We have about 200 people at our company using all aspects of G Suite, from Google Drive to Gmail.
Sales Director at Kentik
It has an open API so it can integrate with just about any open system
Pros and Cons
- "Google integrates well with our system. G Suite has an open API, so you can connect any open system with Google capable of working with API. This is the main reason we use it."
- "Some people complain that Google Mail is inflexible. It was advanced 10 years ago, but other solutions are cleaner and clearer."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Accessing G Suite is super flexible. You can use it wherever you are on any device.
What is most valuable?
Google integrates well with our system. G Suite has an open API, so you can connect any open system with Google capable of working with API. This is the main reason we use it.
What needs improvement?
Some people complain that Google Mail is inflexible. It was advanced 10 years ago, but other solutions are cleaner and clearer.
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Google Workspace
December 2024
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For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using G Suite for about three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
G Suite is stable. It runs perfectly. Google has servers all over the world.
What other advice do I have?
I rate G Suite nine out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Consultant at a tech services company
Users can work anywhere with an internet connection
Pros and Cons
- "There are several online forums and a lot of support materials online."
- "Good performance, even on relatively slow connections; no local apps required."
- "Users can work anywhere with an internet connection."
- "Reduces IT spend, freeing up cash for other areas: sales, marketing, recruitment, etc."
- "Some concerns over security, but there are moves to address this and provide admin tools to secure content and adhere to data protection regulations."
What is our primary use case?
Email and suite of productivity tools for business users. It can be a good alternative to MS Office 365. A lots of add-ons available to add full CRM functionality and a variety of tools to help run your business.
How has it helped my organization?
- Fast to set up and easy to use for most users.
- Mail and drive work well on mobile.
- Good performance, even on relatively slow connections; no local apps required.
- Users can work anywhere with an internet connection.
- Reduces IT spend, freeing up cash for other areas: sales, marketing, recruitment, etc.
What is most valuable?
- Great mail client with fast search and a lot of storage.
- Drive storage makes it easy to share documents and collaborate with co-workers and others outside the organisation.
- Google forms are great for questionnaires and surveys.
- Good integration with Android devices.
What needs improvement?
Some concerns over security, but there are moves to address this and provide admin tools to secure content and adhere to data protection regulations.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
G Suite is generally rock solid, but there are inherent risks with any cloud solutions. Internal hardware, networks, and communications are more likely to be points of failure than Google's own infrastructure.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
G Suite is mostly used by SMEs, but with Google's infrastructure and new enterprise features, there is no reason why G Suite could not be adopted by the largest companies.
How is customer service and technical support?
There are several online forums and a lot of support materials online. G Suite administrators on paid-for subscriptions get access to support by telephone, email, or chat.
How was the initial setup?
There can be some complication if migrating from other providers. A lot of online training materials are available and there are many independent vendors and consultancies that can help with it.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house team is experienced in installing and configuring G Suite in a variety of scenarios. There are many reputable vendors who can provide setup, migration, training, and/or support depending on your requirements.
What was our ROI?
There are several areas where a G Suite implementation can reduce costs: lower license fees than some competing products, reduced hardware, and IT support costs.
There are also other benefits that can provide a competitive advantage, e.g., improved productivity (with appropriate training), increased collaboration (with correct use of tools), flexible working - work from home or remote locations, easy to scale - fast onboarding of new employees, and ability to add and remove licenses, as required.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 offer products with similar functionality at several different price points. Zoho offer a more extensive range of products and attempts to provide all the applications required to run most small and medium-sized businesses.
Careful consideration should be given to the different licensing options and provisions should be made for additional applications that may be required for your particular business. As with all cloud solutions, bandwidth is key and budget should include a provision of sufficient bandwidth to support the required number of users. Traffic management tools may be required for larger setups and should be included in any pricing calculations.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
G Suite competes with Microsoft Office 365 and the Zoho suite of applications, which provides solutions for virtually all business activities including Sales, Marketing, HR/Recruiting, Accounts, Project Management, Customer Support, and more. Each has its own strengths and can be great solutions for different types and sizes of businesses.
What other advice do I have?
G Suite can be an excellent solution for many organisations, but there are several factors to consider before implementing any cloud-based solutions. It is best to get expert advice before committing to any particular vendor's product suite. Whatever solution you decide on, make sure you invest in training to get the most from the products. There are no magic bullets, but well trained users will be your best business investment whatever applications you decide to use.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We provide cloud solutions including G Suite, Microsoft Office, and Zoho One.
Buyer's Guide
Google Workspace
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Google Workspace. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Independent Consultant at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
There is a decent amount of information online about administering Google Apps, but more would be helpful.
What is most valuable?
- Very easy to administer
- Most users find it easy to use
- It's free for many non profit organizations
How has it helped my organization?
It was much easier and cheaper for us than most email solutions as we didn’t have to worry about anything except setting up users.
What needs improvement?
People who are used to Outlook hate it but I’m not really sure what should be improved, as that is feedback that I got. I would love to see threading handled in a more “classic” inbox way. As far as I know, that’s everyone's biggest complaint about Gmail, and in most respects, Google Apps for Education email is just like Gmail.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for over two years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It was extremely reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
It's non-existent.
Technical Support:There is a decent amount of information online about administering Google Apps, but more would be helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Google Apps was the only email solution we used.
How was the initial setup?
It was very simple.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it in-house.
What was our ROI?
If we hadn’t had this product, we wouldn’t have had email. I’m sure someone has figured out that email in a business actually has negative ROI, but we’re all going to keep using it anyway.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It was almost zero as we paid nothing for the licenses, and the setup cost was only a few hours of our time.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No we didn't as we were looking for a free and lightweight option, and Google Apps satisfied both.
What other advice do I have?
If switching, practice with one unimportant mailbox first. If you’re starting afresh, just follow the instructions.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Legal Associate at a legal firm with 11-50 employees
Offers good security, easy to use and stable
Pros and Cons
- "It's secure. It offers data security and user privacy. I use it for personal purposes. The interface is okay, and it's easy to use."
- "With the Internet of Things, a platform that integrates well with others would be even better."
What is our primary use case?
I mainly use it for sending emails and storing files on Google Drive.
What is most valuable?
It's secure. It offers data security and user privacy. I use it for personal purposes.
The interface is okay, and it's easy to use.
What needs improvement?
With the Internet of Things, a platform that integrates well with others would be even better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I use it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable, easy to use, and accessible even with a weak internet connection.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product. There are around 10 to 16 end users in my company.
We do have plans to increase the further usage.
How was the initial setup?
It's easy to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We have a technical person in my organization who handled it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay on yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. I would recommend using the 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.
President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Easy to deploy, user-friendly, and accessible from anywhere and from any device
Pros and Cons
- "What I like most about Google Workspace is the Google Drive app because you can easily access it from anywhere and from any device. I also find the solution easy to use. It's user-friendly."
- "What needs improvement in Google Workspace is the Google Drive app, in particular, making the process of finding the shared and most used files and folders easier. The first time you get an invite to view a file or folder in Google Drive and you view that folder or file, it's pretty easy, but the next time you try to access it again, sometimes, it's a bit difficult to find what was shared with you. An additional feature I'd like to see in Google Workspace is the option to un-send messages in Gmail. Microsoft has a message recall feature, and this isn't available in Gmail, so it's the feature I'd like to be added to Gmail."
What is our primary use case?
We've been using Google Workspace mostly for emails. We've also been using it for collaboration purposes.
What is most valuable?
What I like most about Google Workspace is the Google Drive app because you can easily access it from anywhere and from any device. I also find the solution easy to use. It's user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
What needs improvement in Google Workspace is the Google Drive app, in particular, making the process of finding the shared and most used files and folders easier. The first time you get an invite to view a file or folder in Google Drive and you view that folder or file, it's pretty easy, but the next time you try to access it again, sometimes, it's a bit difficult to find what was shared with you.
An additional feature I'd like to see in Google Workspace is the option to un-send messages in Gmail. Microsoft has a message recall feature, and this isn't available in Gmail, so it's the feature I'd like to be added to Gmail.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Google Workspace for more than five years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Google Workspace is a stable solution. There was only one instance when I couldn't access it, and the whole world couldn't access it as well, so overall, I find Google Workspace to be a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Google Workspace is a very scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
I didn't directly interact with the Google Workspace technical support team, but I'm not aware of any concerns about the support, so it's okay. At the moment, there's no problem with Google Workspace support.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up and deploying Google Workspace is easy as it's done on the web. It's a simple process, and on a scale of one to five, with one being difficult and five being easy, I'm rating the setup and deployment of Google Workspace a five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I can't recall the exact pricing per user for Google Workspace, but I know it's not that expensive. I'm in a mid-sized company that's able to maintain and afford Google Workspace, so it has competitive pricing, and I would rate its price as four out of five.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I used Microsoft as well, but I prefer Google Workspace because of its ease of use and accessibility.
What other advice do I have?
My company has around one hundred fifty users of Google Workspace.
I'm rating Google Workspace eight out of ten.
My company is a customer of Google Workspace.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Consultant/System Analyst at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Secure, collaborative platform that is easy to use, and has a good online community
Pros and Cons
- "The email is excellent."
- "The UI could be more graphic and sassy, but otherwise, it is quite functional."
What is our primary use case?
In terms of IT tools, we basically use Google Enterprise Solution to set up most of our services in Azure, whereas we use Azure Portal to set up all the VM, network, security, and everything else on it. Everyone is on remotely, in the system. We are using Google Chrome Enterprise for our email network, email link, and many of the apps there.
Email is one of the most important items, the others are collaboration, conferencing, and meetings. There would be more conferencing at meetings. Those are the main scenarios in which we use it.
What is most valuable?
The email, we believe, is what we like best. The email is excellent. It is simple to locate the information. We use it because it came from Microsoft Outlook, and the way Google tags information is very simple and easy to use.
Once you start using the collaborative platform in terms of creating the Excel document, both of us can be looking at the same time, they have a meeting look at the document, you and I can work on it at the same time, which is fantastic.
We have a team of people working on these. In terms of collaboration, and simple ease of use, I think Google is good. There isn't much you need to work on in terms of security; it's pretty good in terms of how to be secure, ensuring that no one can hack the system, and so on. It appeared to be working well for us. We are also pleased with the enterprise support.
The space they provide is fantastic.
There is no such thing as being difficult to use.
What needs improvement?
The UI could be more graphic and sassy, but otherwise, it is quite functional.
For how long have I used the solution?
We started working with G Suite Enterprise last year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I can only recall one or two occasions when we lost access to Gmail. Aside from that, I haven't had any problems with that system. It is very stable.
How are customer service and support?
I have never had to use technical support. The system is pretty simple to use.
With controlling the various groups, I never have to go into it. The integration with Google Drive and all those features in both sharing documents is very simple, as is creating a site to support different teams. I haven't reached that point where I have to contact support. They also have a lot of people, and a lot of videos to view and make it pretty simple.
I haven't had a reason to contact them. There is a good online community base for people who use these tools.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In terms of time, I'd say that it has been more than a couple of years since we used Google Chrome Enterprise. We swapped because of the number of people we have on the Enterprise, and I believe we started putting it on it last year to enable the network and securities.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward and simple.
Security-wise, grouping people, creating permissions, and so on are all very simple. Very simple to use
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of pricing, I don't deal with that area because it's on the outside. I just basically recommend the solutions we are using.
I am not aware of the pricing, other than I believe it is comparable to the majority of the system, but because we have been using it for so long, switching from one to the other is difficult.
The pricing is comparable, it's pretty decent. This is why we have been using this solution and haven't switched to anything else.
What other advice do I have?
Before implementing it has to be appropriate for the model. Our thing is that there are a lot of us, and our work is done remotely. It has to be a good fit for how we do things. It all depends on how the enterprise is run. For us, it is extremely effective, mainly because of the collaboration, especially, because both of us are not in the same office talking. Having this collaboration is fantastic.
I would rate G Suite Enterprise a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Global Information Technology Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Stable, scalable, and easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "G Suite Enterprise is scalable."
- "The solution could improve the Google Cloud identity login to laptops that sometimes do not work. The collaboration for Google sites, they are not equivalent to others, such as Sharepoint."
What is our primary use case?
I am using G Suite Enterprise for a messaging platform and identity service.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve the Google Cloud identity login to laptops that sometimes do not work. The collaboration for Google sites, they are not equivalent to others, such as Sharepoint.
In an upcoming release, self-services, identity governance, and overall features could improve. Additionally, there should be a feature to allow users to connect to Password Anywhere to manage their passwords, such as password resetting. All these features are already provided by Microsoft Office 365 and they are leading in these areas.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using G Suite Enterprise for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
G Suite Enterprise is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support could improve for Google platforms. For example, there could be better videos or tutorials. The technical support is not as good as what is provided by Microsoft. For example, when the Google cloud identity service does not log a user in, the technical documents and the support pass the blame onto the laptop manufacturer. They are avoiding responsibility for the integration.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is usually easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The main challenge regarding startups with identity services is you could be on a platform that works well but the services are expensive. For example, Microsoft Azure costs approximately $30 per user which is expensive. You end up choosing a different platform, such as G Suite Enterprise because it is priced reasonably and is less expensive than other solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When evaluating Google, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft Azure identity services, I have found Azure is the best.
What other advice do I have?
I rate G Suite Enterprise an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Digital Marketing Manager at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
User-friendly but lacks in stability
Pros and Cons
- "Google Workspace is an excellent tool for communicating with people, which allows users to collaborate and edit files simultaneously."
- "I would rate the stability a five out of ten."
What is our primary use case?
I use it for communicating with people, editing files simultaneously, sharing files, and uploading documents.
What needs improvement?
From my point of view, there is a lot of room for improvement in the workspace, particularly in the cloud and premises environment. I would like to learn more about how to communicate, edit things, and use the cloud as a hosting environment for a website. I lead IT for websites in WordPress and have been using Google Workspace, but I would love to know more about how I could use Google Cloud for my purposes.
Additionally, I need to figure out how to manage phones, save things, and use the software for business management.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Google Workspace since it was first introduced. Whenever something new is released, I start using it immediately.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a five out of ten. From the products I have used so far with Google, I would rate stability around five because I've seen it keep developing and being stable in general.
How are customer service and support?
I had issues with Google Ads, which is another product of Google not exactly coordinated with Workspace. But I didn't have any issues with Workspace.
What other advice do I have?
In general, I trust Google products. I would definitely recommend using the solution. Overall, I would rate it around seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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The standard GMail interface can be a little bit annoying. The newest Google mail solution "Inbox" is very nice and includes the threading capabilities everyone has complaints about.
I believe Google Apps for Business includes SO much more than email though!
You have a whole plethera of Apps to help you and your organizaqtion such as Google Drive, Calendar, Analytics, Adwords, Webmaster Tools, Blogger, and Sites to name only a few!
Also there is a great training program for Google Apps for Business that walks you through setup and deployment. You can also get certified. check out this link:
apps-admin-course.appspot.com
Thanks!
Jamie Privett
Hi-Tech USA
Hi-TechUSA.com