In the last couple of years, we faced an atypical situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many companies had to redesign their processes, adopt remote or hybrid work routines, and accelerate their Digital Transformation initiatives. In this scenario, tools such as Google Workspace have become essential. Google Workspace is an innovative and flexible solution that helps people and organisations increase productivity, communication and collaboration like no other. It brings together the resources that companies need to face current and future challenges, being composed of a wide set of applications. In this article, we present just ten benefits that explain why your company should bet on Google Workspace.
Written by Lucas Antonialli & António Ferreira, Customer Engineers at Devoteam G Cloud Portugal
Innovation
At Google, innovation is part of its DNA. Google Workspace is an ever-evolving product, which means organisations that adopt it are always at the forefront of technology and its redundant architecture ensures there is no scheduled downtime for updates. As an example of innovation, in 2019, Google introduced over 200 additional features to its Google Workspace toolset. Every year, it adds dozens of new functionalities to the product.
Scalability
Today, Google Workspace serves over 5 million organisations worldwide, with several thousand joining each week and is a global service with proven scalability. For example, the email service – Gmail – and the storage service – Google Drive – serve more than a billion users worldwide.
Productivity
Using Google Workspace allows employees to optimise how they work and collaborate, leading to significant improvements in efficiency and productivity. Companies worldwide face increasing pressure to remain competitive and meet the needs of their customers. Google Workspace lets teams share ideas instantly, join meetings remotely and from anywhere, collaborate in real-time, and more. This new way of working is possible thanks to cloud-based architectures, which outweigh the inefficiencies of working based on isolated and computer-dependent productivity tools.
Cost reduction
Google’s proposals are highly profitable. Google Workspace’s SaaS model is based on pay-per-use, so you only pay for the number of users using the solution, without having to scale server hardware, storage, etc., as is typically the case in the clients’ on-premise solutions. In addition, we can highlight the scalability of the Google solution, which allows its services to be adopted at scale, as per the customer’s request, with a simple and immediate order. Google Workspace solutions are automatically updated. There is no client installed on the user’s workstation, so there are no costs to migrate versions, to incorporate new features or add corrections, for maintenance or even for security updates.
Forrester Consulting conducted a Total Economic Impact (TEI) study, examining the value eight customers achieved by implementing and adopting Google Workspace and concluded a 3-year ROI rate of 331%.
Simplicity in Management
Administrators only have to configure services from the administration console or use specific APIs for this purpose, without having to worry about the infrastructure that supports them, so the time required to make changes to the environment configuration is minimal.
Mobility
Google’s strategy can be summed up in one sentence – “100% web: Business applications that use Internet services and can be accessed through a browser.” Being able to access anything from any device with a browser means that the user doesn’t have to be “connected” to a specific device. They have the freedom to access their information securely, from anywhere and from any device. In addition, there are native apps for Android and iOS available for efficient use on smaller screens and touch screens.
This mobility does not mean that it is not possible to work offline when the network is not available: files and mail are synchronised to allow offline work.
Improved Collaboration with Third Parties
Google Workspace lets you collaborate with internal and external users without the need for a licence for external users, simply using a browser. Fast returns are obtained when there are activities involving many people simultaneously, such as:
- Writing proposals, which may require the collaboration of sales, legal and technology experts from all over the world;
- Budgeting processes;
- Real-time publication of information (such as prices, stocks, shifts, etc).
- Human resources processes that bring the organisation closer to the employee: training, talent retention, evaluation processes, etc.
Evolution and Future
Google’s platform is constantly evolving. Its features are improved every week, following a fast and agile development cycle that allows users and administrators to receive new features as soon as they’re available. This lets companies be at the forefront of technology without having to manage its evolution, implementation or day-to-day, thus focusing on making the best use of it.
Safety
Google designed Google Workspace to meet strict privacy and security standards, in line with industry best practises, helping customers comply with the required regulations. Google offers stringent contractual commitments on data ownership, use of information, security, transparency and accountability.
Google also regularly undergoes a series of external audits. These independent auditors review Google’s data centre controls, infrastructure and operations. These audits and standards include SOC1™, (SSAE-16/ISAE-3402), SOC2™, SOC3™, ISO27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018:2014 and FedRAMP. Not only that, but Google Workspace also complies with the regulations set out by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the recommendations of the Article 29 Working Group.
High Availability
When it comes to SLA (Service Level Agreement), Google is among the best when it comes to reliability, offering a 99.9% SLA for services.
Google Workspace has no scheduled downtime or maintenance windows, and all of its data centres are built on redundant infrastructure.
In conclusion, as most businesses adapt to the “new normal”, Google Workspace keeps pace with market needs, releasing new features that make collaboration and communication more seamless. This tool is a great productivity formula for companies that want to work with employees all around the world and succeed in their goals by performing daily tasks that are completed more quickly and comfortably.