As we approach the end of January, we wanted to be sure all the Google Apps users out there are aware of a few recent updates to the platform across Google Apps for Business, Education and Government editions!
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Grow your professional network with Google+ and Gmail
Announced mid-January, Google Apps users’ Google+ connections will be suggested as recipients alongside traditional Gmail contacts whenever composing a new email in Gmail. However, email addresses won’t be visible to a Google+ connection until an email is actually sent to that connection. Additionally, if an individual outside the user’s Google+ circles sends the user an email, that user has the option of deciding whether or not to receive additional emails from that individual.
This feature is off by default, with the option for domain admins to control its availability through the Admin console – read more here. -
New activity stream in Google Drive
If you’re always in your Drive the way we are, you might have noticed a new activity stream popping up in the right corner – if you don’t just click the “Details and activity” button. Right off the bat, you can see a real-time report of who in your team is doing what (as well as your own recent editing activity, You can even select a specific file or folder and see what updates have been made to that particular item.
This feature is being rolled out across Google Apps for Business, Education and Government –
read more here. -
New sign-in page for Google Apps
Announced back in November, the new Google Apps sign-in page the sign-in page for Gmail will be identical to the sign-in page for Google Calendar, Google Drive or any other Google Apps service, helping improve security and making it easier for users to switch between accounts. This means a couple things for organizations with customized sign-in pages:-
Users need to log in with their full email address, including the domain
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SSO domains with a network mask get the new Google sign-in page when logging in from outside the SSO network mask
- No more logos and customized colors (a unified look and feel across all sign-in pages)
This feature is included across Google Apps for Business, Education and Government – read more here.
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Targeted legal holds in Google Vault
For organizations using Google Vault as an email archiving solution to manage and preserve compliance regulations, Google now offers targeted legal holds, giving customers even more control over what emails are retained. Organizations can hold a user’s entire mailbox, as well as targeting specific information based on criteria, like dates, labels or content. Targeted legal holds allow organizations using Vault to preserve fewer emails and focus on relevant data, helping to reduce the time and management costs associated with reviewing that data.
This feature is included across Google Apps for Business, Education and Government – read more here. -
Create named Hangouts in Google Calendar
As of yesterday, users can now name Hangouts included in Calendar events or invites, making it easier for guests to join the video call – this feature is only available in domains that have enabled Google+ Premium Features.
This feature is included across Google Apps for Business, Education and Government – read more here.
We hope this little round up helps you close out the rest of the month!
If you have any questions about Google Apps for our team, don’t hesitate to visit our website and send us a note.
