At Google Cloud Next ‘18, the tech giant doubled down on their dedication to the enterprise through serious updates to G Suite. From injections of AI technology in its most popular services, like Docs and Gmail, to the introduction of Google Voice Enterprise, Google showed how it’s paving the path to machine augmented workflows, dynamic collaboration, and security features fit for the future of Enterprise Cloud.
Let’s recap some of the many highlights from the G Suite announcements at Next ‘18.
Introducing Google Voice for G Suite as a Modern Enterprise Telephony Option
Existing G Suite customers may have noticed that between Google Hangouts Meet, Hangouts Chat and the existing Google Voice, there is not currently a comprehensive solution for replacing the enterprise phone system. With Google Voice for Enterprise, however, this is all about to change.
While this service is only available to an Early Adopter Program for starters, Google Voice for G Suite makes a compelling case for widespread adoption. Features include device agnostic, user chosen (or admin assigned) number that integrates directly into a native app, Hangouts and Calendar. This comes along with an ease of administration that fits in seamlessly with the G Suite admin panel in which admins are already accustomed to the provisioning of user accounts. Every Voice user will also experience spam-filtered calls and voicemails rendered as text, just because that’s a better world for everyone.
For many of those present at Next ‘18, Voice for Enterprise comes as a no-brainer that demonstrates Google’s seriousness about fostering comprehensive collaboration at the enterprise level.
Third-Party Indexing in Cloud Search for Intuitive Access to Your Company’s Data
Last year, Google announced Google Cloud Search as a way to bring the functionality of Google Search to enterprise data hosted within G Suite. This year’s conference announced the ability to search third party data via APIs and connectors that assure users only see data they are privy to. The search is insanely fast: indexed documents on premise, in the cloud, and in third party applications arrive to the searchers fingertips in mere milliseconds.
SADA is proud to be a partner in Google’s efforts to enhance search within the enterprise. The service will be available to non-G Suite customers as well as select G Suite Enterprise customers later this year.
Enhanced Security in G Suite for the Modern Enterprise
It’s been a tension-filled year for any organization hosting sensitive information in the Cloud. No company wants to deal with the negative PR associated with security leaks, not to mention the breach in trust with customers. That’s why Google introduced the G Suite Security Center earlier this year and announced plans to build it out further at Next ‘18.
New features include a user-friendly investigation tool that helps security analysts monitor potential domain threats in real time. Administrators can take bulk actions to eliminate threats, as well as query for potential flags and review at a granular level. For example, one of the most compelling features is the ability to monitor Drive files that have been shared to users outside the organization (for an enterprise fully integrated into G Suite, this helps eliminate the age old problem of taking company materials offline).
Admins can also delete malicious or unwanted emails at the bulk level to protect its users. This tool is available to Early Adopters with G Suite Enterprise and G Suite Education subscriptions.
Coupled with this announcement is the ability to choose the region in which your company’s data is stored for select G Suite apps. In the wake of GDPR, Google acknowledges that many companies have regulatory reasons to control where their data is kept. Check this documentation here for a how to along with a few tradeoffs to consider before doing so. The option is already live for G Suite Business and Enterprise customers free of charge.
Existing G Suite Apps See Big League Upgrades
Customers will notice big changes hitting their G Suite apps soon, starting with Gmail. Many Gmail users have already switched to the redesign, which includes a snooze feature, a nudge feature, smart replies powered by AI and the ability to view attachments without navigating to a new screen. The redesign also includes enhanced security features to protect users from spam and phishing schemes, and it offers AI-powered suggestions for unsubscribing from useless email streams. Update to the new Gmail will become mandatory for G Suite users twelve weeks from now.
Here are a few more high level updates to the G Suite apps we know and love:
- Google Drive for Enterprise will be available as a standalone service for non-G Suite customers
- Redesign and rollout of AI-powered grammar suggestions for Google Docs
- Becoming used to intelligent suggestions in your email replies? Smart Reply is coming to Hangouts and Smart Compose (inline suggestions) is coming to Gmail
- Robust, two-way Salesforce integration with Google Sheets
- Tired of the old whiteboard? Google announced an update to the Jamboard mobile app. Over at SADA’s Next booth, we also had a little fun with Jamboard (see our CEO explain on video here).
Google also announced an update to Google Drive that will allow users to catch version conflicts between Microsoft Office files, but this feature (although we are very excited for it) has been delayed since its announcement this week.
Overall, the updates announced make G Suite a more secure and comprehensive enterprise collaboration platform. Recently awarded the Google Specialization in Enterprise Collaboration for its efforts in bringing large clients to G Suite, SADA is no stranger to harnessing the power of Google’s tools. Do you have a question about how updates to G Suite affect your organization? Contact SADA today to discuss opportunities to revamp your workflow with G Suite. Contact SADA today to discuss opportunities to revamp your workflow with G Suite.
