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IT Professional at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Real-time editing enhances workflow and good functionalities but some features need refinement
Pros and Cons
  • "The real-time editing feature is valuable."
  • "Google could integrate Gemini AI with Google Workspace to enhance user experience."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Google Workspace for email communication, calendar, Google Drive, spreadsheets, and documents. The main usage includes cloud computing, online spreadsheets, and word documents for meetings and daily work.

How has it helped my organization?

It hasn't contributed a lot to improvements as I have reservations about using Google documents. However, it allows integrated email and calendar functionality.

What is most valuable?

I appreciate the ability to have Google applications as standalone apps instead of just using a browser. This allows me to manage my space effectively without losing focus by splitting windows. The real-time editing feature is valuable as well.

What needs improvement?

I prefer Microsoft Word over Google documents as it has more functionalities. For Google spreadsheets, certain functions available in Excel are missing, making it less efficient. Google could integrate Gemini AI with Google Workspace to enhance user experience.

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Google Workspace
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Google Workspace. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
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For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Google Workspace for about one year and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The system is stable unless the internet connection is slow.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I can't comment on scalability as I am not in a management position. However, from a user perspective, it has been seamless.

How are customer service and support?

I have never had direct interaction with Google technical support as we have an internal IT team that handles any issues.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is simple. You log in to your email account and access features through the menu.

What about the implementation team?

We have an internal IT team managing technical issues.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not satisfied with the cost because I feel these services should be free as they use our data.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was investigating UiPath document understanding, OpenText, and TunkStand Total Agility.

What other advice do I have?

Improvements are needed in the area of document functionalities where Microsoft Word is still superior to Google documents.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Senior Project Manager at Webellion
Real User
Difficulty with file management despite useful and smart sheet features
Pros and Cons
  • "I find smart sheets in Google Sheets to be useful."
  • "Google Workspace lacks the ability to copy and move files from one folder to another easily."

What is our primary use case?

I use Google Workspace for mail, chat, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

What is most valuable?

I find smart sheets in Google Sheets to be useful. It is very well-working.

What needs improvement?

Google Workspace lacks the ability to copy and move files from one folder to another easily. I also find it challenging to perform many operations using the context menu in Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Google Presentation. I have to go to the menu to adjust many parameters of the cells or text, which I don't have to do in Microsoft Office.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Google Workspace for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Google Workspace has improved. Although there were some problems in the past, I have not encountered any issues since I started using it again from April this year.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Microsoft Office previously and find it more comfortable to work with than Google Workspace.

How was the initial setup?

I did not need to install anything as it is a cloud solution. I just opened it, and it was ready to use.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution five out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
Google Workspace
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Google Workspace. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director / Web Developer / Administrator at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Efficient email management with beneficial admin features and increases productivity
Pros and Cons
  • "The most beneficial feature is Gmail, which we use extensively."
  • "It would be a lot nicer if the default Gmail came with features that we currently need add-ons for, such as tables, automatic BCC, resizing of the panel on the left-hand side, email highlighting, and configuring the display of time and date against each email."

What is our primary use case?

We use Google Workspace primarily for email communication, Google Chat features, and various email groups. Employees utilize Gmail as the main product, and we manage emails and communication tools within Google Workspace.

How has it helped my organization?

Google Workspace has positively impacted our operational costs and productivity. It has made communication more efficient and reduced my workload significantly by being easy to configure and deploy. The tools provided, especially Google Vault, have been very valuable and efficient for data management and security.

What is most valuable?

The most beneficial feature is Gmail, which we use extensively. We also appreciate Google Vault for its efficiency and value. The search facility within Gmail is outstanding. The ability to manage employees' emails and email groups easily and the comprehensive help section for administrators are also very valuable.

What needs improvement?

It would be a lot nicer if the default Gmail came with features that we currently need add-ons for, such as tables, automatic BCC, resizing of the panel on the left-hand side, email highlighting, and configuring the display of time and date against each email. Although these add-ons work fine without issues, it would simplify the process if they were included by default.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Google Workspace for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability a ten because we have not encountered any issues around the stability of the system in the entire time we have been using it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would also rate scalability a ten. We can easily add or remove users and adjust costs accordingly. Managing and controlling employees’ data is very fluid, and features such as Google Takeout allow for easy data export and backup when an employee leaves.

How are customer service and support?

I have only had a few occasions to contact Google technical support, and I always received very quick responses. I would rate their support a ten as well.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before using Google Workspace, I managed an in-house email exchange server called MDemon a long time ago, around fifteen years ago.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward, and I had everything ready within a day. It was an easy deployment process.

What about the implementation team?

I handle the technical side regarding Google Workspace myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would rate pricing a seven. While Google Workspace is cost-effective, Microsoft Exchange (part of Microsoft 365) might seem to offer better value due to the inclusion of widely-used Office applications like Excel and Word. However, the advantages of Google Workspace keep me satisfied with our choice.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I currently manage Microsoft Exchange for another company and have experience with Office 365, but I prefer the advantages of Google Workspace.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Google Workspace to other organizations due to its ease of setup, excellent help section for administrators, and outstanding searching facility within Gmail. The platform is very user-friendly and significantly reduces the workload of managing emails and data.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Marcelo_Marciano - PeerSpot reviewer
Account Executive - Special Accounts at Iron Mountain Incorporated
MSP
Top 5
A useful solution for email, worksheets, documents and presentations, but it could be more user-friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy because it's all pre-configured."
  • "The solution needs to be more user-friendly and improve its tools and features."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the solution is for email, worksheets, documents and presentations. We deploy the solution on cloud.

What is most valuable?

We find the practicality of the solution valuable.

What needs improvement?

The solution needs to be more user-friendly and improve its tools and features. Additionally, access to the specific tools inside the application is not easy to understand, so you need to go through many menus to find out what is needed for particular tasks. It's not easy in Microsoft Office because everything you see can be visualized. It's faster and simpler to use the tools, but in Google Docs, we need to work around many of them and understand how they work and the functions required for the Worksheet application.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for approximately two years and are currently using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

We do not have experience with customer service and support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy because it's all pre-configured, so there's no problem configuring the tool. I rate the initial setup a ten out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the initial setup a seven out of ten. I recommend the solution for users considering it because it is easy to use but doesn't have other features from Microsoft Office.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Marek Gmyrek - PeerSpot reviewer
Development manager at ASDAG
Real User
Top 10
The solution is intuitive and easy to start using
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very intuitive."
  • "There are too many steps for sharing pictures."

What is our primary use case?

I use this solution for emailing, checking calendars, and storing data in Google Drive

What is most valuable?

I find Google Mail within Workspace to be very convenient. This is one of the reasons why I started using Google services. Tools like Google Sheets and Google Docs are much better than Microsoft Office. Google Workspace is much more intuitive and convenient than Microsoft Office.

What needs improvement?

In Google Photos, if you want to share some pictures and generate a view link to send it to somebody else, you have to go through five steps, which is absolutely silly, in my opinion. There are too many steps; this should be an easy task if you want to share five pictures with your friends. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. I faced no problems personally. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable solution. 

How are customer service and support?

Getting technical support is difficult for this product. You can write an email to the support team, but personal contact is difficult; you can't call someone directly. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Microsoft Office, but it's not as intuitive as this solution. 

How was the initial setup?

It's an online service, and installation is not needed. No maintenance is required for this solution. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am paying for storage, but the price is average, it's not so expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others to use Google Workspace because it's very intuitive. The entry threshold of the solution is not high. Some systems are very difficult to use and understand at the beginning, but it's quite the opposite in Google Workspace. I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Manager/ Co-Founder at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Great integration of features; could be more user friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "Convenient to share and collaborate documents."
  • "The UI could be simplified and made more user friendly."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for emails, document creation, managing and storing documents, and using the administration console for managing user access. I'm the founder and a partner in the company and we are customers of G Suite Enterprise. 

What is most valuable?

This is quite a typical solution in the sense of the standup email functionality. The convenience is being able to collaborate on Google docs at the same time on the same document without any issues figuring out which is the latest version. I also like the integration of documents, Google Drive and Gmail. We use Google Meet, and obviously Google Calendar. It's a good integrated environment and I use all the different components. The collaboration functionality in the cloud and in terms of working on documentation makes it all very convenient. It satisfies our needs as a small startup company that has quite ad hoc usage.

What needs improvement?

The administration aspect, including the UI and implementation, could be simplified and made more user friendly. I have one integration issue which is when you reply to an email, there is no option to create an event, which is something you get in Outlook. Events need to be created separately, which is unnecessary, and that's one specific point that recently caught my attention. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for a few months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a reliable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't had the chance to scale because we are only three users with a small number of files to manage, but I wouldn't expect any issues. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We have never communicated with support to date, but my perception is that it's not very easy to reach out, meaning that they don't have a straightforward way of calling or chatting and contact is usually by email. There is a lot of documentation online so if there's any problem, issue or question, you google it, and try to find the answer on their technical documentation.

How was the initial setup?

I found the initial setup not very logical, the way the administration consults are done, it's a little complicated. I know this is very straightforward in Outlook. In a practical sense, the set up was easy. We just created the users within our organization, set up their email addresses, the permissions access, and it was fine. It took a few hours and it's on cloud so we didn't need to install anything, we just had to configure, set up users, give permission for the subscriptions, that was it.

What was our ROI?

In just a few minutes we were able to set up the email, storage, and have the tools to create and manage documents. We have conferencing software so everything is available immediately in a few clicks. You save a lot of time not having to configure all these things separately, it's in one package and on the cloud. I see that as ROI, because we don't need to spend time on tedious administrative tasks.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This solution is subscription based. We took an annual subscription which costs less than a monthly one. It was pretty affordable. We were choosing between Microsoft and Google. I don't remember which one was more expensive. I think Google was cheaper, and if I'm not mistaken, the price was $6 per user, per month. I'm not aware of any additional costs. 

What other advice do I have?

If you're in a similar situation to us, with a small company, especially a startup or maybe a small team that needs to manage their corporate email, team email, their documents, and have access to some web-conferencing software and so on, it's a good tool. It takes a few minutes and you're set up, with all the infrastructure. We were creating our own domain to create our corporate emails and we could have gone for Microsoft or Google. My preference would have been Microsoft, but for some reason, from our country, that wasn't an option. For user experience, G Suite is still a good solution. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Jacky Hood - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at FieldDay Solutions, Inc.
Real User
Document sharing enables multiple people to work on the same document
Pros and Cons
  • "The document sharing in which multiple people can work on the same document. To go along with that is the archiving of documents. If you mess up a document, it's easy to go get a previous version."
  • "The problem with the presentation is that if you upload a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and you convert it to Google presentation, the slides or pictures, their images are not editable. You can't edit the slides that you brought in. They're just images."

What is our primary use case?

Our administrator has it set up so that we can share the Calendar and Gmail, we can send Gmail outside, but we cannot include any outsiders in the documents. It is possible to change that, but that's the way our administrator has set it up, that it's totally a private environment.

We use Gmail, we use Calendar, we use Drive and Drive includes presentations, although their presentations aren't great, documents and spreadsheets, workbooks, which are multiple spreadsheets. I think that's it. But the presentation is not great so we don't use it very much.

What is most valuable?

The document sharing in which multiple people can work on the same document. To go along with that is the archiving of documents. If you mess up a document, it's easy to go get a previous version.

What needs improvement?

The problem with the presentation is that if you upload a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and you convert it to Google presentation, the slides or pictures, their images are not editable. You can't edit the slides that you brought in. They're just images.

That's a big defect in this. That's why we almost never use it because it converts Microsoft slides into pictures.

Another thing that would be nice is to have more storage because each person has 15 gigabytes and I just hit 90% again. Then I have to go in and delete a bunch of emails and I hate losing my old emails, but I don't have any choice. That's the limitation. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for nine years since I've been at my company.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

As far as stability, it's 100% stable. I've never seen it ever fail in any way.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are around 60 users who use it. We use it constantly 24/5, we're not open on the weekends. We have around the clock shifts. So it's in use all the time.

There's no maintenance required. I think this latest change the administrator made was probably the first change he's made in two years. 

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't there for the setup but I know the guy who's the administrator and I'm sure he had to make a bunch of selections like the one I mentioned earlier that ours is private. Our documents are private. We can't share outside the company. 

Recently on Calendar, it kept trying to put us to assume that any event was a Google meeting. It's Google's product. It's called Google Meet. Of course, we can use Meet, which used to be called Hangouts. And we do once in a while, we use Google Hangouts if our other chat system is down. But when you set up a meeting the default was to put us into Google Meet. Then if we were using some other tool, people would get confused. They'd say, "Well, is the meeting on Google Meet or is it on GoToMeeting or is it on Zoom?" Et cetera. So our administrator recently changed it so that that default is not there. And so if you want Google Meet, you have to select it. I would say probably when he initially set it up, it might've taken him half an hour to find out what people wanted and then put in the selections- 30 minutes maybe.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it an eight out of ten. 

Google is trying to implement a telephone system on top of it. I would say, wait and see, because that's a new product, and wait and see if it's going to work and if it's going to cause you problems.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CEO/CTO at Xandor Systems
Real User
The apps are intuitive, easy to use, and highly responsive
Pros and Cons
  • "Everything is synchronized across every single device you use to access G Suite. That is why we like it."
  • "And I think Google Translate could add more features. For example, it could be integrated when typing in a document or a web browser like Grammarly."

What is our primary use case?

I mainly use G Suite for keeping notes and the calendar. I also use the productivity tools or applications that belong to G Suite and the free email service as well as the Chrome browser to search Google. 

What is most valuable?

Everything is synchronized across every single device you use to access G Suite. That is why we like it. Also, the apps are intuitive, easy to use, and highly responsive. Gmail and the Chrome browser are the two tools we use the most. We also use Google Drive to upload and store files online. 

Many of the other tools are useful. I often access YouTube for personal use, but I seldom use Google Maps because I prefer Waze. Instead, I use the translator and the tool for managing photos. I use Google Keep for taking notes and also Meet because, in the business world, you need to use various tools to host web conferences with customers, vendors, and for personal use. I don't use Google Hangouts, though.

What needs improvement?

I think Meet is not as well-positioned as Zoom. That application needs to be enhanced to make it more feature-rich and easy to use. It's easy and has all the essential features, but it's not as popular as Zoom. And I think Google Translate could add more features. For example, it could be integrated when typing in a document or a web browser like Grammarly. I use Grammarly to review the way I write English, and the services included in Grammarly are excellent. Or translation features could be embedded in all the Google applications. It would also be helpful to use translation offline when you are using a desktop, tablet, or cellphone that can't access the web.

For years, everyone has been expecting Google to add a real-time AI interpreting service where you can speak in your language, and Google translates it into other languages for other users. For example, you have a cellphone or web instant messaging integrated with free phone service. They could also use translation services to make it easier to communicate among people because not everyone knows exactly different languages. So I can speak in Spanish, and you understand me in English because you listen to me in English. And if you need to ask something because you are not clear about anything that I said, you can ask a question in your language, and I listen to you in my language.

It would be an excellent service for Google. They already have a global scope and their own platform. Google has an advantage because it is at the top of the internet services. They aren't the leader in all services, but they are well-positioned as the top searching engine. Google could seize other opportunities to develop and deploy some other services we are hoping for and make things easier for everybody.

For how long have I used the solution?

I don't know precisely how long, but we've been using G Suite for years. I think we've been using it since Google launched those services — before Google started branding this set of apps G Suite. I don't know when they decided to bundle their solutions into G Suite and Plus. Google is the leading provider of internet services, so of course, I use applications from Google.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

G Suite's performance is good. It's highly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Google has many data centers, and their services are in their cloud. The performance in all of their applications is excellent. I can't say a bad word about G Suite.

How are customer service and support?

I haven't ever needed to use Google support because everything works. I don't remember when Google has locked a service or went down due to a bug. So I think they produce excellent applications. They have an excellent approach to quality, testing, and user satisfaction. Google keeps things as simple as possible.

How was the initial setup?

G Suite applications are all web-based, so you do not have to download anything. It's simple compared to some other products. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate G Suite nine out of 10. I highly recommend it. Google email services have been helpful for us. I worked for the second-largest public university in Costa Rica, and there was a need to have thousands of active email addresses. It's complex to configure all of them yourself and maintain an email server. Google email offered an effortless way to implement the email for more than 20,000 different addresses that needed to be opened every year. I would say Google Mail must be the most used application globally. Google Mail is a great application, and the service is suitable for personal or enterprise use.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Workspace Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Workspace Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.