The tech world is changing fast. To keep up, tech companies should also change. And Google is changing in a big way.
G Suite was introduced as a suite of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products. These products were built "to help people transform the way they work."
And this time, G Suite is no more.
Google has rebranded the office service it offers, to 'Google Workspace', in an effort to bring Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and some others, all in the same place.
In an announcement on a blog post, Google Workspace's VP and GM Javier Soltero said that:
"Amidst this transformation, time is more fragmented—split between work and personal responsibilities—and human connections are more difficult than ever to establish and maintain."
"That solution is Google Workspace: everything you need to get anything done, now in one place. Google Workspace includes all of the productivity apps you know and love"
With Google Workspace, the tech behemoth introduces three major developments:
- a new, deeply integrated user experience that helps teams collaborate more effectively.
- a new brand identity that reflects Google's ambitious product vision and the way its products work together.
- new ways to get started with solutions tailored to the needs of Google users.
And all that, by bringing together core tools for communication and collaboration—like chat, email, voice and video calling, and content management and collaboration—into one single, unified experience.
This is to make users have access to everything they need, all in one place.
To name the most notable ones, Google already allows business users to connect with customers and partners using guest access features in Chat and Drive. Google plans to allow those users to dynamically create and collaborate on a document with guests in a Chat room.
"This makes it easy to share content and directly work together with those outside your organization, and ensure that everyone has access and visibility to the same information," Soltero said.
Those aren't the the only updates.
There is also the way for users to preview a linked file without having to open a new tab.
Google is also giving users the ability to easily @mention someone in a document, similarly to how the feature works in Gmail.
But each time they do that, a smart chip will show the person’s contact details and offer suggestions like reaching out to that individual via chat, email, or video.
"By connecting you to relevant content and people right in Docs, Sheets and Slides, Google Workspace helps you get more done from where you already are."
In the coming months, Google also plans to roll out Google Meet's picture-in-picture to Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
To wrap everything up, Google Workspace is introducing new icons to reflect the rebranding effort.
"In the coming weeks, you will see new four-color icons for Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Meet, and our collaborative content creation tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides that are part of the same family. They represent our commitment to building integrated communication and collaboration experiences for everyone, all with helpfulness from Google," said Soltero.
With new appearances and experience, Google is also changing its offerings with a new Business Plan tier, which focuses on enhanced security and device management.
The Business plan costs $12 per user. This sits right in the middle between the $6 Basic tier and the $25 Enterprise option.
This integrated experience has been made generally available to all paying customers of Google Workspace.
Google also plans to bring this experience to more consumers “in the coming months”, in order to help them do things like setting up a neighborhood group, manage a family budget, or plan a celebration using integrated tools like Gmail, Chat, Meet, Docs, and Tasks.
Google G Suite then-Workspace has long been a competitor to Microsoft Office.
And this move should put Google in a position of a more formidable foe, and in an even much closer competition with the Microsoft suite product.