G Suite

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Globe icon of the infobox
G Suite
Website logo
E-mail and Office package in the cloud
operator Google LLC ( more )
Registration Google account
On-line February 22, 2007
https://gsuite.google.com

G Suite (formerly Google Apps for Business , then Google Apps for Work ) is a series of software tools from the US company Google LLC . They are based on cloud computing and groupware concepts. The manufacturer offers them as a subscription .

history

On April 26, 2011, almost five years after Google Apps was launched, Google announced that organizations with more than ten users would no longer have the free version of Google Apps. They had to sign up for the paid version that was introduced as Google Apps for Business. At the same time, a flexible payment concept was presented in which users were given the option to pay $ 5 per user per month without being tied to a minimum term.

Google announced on December 6, 2012 that the free version of Google Apps would no longer be available to new customers.

Google Enterprise, the company's business products division, was renamed Google for Work on September 2, 2014. As part of these major changes, Google Apps for Business was also renamed - Google Apps for Work. The offer has been called "G Suite" since September 2016.

As of November 14, 2014, the free version of Google Apps doesn't support secondary domains, only domain aliases.

Products

The products and services on offer include Gmail , Google Calendar , Google Drive , Hangouts , Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms , Google Sites , Google+ (only Google Currents since 2019 ) and Google Apps Vault . Except for Google Apps Vault , all are included in the basic paid offer.

The manufacturer offers a 14-day trial version of the product for up to 10 users. Users can then choose either an annual plan or a flexible monthly plan. For both tariffs, invoices are issued monthly and per user. With the flexible tariff, customers can buy unlimited storage space and Google Apps Vault . For organizations with fewer than five users, this option has a storage limit of 1 TB per user. For a fee, the manufacturer offers additional business-specific features such as individual e-mail addresses, more storage space for documents and e-mails, as well as telephone and e-mail support around the clock.

Google Apps for Work is also part of numerous other products from the provider "for the workplace". These include Google Cloud Platform , Google Search for Work , Google Maps for Work, and Google Chrome for Work .

You must have your own domain in order to use Google Apps .

G Suite is a cloud computing solution that stores data in Google's data centers rather than traditional servers that are located directly at the company.

Gmail

Gmail was introduced on April 1, 2004 with restrictions. In 2007 it was made available to all customers. According to Google, Gmail was used by 325 million people as of June 2012.

The free user version of Gmail is funded through text ads. For this purpose, the users' emails are automatically analyzed in order to be able to display advertising tailored to the users. Features include 15 GB of free storage space, conversations as threads, extensive search options and an app-like user interface.

The Gmail version of Google Apps for Work is similar to the free version, but has additional features specifically for business users.

This includes:

  • Individualized emails with the customer's domain name (@your company.com)
  • 99.9% guaranteed uptime with no planned downtime for maintenance
  • Storage space shared with Google Drive, 30 GB or unlimited, depending on the payment plan
  • Ad-free
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook

Drive

Google's file storage and synchronization service was launched on April 24, 2012, more than six years after the first rumors about the product's creation. Google entered the cloud storage market and competed with companies like Dropbox and Box . Google's official announcement described Google Drive as a "central place to create, share, edit and store your files".

Every Google Apps for Business user was initially given 5 GB of Drive space, plus the option to purchase additional space. Google is increasing the Drive storage space for customers of Google Apps on May 13, 2013. The 25 GB storage space with Gmail and the 5 GB storage space with Drive will be merged, so that each user has a total of 30 GB available, which is freely distributed across all Apps products including Gmail and Google Drive. On June 25, 2014, Google announced Drive for Work, a new offering from Google Apps with unlimited storage for files, enhanced test reports and new security controls.

With Google Drive, users can upload all kinds of files to the cloud, share them with others and access them from any computer, tablet or smartphone . The synchronization of files between computer and cloud is possible with a desktop application for Mac and PC. The app creates its own folder on your computer, and all file changes from Drive, the Internet, and supported devices are automatically synced. The consumer version offers 15 GB of storage shared between Gmail, Drive and Google+ Photos.

As part of Google Apps for Work, Google Drive includes additional business-specific features. This includes:

  • Depending on the storage subscription, 15 GB (free) to 30 TB
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Sharing files with other users or user groups
  • Advanced checks and reports

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms

Google Apps includes online editors for creating text documents, document formats , spreadsheets , presentations and overviews. The tool set was introduced on October 11, 2006 under the name Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms work in web browsers and mobile devices with an internet connection. Documents, tables, presentations and overviews can be shared, commented on and edited in real time. Additional functions are an unlimited processing log and offline access, which enables you to work on documents without an Internet connection.

On June 25, 2014, Google introduced native editing of Microsoft Office files in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. A journalist from Mashable wrote: "Google is clearly positioning its apps as a more affordable solution for companies that only have to edit Office files every now and then." Similar opinions were found in other articles.

Google Sites

Google Sites was launched on February 28, 2008 and allows you to create and edit websites without knowing HTML or web design . Users can create websites from scratch or with templates, upload content such as photos and videos, and set access rights for viewing and editing each individual page.

Google Sites was initially part of the paid Google Apps, but was soon made available to end users as well. Business customers use Google Sites to create project sites, corporate intranets, and public websites.

Google Calendar

Google's online calendar service was launched on April 13, 2006 and was integrated with Gmail. It uses the iCal standard and can therefore also work with other calendar applications.

Google's online calendar is an integrated online calendar that can be shared and is designed for teams. Companies can create team-specific calendars and share them company-wide. Calendars can be delegated to other users for administration and events. Users can also use Google Calendar to check the availability of meeting rooms or other resources and add events.

The Google Calendar features include:

  • Share the calendar with team members and others to check availability
  • Consolidate team members' calendars to see when everyone is available at a glance
  • Use the app for mobile devices or synchronize with the built-in calendar on mobile devices
  • Publication of calendars on the web and integration into Google Sites
  • Migration from Exchange, Outlook or iCal or from .ics and .csv files
  • Occupancy of common rooms and resources

Google Hangouts

On May 15, 2013, Google announced that a new text, voice and video chat tool would replace the previous services Google Talk , Google Voice and Google+ Hangouts. The new service is called Google Hangouts and allows up to 10 people in the consumer version and up to 15 in the work version to join calls from their computer or mobile device. Participants can share their screens and look at or work on something together. The Hangouts On Air service enables live broadcasts to be streamed to Google+, YouTube and private websites.

Administrators can limit Hangouts to users in the same domain and thus exclude external participants.

The Hangouts app stores messages online in the Google cloud and can be deactivated if individual participants want to discuss private matters. The Google+ integration saves every shared photo in a private, shared album on Google+.

On July 30, 2014, Google announced that all Google Apps customers would have access to Hangouts, including customers without a Google+ profile. Google also partnered with other video chat providers such as Blue Jeans Network and Intercall. In addition, Google announced that Hangouts is subject to the same Terms of Service as other Google Apps for Work products, such as Gmail and Drive. Apps for Work customers receive 24/7 customer support for Hangouts, guaranteed 99.9% uptime, and ISO27001 and SOC 2 certifications.

On December 19, 2014, Google announced via a post on Google+ that one of the most requested features of Hangouts would return to Gmail: The apps administrators can choose to only display status messages internally.

Google+

Google+ is Google's social network . It started on June 28, 2011, but initially only by invitation. Observers described it as the latest attempt by Google to challenge industry leader Facebook . Google+ has since overtaken Twitter as the world's second largest social network after Facebook, but has also been criticized for disappointing users and generating little referral traffic.

On October 27, 2011, Google announced that Google+ is now accessible to everyone who uses Google Apps in their training place, at work or at home.

On August 29, 2012, Google announced that Google+ would receive functions for organizations after a pilot program with business customers. This includes private sharing within organizations and administrative control options to restrict access to profiles and posts.

On November 5, 2013, Google added an additional layer of security for restricted communities so that only members of an organization can join. Administrators have the option of restricting communities by default and separately deciding whether or not to allow outsiders to join.

Google+ received mixed reviews as a business network. On the one hand, features that help smaller businesses get noticed online were praised, while on the other hand, it was criticized for creating confusion over branding, but it was also said that it was an important step in the field of social marketing for companies. Many online articles emphasize that a presence on Google+ gives companies an advantage in Google search results because posts and shares on Google+ are indexed directly by Google.

After a serious data breach that became known in October 2018, Google announced that Google+ will be discontinued for private users at the end of August 2019. This date was later brought forward to the beginning of April 2019.

Google Apps Vault

Google Apps Vault is an archiving and eDiscovery service that is available exclusively to Google Apps customers and was announced on March 28, 2012. Vault enables customers to locate and hold email messages, chats, and documents that may be legally relevant. It also makes it easy to manage business data for continuity, compliance, and control. As of June 25, 2014, Vault customers can also search, view, and export files in Google Drive.

Google Apps Vault is an integral part of Google Apps for Work, with unlimited storage space.

Google Apps Marketplace

The Google Apps Marketplace, which was launched in 2010, is an online store with business-oriented cloud applications that support the functionality of Google Apps. In the marketplace, administrators can search for integrated business-oriented cloud applications, buy them and use them. It's available for Google Apps, Google Apps for Work, and Google Apps for Education.

Developers can also develop apps in the marketplace or sell apps and services there. On March 6, 2014, Google announced that Google Apps customers have installed more than 200 million apps from there since the marketplace started in 2010.

On September 17, 2014, Google published a blog post that employees can install third-party apps in the Marketplace without administrators having to be involved.

safety

Google expressly declares that it does not own the customer data that is stored in Google's data centers. Only selected employees and employees have access to the data. The data is not shared with third parties, only kept for as long as the customer wishes, and when customers leave Google Apps they can take the data with them.

Google Apps is certified to numerous standards, including SSAE 16 / ISAE 3402 Type II, SOC 2 Report and ISO 27001. Google participates in the Privacy Shield Agreement and offers customers in the EU the conclusion of the EU Model Contractual Clauses and an addendum to Data processing to meet EU data protection requirements. For US customers in particular, industry-specific requirements such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are also supported. Google states that Google Apps has built-in spam blockers with built-in virus scanners and document checking that are activated before users can download a message.

Google ensures that all files uploaded to Google Drive are encrypted, as is any email sent or received during internal data traffic between data centers. In a blog post, Google for Work stated that it has strict contractual obligations to protect customer data and does not display advertising or scan customer information for advertising purposes.

Google resellers and referrals

Google has a system of sales partners who can help those interested in getting started with apps. On March 10, 2014, Google started a referral program in which the referrer receives $ 15 for each new customer they create. The program initially applied to all participants registered in the USA and Canada. The small print of the referral program shows that while anyone can recommend an unlimited number of new customers, the payout is only made for the first 100 users of a referral customer.

On December 4, 2014, Google introduced the Google for Work and Education Partner Program, which was designed to help partners sell, maintain and innovate Google for Work and Education products and platforms.

reception

Google Apps has received numerous positive reviews online, with an average rating of 4-5 stars out of five. Above all, the reviews praise the competitive pricing structure of Google Apps, the complete package offer, the simple setup and the problem-free functionality across multiple devices. Some negative reviews indicate that Google Apps, Google Presentations and Google Documents do not have the same range of functions as PowerPoint and Microsoft Word, which therefore enable more professionally designed documents.

Google Apps claims that more than 5 million companies use its tools, either free or paid. According to Amit Singh, president of Google for Work, 60% of Fortune 500 companies use Google for Work services. Customers are spread across all industries worldwide.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helping small businesses start and manage Google Apps for Business . Google.
  2. ^ Changes to Google Apps for business . Google. December 6, 2012. Accessed February 23, 2015.
  3. ↑ a b Introducing Google for Work (the artist formerly known as Enterprise) . Google.
  4. ↑ Google Product Forums . Google.
  5. ^ Google Apps for Work Products . Google.
  6. ↑ https://gsuite.google.com/intl/de/pricing.html Google
  7. ↑ a b c https://gsuite.google.com/intl/de/pricing.html Google
  8. ↑ Article in Wired , Wired. October 7, 2011. 
  9. ^ Google for Work solutions . Google.
  10. ^ Cade Metz: Article in Mashable , Mashable. March 3, 2010. 
  11. ^ Cade Metz: Article in Business Bee , Business Bee. February 21, 2014. 
  12. ↑ Cade Metz: Article in BGR , Wired. April 1, 2014. 
  13. ↑ Cade Metz: Gmail finally blows past Hotmail to become the world's largest email service , Venture Beat. June 28, 2012. 
  14. ↑ Cade Metz: How Gmail Happened: The Inside Story of Its Launch 10 Years Ago , Time. April 1, 2014. 
  15. ↑ Cade Metz: Gmail turns 10: Six reasons why it is the world's most popular webmail service , BGR. April 1, 2014. 
  16. ^ A b Gmail for Work , Google. 
  17. ^ Official Google for Work Blog , Google. 
  18. ↑ a b Introducing Google Drive… yes, really , Google. 
  19. ^ Cade Metz: Google Drive: What we know so far , Tech Crunch. March 6, 2006. 
  20. ↑ Google Drive joins the battle of the cloud . USA Today.
  21. ↑ Introducing Google Drive, the newest member of Google Apps . Google.
  22. ↑ Bringing it all together for Google Apps customers: 30 GB shared between Drive and Gmail . Google.
  23. ↑ Google Drive for Work . Google.
  24. ↑ Cade Metz: OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box: Which cloud storage service is right for you? , CNet. December 11, 2014. 
  25. ↑ Storage subscriptions , google.com
  26. ^ Google Drive for Work , Google. 
  27. ^ Google for Work products , Google. 
  28. ↑ Google Announces, Google Docs & Spreadsheets , Google. 
  29. ^ Official Google Apps for Work products , Google. 
  30. ↑ Work with any file, on any device, any time with new Docs, Sheets, and Slides , Google. 
  31. ↑ Cade Metz: Google Brings Native MS Office Editing Features To Its iOS Productivity Apps, Launches Slides For iOS , Tech Crunch. August 25, 2014. 
  32. ↑ a b Google Sets Its Sites on Google Apps , Google. 
  33. ↑ Google Sites now open to everyone , Google. 
  34. ↑ Learn Google Apps for Work , Google. 
  35. ↑ It's about time . Google.
  36. ^ Google Calendar for Work . Google.
  37. ^ A b Google Calendar for Work , Google. 
  38. ↑ Google Calendar vs. Google Calendar for Business , Chron. 
  39. ↑ Google launches Hangouts, a new unified, cross-platform messaging service for iOS, Android and Chrome , Chron. 
  40. ↑ Making it easier to bring Hangouts to work , Google. 
  41. ^ Google Hangouts , Google. 
  42. ↑ Google+ Hangouts get bigger video player, screen sharing available to all , Chron. 
  43. ^ Google Hangouts for Work , Google. 
  44. ^ Google Plus , Google. 
  45. ^ A b Exclusive: Inside Hangouts, Google's big fix for its messaging mess , The Verge. 
  46. ↑ Google Sends Hangouts to Work, Enhances Chromebox for Meetings , Re / code. 
  47. ↑ Hangouts Now Works Without Google+ Account, Becomes Part Of Google Apps For Business And Gets SLA , Tech Crunch. 
  48. ↑ Even more reasons to meet face-to-face . Google.
  49. ↑ Custom status messages for Google Hangouts . Google.
  50. ↑ Introducing the Google+ project: Real-life sharing, rethought for the web . Google.
  51. ↑ Facebook's Newest Challenger: Google Plus , NPR. 
  52. ↑ Here Is The Little-Known Way Google Juices User Traffic On Google+ , Business Insider. 
  53. ^ Google Plus: three years old and still failing as a social network , ZDNet. 
  54. ↑ Google+ is now available with Google Apps . Google.
  55. ↑ Private conversations with restricted Google+ communities . Google.
  56. ^ Seven Ways to Use Google+ at Work , PC World. 
  57. ^ Seven Ways to Use Google+ at Work , PC World. 
  58. ↑ Google+ Is Now An Enterprise Social Network? Who Knew? , Forbes. 
  59. ↑ 5 Reasons Why Your Business Still Needs Google+ , Business 2 Community. 
  60. ↑ 3 Ways Google+ Helps Your Business , Business 2 Community. 
  61. ↑ Social networks: Google is discontinuing Google+. In: heise.de. Accessed November 12, 2018 (German).
  62. ↑ Google Apps Vault Brings Information Governance to Google Apps . Google.
  63. ↑ Google Apps Vault Brings Information Governance to Google Apps . Google.
  64. ↑ Google Apps Vault gets targeted legal holds to let organizations keep specific information in emails , The Next Web. 
  65. ↑ Official Google for Work Blog . Google.
  66. ↑ Google Apps for Work Pricing .
  67. ↑ Open for business: the Google Apps Marketplace . Google.
  68. ↑ a b Google Apps Marketplace overview . Google.
  69. ↑ a b Google Apps for Work Security . Google.
  70. ^ Security and privacy from Google Apps for Work . Google.
  71. ↑ Among other things, the automatic analysis of the data for advertising purposes is excluded. GSuite additional conditions for compliance . Google.
  72. ↑ Google Launches Drive For Work With Unlimited Storage For $ 10 / Month , Tech Crunch. 
  73. ↑ a b Data security in 2014: Make it more difficult for others to attack and easier for you to protect . Google.
  74. ↑ Introducing the Google Apps Referral Program: Share a better way of working with customers, friends and networks . Google.
  75. ↑ Google Apps for Work Partner Referral . Google.
  76. ↑ Google launches referral program for Google Apps, offers $ 15 for each new user you convince to sign up , The Next Web. 
  77. ↑ Spcieworks, Google Apps , Spiceworks. 
  78. ↑ Can Google's online offering deliver the tools you need to get things done? , Tech Radar. 
  79. ↑ When Google Apps Fails at being a User Directory , Jump Cloud. 
  80. ^ Google Reboots Its Business Software Operation as 'Google for Work' , Wired. 
  81. ↑ Article in CNet , Cnet. 2nd September 2014.