Many businesses find that if they want to function flawlessly online, they need to either create proprietary software suites, or else they have to rent or purchase existing ones. As a business owner, the most prudent way to decide whether to buy a ready-made suit or create your own is by looking at the different options that exist already to see if any of them have all the features you need.
You’ll definitely need to spend some money on that suite. That may come in the form of a one-time fee if you hired someone to create your company’s own software package. You might also pay a monthly or quarterly fee if you’re going with the popular software as a service model, which some people abbreviate as SaaS.
If you do go with a ready-made option, though, you might strongly consider Google Workspace, which the company once called G Suite. Many companies utilize it now, and it has some excellent features that might make it a worthwhile purchase for you.
We’ll talk about Google Workspace in a little more detail right now, so you can decide whether it sounds like it will benefit your company.
You Can Manage Devices with Google Workspace
Device management with Google Workspace is one of the key reasons why many companies decide to go with this option in 2021. Your business might utilize dozens or hundreds of devices in a single workday. You might even need thousands of devices all running on the same network if you own a large, complex company.
Millions of end-users utilize Google Workspace, and superior device management is part of why that is. You can use this tool along with Chrome OS, which is Google’s own proprietary Linux-based operating system. However, you can also use it along with Android devices that so many individuals have. You can even use it with iOS mobile platforms running Mac, Windows, or Linux.
Some people feel like Google Workspace has some limitations concerning device management, most notably if you need to extend its credentials so it can connect with virtually any IT resource. That is a high bar, but there are additional tools you can use that boosts Google Workspace’s power in this area.
These additional service platforms that you can pair with Google Workspace don’t usually have a very high price tag, so if you get one, you’ll probably want to get the other as well. You will likely want a fully comprehensive, cloud-based directory tool. These service platforms, when you link them to Google Workspace, will significantly amplify what this suite can do in a workplace setting.
What Else Can Google Workspace Do?
One thing about Google Workspace that you should realize is that there is a free version that anyone can use, and then there is a more detailed, pay-only version in which many companies invest. The free version offers things like Drive, Calendar, and Gmail. Some individuals working from home in a freelance capacity use this free version, and that’s fine for them.
If you get the paid version, though, in addition to what we already mentioned, you can get Slides, Sheets, Docs, Sites for collaborative efforts, and much more. You also get a Vault feature for managing services and users, and that’s probably going to come in handy if you set up this tool and have hundreds of workers using it at one time. It also comes with an Admin panel that is very easy to learn how to use, even if you are not really a tech genius.
What Tiers Are There?
Like so many similar services, you can expect to find Google Workspace pricing tiers. You’ll need to carefully study each tier and see what comes with it.
The basic ones are Business Starter, Business Standard, and Business Plus. Each one has more features and greater capacity than the one that comes before it. You can have a maximum of 300 workers using each of these plans simultaneously, which is plenty for most small and medium-sized businesses.
Why Do So Many Companies Like This Service?
The main reason why Google Workspace is such a popular tool is that it’s easy to learn, and it has most of the main features the average company is likely to need during a typical workday. For instance, it has a way for workers to message each other, either privately or via a public forum. It has a way for you to arrange a meeting with all of your company’s workers, or only some of them if you have to discuss a more select project or assignment.
Once someone learns how to use most of the fundamental Google Workspace features, they will not have to relearn any of them, even if the creators perform an update. That’s because the basic functionality remains, and once you have it down, and updates will not be so disruptive that you’ll need to figure out an entirely new system.
The pricing plan also works well for most companies. They typically find that it’s not too onerous to pay for this service because of all it can do to keep the office thriving and flourishing.
If you’re curious about pricing at this point, the Business Starter plan will run you $6 per user per month at the moment. If you want the Business Standard package, that will be $12 per user per month. The Business Plus plan is currently $18 per user per month.
There is also an “Enterprise” version. You must contact the company directly if you want to figure out how much that will cost you. The creators can adjust the Enterprise option depending on what additional features you need. Some of the more complex companies decide this bespoke system is worth it.
Now, you know some Google Workspace basics, and you can decide whether this tool is for you. Many diverse companies use it, and if you try it, you’ll likely become a fan as well.