What is Google Workspace and how can it help teams collaborate even better?

In today’s business, technological progress and its implementation have a key effect on the productivity and competitiveness of a company. Automation and artificial intelligence enable faster completion of tasks, reduction of errors and better communication within teams, creating space for innovation and sustainable growth. The balance between technology and human engagement is critical to harnessing the full potential of productivity in modern business and maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, is a comprehensive set of collaboration and productivity tools in the cloud, built for businesses and organizations. It improves communication by facilitating collaborative editing of documents in real time, and is also an ideal solution for meetings as it enables faster and more intuitive actions. This flexibility allows access to tools from anywhere while keeping data secure, stored and shared within teams. Integration with AI tools like Gemini AI (until recently Duet AI) raises productivity through content generation and faster access to information, encouraging teams to communicate faster, collaborate better and perform tasks more efficiently. For example, artificial intelligence tools help in writing/completing e-mails, adjusting visuals for presentations and the like, but they are also useful within the sphere of customer service because they shorten the waiting time for a response, thereby increasing the quality of customer service.

Thus, Workspace is not just a collection of individual tools, but a complete solution that exceeds their individual strengths. By purchasing Workspace, you get a comprehensive environment for communication and collaboration, which means it eliminates the need for separate purchases of different tools. Instead of buying individual email services, data storage, or video conferencing tools like Zoom, Box, Slack, and the like, Workspace gives you all of that in one place.

What truly sets Workspace apart is its ability to foster collaboration. This is about facilitating team collaboration, eliminating misunderstandings about document versions, and creating a simple yet efficient environment for sharing and working together in a variety of ways. All tools have a similar look and feel that you’re probably already used to, making it easy to customize quickly. Of course, the best part is that there is no more sending documents locally and getting lost in different versions of the same document. Microsoft 365 enables offline use of desktop applications such as Outlook, Excel and Word and provides powerful features compared to their cloud versions. This is crucial for companies that need to work with documents without internet access. Google Workspace has limited offline functionality, except for selected documents synchronized with the Internet. Microsoft 365 stands out for its ability to work without an internet connection, ensuring uninterrupted work offline. On the other hand, Google Workspace suits those who are regularly connected to the Internet and are not dependent on working on the desktop. Read more about the advantages of the Google Workspace platform below.

Google Workspace is a collection of productivity and collaboration tools based on the cloud (Google Cloud) developed by Google. It is designed for companies and organizations to improve communication, productivity and collaboration among their employees.

You’ve probably come across some of the Google services and products listed below, so we offer a short overview of all of those apps to highlight the difference from the rounded Google Workspace platform:

•   Gmail: An email service that allows users to send and receive email in an intuitive, efficient and useful way with 30 GB to 5 TB of storage space and mobile access, with less spam.
•   Google Drive: A cloud storage and file sharing platform that enables users to conveniently store, access and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations and other files. It also offers different access levels for file sharing to ensure privacy and control access to specific users. In addition, it also includes automatic synchronization of changes.
•   Google Docs: A web-based word processing application for creating and editing documents. The advantages are offline access and collaboration on documents in real time.
•   Google Sheets: A web-based spreadsheet application for creating and managing data and calculations. The application offers a large selection of formats and functions for analyzing and displaying data in different ways, and macro commands are also possible to automate certain tasks.
•   Google Slides: A web-based presentation application for creating and delivering slideshows and presentations. It also enables easier collaboration, and has the possibility to present live and online. For additional help, it contains various templates and tools and the possibility of embedding multimedia elements.
•   Google Forms: A tool for creating and managing online forms and surveys. It offers an intuitive approach to use; adaptability and personalization of each form and a large selection of templates to use, depending on the research you want to carry out.
•   Google Calendar: A calendar application for planning and managing events, meetings and commitments. Through the app, you can easily share your appointments, while time zones are automatically adjusted to your location, and it also comes with reminders and notifications.
•   Google Meet: A video conferencing and collaboration platform that allows users to hold online meetings and video calls. It guarantees security and privacy, stable connections and good audio and video quality, thereby increasing productivity.
•   Google Chat: A real-time messaging and collaboration tool for instant messaging, file sharing, and group chat. In addition to being very easy to use, it offers several formats of correspondence (group, individual chats) and search within messages to find what you are looking for faster.
•   Google Keep: A note-taking and organizing app for recording and managing ideas, notes and to-do lists. Fast and synchronized storage of notes within the Google account guarantees convenience, as well as automatic recognition of text from images – this enables faster and simpler conversion of image documents into text.
•   Google Vault (Business Plus & Enterprise editions): An archiving and eDiscovery tool for preserving and searching email and chat data for legal and compliance purposes. Organizations can set customized data retention policies to suit their needs and requirements, while automatically retaining or deleting certain data after a certain period of time. It also provides the ability to track who accesses archived data and set access controls according to user roles and needs.

Together, these tools make up Google Workspace and provide a comprehensive set of resources that facilitate collaboration, communication and teamwork. In addition, they enable joint creation and sharing of content in the cloud. Also, Google Workspace regularly updates and improves its tools to keep up with the needs of modern organizations and provide the best user experience.

Google Workspace offers different pricing tiers to suit the needs of different organizations, from small to large enterprises. Therefore, the goal is to improve communication and simplify work processes within the company. It’s especially useful for teams that need to work together on documents, communicate via email and chat, and manage their schedules and data in a secure and efficient way.

Of course, Gmail and Workspace are often used interchangeably, but there are significant differences between them. Gmail, as most people know, is a popular email service provided by Google. It is a user interface for sending, receiving and managing electronic mail. However, Workspace is much more than that.

It is an integrated suite of productivity and collaboration tools designed specifically for business use. Workspace includes Gmail as the main email solution, but it also contains and includes tools such as Google Drive for file storage and sharing, Google Meet for video meetings, Google Calendar for time and event management, and other tools such as Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for creating and editing documents, tables and presentations online.

The difference between Gmail and Workspace is that Gmail is only a part of the wider suite of tools offered by Workspace. While Gmail focuses exclusively on email, Workspace is an all-in-one solution that facilitates team collaboration, information sharing and project work in one place. When choosing between Gmail and Workspace, it’s important to consider the needs and requirements of your business or team. If only email is needed, Gmail may be sufficient. But if additional tools are needed for collaboration, file organization, and the like, Workspace provides a wider range of options within Gmail, such as using a company domain. And to make the transition as easy as possible, Gmail within Workspace and private Gmail have the same appearance, so those who are used to private Gmail do not need any additional learning to adapt.

We’ve explained the key differences between Gmail and Google Workspace below:

Pricing:

⦿ Gmail is free for individual users.
⦿ Google Workspace offers paid plans starting at 69 eur per user per year for business use.

E-mail address:

⦿ Gmail requires that you use the @gmail.com domain in your email address.
⦿ Google Workspace allows you to use a custom domain for a more professional look (eg. @companyname.com).

Storage:

⦿ Gmail offers 15 GB of free storage.
⦿ Google Workspace offers 30 GB to unlimited storage, depending on the plan.

Security:

⦿ Gmail provides basic security features, spam filters, and phishing protection.
⦿ In addition to the aforementioned features provided by private Gmail, Google Workspace offers advanced security measures such as S/MIME email encryption, eDiscovery, and retention.

Video meetings:

⦿ Gmail allows meetings with up to 100 participants for up to 60 minutes per meeting.
⦿ Google Workspace enables meetings with 150-500 participants (depending on the plan) with no time limit, along with additional features such as background noise cancellation.

Chats:

⦿ Gmail provides access to a mroe limited version of Google Chats.
⦿ Google Workspace integrates Google Chats directly into Gmail for improved communication.

Collaboration tools:

⦿ Gmail can be accessed as a standalone application on a variety of devices (such as smartphones or tablets) or through a web browser. So it can work independently as an email application.
⦿ Google Workspace includes collaboration tools like Google Drive, Google Calendar, Keep, Docs, and more.

Your choice between Gmail and Google Workspace depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you’re an individual or a small business with basic requirements, Gmail is a free and convenient choice. It is initially free, but with significant limitations (eg, it is not possible to personalize the email domain, it is the default @gmail.com). However, for businesses of all sizes looking for advanced features, administrative control, security, and storage options, Google Workspace is a better solution. When making your decision, consider factors such as the number of users, administrative control, required storage, and the customer support you can count on from your local partner.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming business processes, enabling faster decision-making based on the analysis of huge amounts of data. From automating routine tasks to personalized recommendations and forecasting trends, AI facilitates business by providing deeper insight and optimizing workflows, helping companies achieve better results and manage resources more efficiently.

Gemini AI (until recently Duet AI) in Google Workspace raises the bar for businesses and professionals looking to improve their productivity and simplify various tasks. This powerful AI assistant can help you in many ways, making your work more efficient and effective. This is a generative AI tool, which means it generates high-quality text, images and other content.

It helps with writing blocks (e.g. e-mails) and corrects written texts, creates images from your ideas you give it (e.g. for presentations), also offers help with spreadsheets  and video call quality – from picture and sound settings to translations conversations in real time. All you have to do is give it a task or ask a question that interests you.

So, Gemini for Workspace saves time by eliminating barriers to your productivity with activities like automating repetitive tasks, reducing the need to search for specific documents, and more. This integration of AI within Workspace makes it a solution that follows technology trends, so users can expect further development and adaptation to new technological possibilities. This makes Google Workspace a future-proof solution, capable of evolving with technological innovation.

Users who already owned Duet AI for Workspace Enterprise will automatically be upgraded to the Gemini Enterprise add-on, giving them access to even more powerful AI features in their Workspace applications. Of course, the Gemini Business or Enterprise add-on is always available for existing Google Workspace users who can purchase it at any time.

Below you can see some examples of using Gemini within the Gmail and Docs Workspace applications, and for the best visibility, we recommend clicking on the images to open the full version:

Google Workspace offers a variety of packages adapted to the different needs of companies. You can read more detailed information about the mentioned packages here.

For smaller companies, the Business Starter package (at a price of 69 EUR per user per year) is often ideal. This package covers the basic needs of smaller companies such as email, chat, data storage and other support; insight into shared disks and a limit of 100 participants in video conferences.

The bestseller is the Business Standard package (138 EUR per user per year), which offers a wide range of tools. In addition to the functionality of the basic package, it also enables the use of chat outside the domain, sharing folders on Google Drive and recording meetings with a limit of 150 participants. In addition, it offers options such as document approval and Drive labels and Drive audit log, which enables organization and easier finding of the documents you are looking for.

Furthermore, for companies that require additional features in addition to the previous benefits, there is also a Business Plus package (207 EUR per user per year). In addition to the functions included in Business Standard, Business Plus offers attendance monitoring and even more advanced options such as a limit of 500 participants in conferences, transcribing conversations, advanced Device Management, etc.

For those with the highest security requirements and advanced collaboration tools, there is an Enterprise package (price available on request). Divided into Standard and Plus, it includes customized and secure business email with advanced encryption capabilities, multi-participant video meetings, large storage space, and advanced security, management, and compliance controls. Encryption of data in the cloud with own keys is also available here.

All of these plans offer different levels of support and specific features to suit your company’s needs, ensuring that every company can find a package that best suits their productivity and collaboration needs.

For Workspace Business Starter, Workspace Business Standard, and Workspace Business Plus, you can purchase plans for up to 300 users with no minimum or maximum user limits for Workspace Enterprise plans. All plans come with familiar tools that you probably use on a daily basis. These include Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Slides, Keep, Sites, Forms and AppSheet.

Google Workspace also offers flexible pooled or shared storage shared by your organization. Shared storage enables teams to share, collaborate and access files in one place, improving organization and productivity.