise mailboxes and Google collaboration tools. It’s faster and easier for SMEs to move directly to a well-designed platform instead of spending time researching and exploring different systems.

Some companies worry about their employees using Microsoft Office or their customers using Office, but in reality, anyone familiar with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. can find the appropriate tools in Google and open/edit Office files. Collaboration in the cloud not only does not require extra money to install and update the version, but it also solves the problem of multiple people not being able to open and edit Office files at the same time, making work more efficient.

Common Issues Using Traditional Office Tool	Work Efficiently with Google Workspace
Insufficient Storage	Storage starts from 30GB per user
Inconvenience of working remotely	Accessible via web browser using any device
Emails and files need to back up manually	Sync automatically and security is guaranteed when storing files on cloud
Time-consuming when searching across files	Quick search function helps to search files easily
Time-consuming to handle mail issues	Blocks 99% of spam and phishing messages
Task handover is difficult when employees resign	Rename the email and used for new hires
Difficult to find attachments in mailbox	Files sharing via Google Drive and assign access levels to different users
Team members unable to work on a single document at the same time	Work in real-time collaboration
Difficult to schedule a meeting time with colleagues	Meeting scheduling is easier by checking the team calendar
Announcements cannot be shared efficiently	Make announcement using Google Sites for easy sharing of announcements
Submit leave request using paper copies/emails	Submit leave request using Google Forms
Expensive video conferencing tool that is difficult to maintain	Stable connection using Google Meet which does not require any hardware
API integration is not available	Integration with third-party apps is available
Require IT personnel to maintain the system	Google Workspace comes with various features which is suitable for SMEs as support is included

Google Workspace Business Email vs Personal Gmail

Personal Gmail is free, but companies have to pay for Google Workspace. Is it possible to use Gmail personally? Google Workspace was developed specifically for businesses. Therefore, it has many features that are not included in personal Gmail. The main difference is that Google Workspace data belongs to the company and the company has ultimate control over all accounts. Personal Gmail, on the other hand, belongs to individual users, and the company cannot manage individual employees’ email accounts. Therefore, if an employee quits, all data can be lost.

The features difference between Google Workspace and personal Gmail are listed below:

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Google Workspace Edition & Pricing

G Suite has three editions: Basic, Business and Enterprise. After being renamed Google Workspace, there are 7 editions, namely Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essential and Enterprise Standard Standard, Enterprise Plus and Frontline. The Enterprise plan is a security-optimized version of the Business plan, and Frontline is an edition designed exclusively for frontline employees.

The choice of edition is based on the features the business needs, such as permanent audit data retention, a shared drive, and cloud search to quickly locate data across the enterprise. These features are not available in Business Starter. If your business needs more storage, you can always upgrade the edition. Therefore, it’s recommended that you start with Business Starter if you do not have any special requirements.

*If you still have concerns, you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial offered by Google. However, you can also get a 30-day trial through TS Cloud (local reseller). Companies that have not used Google Workspace before should take this opportunity to learn and explore the features before signing up for a paid subscription.

Pricing depends on the country and the popularity of Google Workspace. Therefore, Google Workspacee has different prices in different countries. Currently, you get USD 64.8 (RM160) for the first 20 new users. For the remaining users, it costs USD 72 (original price). Even if you buy Google Workspace in countries that offer a lower price, Google recognizes the credentials and may charge you extra if you do not buy Google Workspace in the country where you live.

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• Not sure which edition to purchase? Please refer to Google Workspace Edition Guide
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Google Workspace Special Editions

Google offers exclusive discounts for certain businesses and nonprofits. The edition includes education and nonprofit. Please see the description below:

Google Workspace for Education is available for free for educational institutions only and applies to schools at all levels, from kindergarten to higher educational institutions. In addition to the free version, there is also a paid version, Google Workspace Enterprise for Education, which you can apply from Google or purchase from the reseller.

Google Workspace for Nonprofits is free for nonprofit organizations (.org). Business Starter and Shared Drive are provided to users and there is no limit on the number of accounts. If you need enterprise-level features and administrator controls, you can also get exclusive discounts when you upgrade to other editions of Google Workspace. Google Workspace for Nonprofits cannot be purchased through resellers, but must be applied for directly from Google.

Although there is no so-called Google Workspace Startup edition, Google has a Startup Program that includes Google Workspace. The application requirements are relatively specific. You can apply even if you do not own a company. However, the company should not be acquired or taken public, and you must consider a long-term collaboration with Google Cloud to grow your business. Only then are you eligible to apply, and Google has the final decision on this review.

Besides the organizations mentioned above, is there a free version of Google Workspace? Google Workspace was formerly known as Google Apps. Back then, there was the free version, and it is still available today. However, Google stopped offering the free version in June 2012.

Google provides many supporting documents for users who want to start using Google Workspace. If you still have many doubts or concerns about the setup, TS Cloud provides pre-implementation consulting and after-sales support to help you get started with Google Workspace without any problems.

Google Workspace Implementation Flow

First, you must have your own domain (<company>.com) before you can apply for Google Workspace. Then you can submit the application to Google or a local reseller to get a 14-day trial. During the trial period, domain ownership must be verified and MX records must be added to the DNS. After the 14-day trial period is over, you can sign up for a paid subscription if you want to continue using the software.

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