Google has announced that its productivity-focused G Suite offering is getting revamped and will soon be replaced with Google Workspace. With it, Google will bring many updates and new integrations, connections between all of its services, which include Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Chat and more.
With Google Workspace, Google is shifting from its focus on having tools that work best in an office environment to creating tools and services that are designed around people working remotely. A big reason for this change is, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many users to work from home.
With the new Google Workplace, users will have the ability to save everything and get everything done in one window, primarily revolving around Gmail. In the new Gmail, users will now see integrations with all of Google’s various communications tools like instant messaging with Chat, Rooms and video conferencing with Meet.
There are new abilities to collaborate, such as the ability to create and edit new documents right along side Chat, and a picture-in-picture feature is coming to Docs, Sheet, and Slides. Files that are linked in documents (such as a Slides file or Sheets file) can quickly be previewed now with a small window when you hover over the link.
Links to Contacts can be added with the “@mention” feature. Hovering over these linked contacts will bring up a small window with the contact’s information along with quick actions.
There are new icons Gmail, Meet, Calendar, Drive, and Docs that will be rolling out to everyone in the coming weeks. And finally, Google is also making changes to its pricing structure to go along with the rebrand, offering options for small businesses and large enterprises.
For SMBs under 300 heads, Google is offering:
- Business Starter ($6/user)
- Business Standard ($12/user)
- Business Plus ($18/user)
Google will have separate plans for large enterprises that will offer “additional productivity features, enterprise-grade administrative controls, and our most advanced security and compliance capabilities.”