Buzz
G Suite is a suite of applications, a collection of products aimed at businesses, such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, ... provided by Google through a monthly subscription platform to streamline business processes. To find out more about what G Suite is, readers can refer to the following article by Mytour.
1. What is G Suite?
G Suite, previously known as Google Apps for Work, is a software product suite in the form of a service (Software as a Service - SaaS) encompassing all collaboration and productivity tools based on cloud services developed by Google for businesses and non-profit organizations.
Subscribers have access to custom Gmail addresses, as well as tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Drive, Sites, and more.
2. What sets G Suite apart from Google's free apps?
Most applications in G Suite have free versions for users; however, G Suite is supplemented with some important features that help seamlessly integrate with the workflows of businesses.
These features include calendar sharing, unlimited cloud storage options, advanced control tools such as user addition and deletion, two-step verification, and single sign-on, as well as data migration tools to easily transfer valuable business data to G Suite.
Additionally, G Suite integrates mobile device management tools, allowing users to activate/deactivate mobile devices, control applications, and remotely wipe data if any employee damages business devices.
In addition to the above features, G Suite enables businesses to use custom email domains. Instead of using the domain provided by Google for free accounts like '@gmail.com', with G Suite registration, you can use a custom domain name, such as '[email protected]'.
Please note that you must own the domain and confirm ownership when registering for G Suite use.
Finally with G Suite, you can use the data migration tool to transfer all your emails, calendars, and contacts and seamlessly import them into other Google services.
3. Pricing Plans for G Suite Services
Before December 6, 2012, Google offered a free version of G Suite with limited features. Currently, the pricing of the product depends on the number of accounts you set up for employees.
There are three basic packages available for both large and small businesses:
- Basic Package: Offers 30 GB of storage on Gmail and Drive per user, including all productivity-enhancing Google apps but lacks Cloud Search, App Maker, and Vault. This package is priced at $6/user/month.
- Business Package: Essentially similar to the Basic package but with unlimited storage and includes Vault, Cloud Search, and development apps. This package is priced at $12/user/month.
- Enterprise Package: Includes all features of the Business package but with additional security systems and advanced control features, eDiscovery, and data loss prevention systems. This package is priced at $25/user/month.
If managing a school, you can subscribe to G Suite for Education package for teachers and students. G Suite for Education has two versions:
- G Suite for Education: Includes all features and tools of G Suite Basic version but with unlimited free storage for users of services like Sites, Drive, and Gmail, with free access to Google Vault. G Suite for Education is free forever.
- G Suite Enterprise for Education: Includes some features designed for large-scale educational institutions such as advanced administration systems, statistical tools, advanced analytics, search functionality, along with enterprise-grade information and communication tools. This package is priced at $4/user/month.
For educational organizations subscribing to G Suite for all faculty and staff in 2018 and 2019, Google offers a discounted starting price:
- $2/user/month for faculty and staff.
- Completely free for eligible students.
Finally, if managing a non-profit organization, Google offers another free version of the G Suite package specifically for eligible non-profit organizations, including features similar to the G Suite Basic version and closely resembling the G Suite for Education package.
Note: You must have a Google account for the non-profit organization and verify that you are the owner of the non-profit domain you use to register.
4. Which G Suite version to choose?
As mentioned above by Mytour, there are various versions of G Suite, each providing different features.
If you're unsure about which version of G Suite to use, you first need to determine what your usage purposes are.
Google provides first-time subscribers with a 14-day trial of G Suite to see if it meets their needs.
All you need to do is complete the registration process, enter credit card information, activate your account, and then verify your domain. Before the trial period ends, if you don't want to use G Suite, you can cancel the subscription. By default, the free 14-day trial version is activated for all new accounts.
