Workspace Archives - Shapiro Consultants

Hunting for your Google Workspace reminders? They’ve moved to a new app

June 12, 2023
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Keeping track of your reminders in Google Workspace could be a bit trickier for a short while as the platform moves alerts over to a new app.

Users of the online collaboration platform have been told their reminders for Google Assistant and Google Calendar will now be moving over to the company's Google Tasks app.

The news was first announced in September 2022, with the migration now underway for Google Workspace users across the world, as it looks to “to create a single experience for managing to-dos across Google.”

Google Tasks migration

Originally launched in 2018, Google Tasks is one of the most underappreciated Workspace tools, often going unnoticed by many users, but the company is now looking to boost its importance with the new move.

Now, Google Tasks will be directly integrated with Workspace apps such as Gmail, Google Chat and Calendar, meaning you can quickly add to and manage your to-do list as new jobs come in.

Users will be able to select a new “Add to tasks” button in Gmail, create tasks directly from Google Chat, and create a task in Google Calendar in order to make sure they have the time to get it done.

Once created, all these tasks can be sorted into lists, with priorities set with the star selection already seen in Gmail and Google Drive – and finished tasks marked as complete with a satisfying tick mark.

Google Tasks new layout — (Image credit: Google Workspace)

Google says that integrating Assistant and Calendar reminders into Tasks will also make users' lives much easier, allowing them to save suggestions or ideas hands-free. If you specify a date or time, your device will display a notification when it's time, so you don't forget.

Anyone wishing to have a copy of their Reminders data should receive it before June 2022, the company says, with Keep reminders also remaining on the app, but no longer showing on your calendar.

Following the migration, users will be able to view their tasks by going to the Tasks calendar instead of the Reminders calendar – and they can also go to Google Tasks, or ask Assistant, for your tasks.

Users can find out more on the changes on Google Workspace's support page.

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May 10, 2023
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Google has followed the herd and announced a host of new artificial intelligence (AI) expansion for its is coming to its collaboration tool for enterprise.

The tech giant announced the new Google Workspace feature set, which includes the ability to draft new content and refine existing work in Google Docs , and gives Google Slides the opportunity to generate images from text prompts.

However given that Microsoft has had their finger in this pie since March 2023, and has just announced a similar text-to-image tool for PowerPoint, it’s hard for us to get especially excited about any of this – for now.

Google Slides Duet AI Workspace — (Image credit: Google)

Google’s collaborative AI

Everyone’s at it, which is good, I suppose – you’re not beholden to one provider if you’re dying to use the latest tech gimmick. I just wish tech companies remembered that they’re supposed to have original ideas.

But in lieu of that, have this – Google Sheets will now – yawn – analyze and provide actionable insights into your data, with automated data classification and the creation of custom plans.

Google Sheets io ai duet — (Image credit: Google)

At the center of this is – yep – AI that can understand the context of your data beyond just the content of a cell. A new “help me organize” function will, even though you’re an adult, generate a comprehensive to-do list based on the homework you need your mum’s help with.

Docs won’t just do your work for you (including grammatically correct, “professional-grade” in French, Spanish, Japanese and “more”) – it’ll use its proprietary “smart chip” technology to help personalize it, so now you can, say, entice bright, inspired job applicants into your web until you finally break it to them gently that the machines are running the place.

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Places like gig economy bandwagoner Lyft, that wrote, or had a computer write, without any sense of irony, that “[Lyft] is excited [!] to test out the new generative Workplace experiences [!!]”.

Google deigns to assure us that it continues to believe in the “ingenuity of real people”, characterizing its AI’s work as “suggestions”. It’s all a bit “Gizmo has gone to live on a farm with her other dog friends” to me, but at least, if you’re an IT admin, you’re being given the policy power to make the hurting stop.

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March 14, 2023
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With human prompt-driven generative AI having taken the zeitgeist by storm in products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DALL-E, it was only a matter of time before Google entered the fray.

“Developers and businesses can now try new APIs and products that make it easy, safe and scalable to start building with Google’s best AI models through Google Cloud and a new prototyping environment called MakerSuite,” said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in a blog post.

He also said that new generative AI features in Google Workspace would help users better create and collaborate on content.

Google’s AI investments

While Microsoft opted to invest in OpenAI (twice, even) to bring ChatGPT to its Bing search engine, Google has developed its own solutions for Google Cloud and Google Workspace customers.

Google Docs already auto-generates summaries for documents, and Smart Compose in Gmail already predicts recipient names and other words.

However, the biggest development for businesses is that the apps are being dragged in line with ChatGPT’s own feature set, being able to take prompts like “Job post for a regional sales rep” or “Vegetarian pasta recipe” and turn them into text.

Only “select” developers can access the Google Cloud tools in private preview right now, although it promises that a waitlist will be opening soon. It’s a similar case for Google Workspace’s new generative AI features, which will only be available to “a limited number of trusted testers” in the next few weeks.

And perhaps it’s good that Google seems to be taking its time getting its AI implementation for Workspace right, given that Bing’s implementation of ChatGPT was threatening users until Microsoft stepped in.

So, despite that “code red” in December 2022, it’s not quite the case that Google Cloud, a subsidiary of the tech giant with an annual run rate (ARR) of around $ 29 billion, is chasing the tail of a trend or caught in an arms race with its main competitors.

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Kurian did announce in February 2023 (notably after Microsoft’s own announcement of its partnership with OpenAI) that Google was investing over $ 300 million into Anthropic – an AI startup composed of several former OpenAI senior executives but claims that the similar investments had been happening “for years.”

Its ultimate aim, with that investment, is to power Anthropic’s chatbot, Claude, with Google Cloud infrastructure.

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March 8, 2023
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Some of the most popular Google Workspace apps are set to look rather different following the rollout of a new design scheme from the company.

Users of the likes of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides will soon start seeing a refresh as the company's “Material You” design expands to its office software.

As well as cosmetic changes, the upgrade will also bring some new features for users, including a redesigned Google Docs toolbar and a streamlined design interface across the apps.

Google Workspace changes

“In the coming weeks, you’ll notice a new look and feel for Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web,” a Google Workspace blog post announcing the news noted. “Following the release of Google Material Design 3, the refreshed user interface is purposefully designed to streamline core collaboration journeys across our products.”

“These key visual and interactive design changes will help you get your best work done faster by emphasizing the tools within our products used most frequently.”

The move is part of Google's campaign to make sure its office software remains intuitive and attractive to use as the company looks to keep pace with competitors such as Microsoft 365.

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Inspired by Google’s Material Design 3, the company says the refresh provides some of its most popular tools with a more modern look that will deliver a simpler, more streamlined UI that helps users work more efficiently.

Some of the more obvious changes users will spot include the new Google Docs toolbar, which is now a long “pill” shape that is not just thicker, but also stretches across your browser window. There are more precise options to make your text size bigger or smaller by a single point (rather than by 2x or more) and a number of new dropdown menus that group together similar functions into a single location, such as paragraph formatting.

The ubiquitous “share” button is also a softer, more rounded design, and in a lighter blue/green/yellow shade depending on which program you are using, and the button to start a Google Meet call directly from a document has been simplified from a multi-color option to a basic camera image.

Elsewhere, the status information (including last edit and version history) is now gathered in a single clock-face icon in the top-right hand corner, and there is an improved interface for setting rulers and gridlines.

The changes are rolling out now, and will be available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers, and users with personal Google accounts.

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March 31, 2022
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Google has lifted the lid on a series of updates for its Workspace suite of productivity and collaboration software designed to cater to the needs of the hybrid working era.

Some of the upgrades are small, like the ability to react with emojis during video meetings, but others could have a major impact on the way in which workers collaborate on shared documents, presentations and spreadsheets.

Most significantly, Google says it will integrate Meet directly into Docs, Sheets and Slides in the coming weeks, which will allow Google Workspace users to quickly spin up a meeting when collaborating on a project. Unlike traditional screen-sharing, video feeds will be housed within a dedicated sidebar, positioned alongside the content the team is working on.

Google Workspace for hybrid working

Since the birth of G Suite in 2006, Google has competed directly with Microsoft in the office software space, going up against the famous Microsoft 365 suite, which houses the likes of Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc.

One of the defining features of Microsoft’s offering is tight integration between apps and services, extending all the way out to the Windows operating system on which most business computers run. And although Google stole the march on Microsoft when it came to the cloud-based model, individual G Suite apps have historically felt much more isolated.

When Google rebranded its productivity suite as Workspace in 2020, however, the company announced it would make a concerted effort to create a more “deeply integrated user experience”, by improving the level of interoperability between its various productivity apps.

Google Docs — Google Meet will soon be integrated directly into Docs, Slides and Sheets. (Image credit: Google)

The latest round of Google Workspace updates take strides towards achieving this goal, capitalizing on the full breadth of the suite to create functionality that should help workers improve their productivity in a hybrid working setting.

> Google Drive update delivers a simple but effective productivity hack

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In addition to new synergies with Workspace office software, Google Meet will also receive a new picture-in-picture mode next month, which will allow Chrome users to bring up a floating meeting window that sits on top of other browser tabs.

And from a security perspective, Google is set to launch client-side encryption for Meet calls in May, with optional end-to-end encryption to follow by the end of the year, bringing the service on-par with Teams and Zoom.

To support asynchronous collaboration, meanwhile, Google is preparing a number of updates for its Spaces messaging platform. Most notably, the company is improving the search functionality to help users surface the most relevant conversations and rolling out Slack-like inline message threading, which is apparently a highly requested upgrade.

Google Workspace — (Image credit: Google)

“One of the hopeful signs of a return to normalcy is seeing many of our customers make plans to come back into their offices. And they’re asking for strategies that will make hybrid work a more equitable and productive experience for everyone. We’re also beginning our own transition to hybrid work in early April,” said Google.

“As we gear up for that, it feels like a time of optimism for new ways of working together and the potential for hybrid models to become the sustainable norm. When designed well, a hybrid model gives employees the flexibility to deliver their best from anywhere, while bringing them together thoughtfully for the power of in-person collaboration.”

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March 31, 2022
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Google has lifted the lid on a series of updates for its Workspace suite of productivity and collaboration software designed to cater to the needs of the hybrid working era.

Google Workspace for hybrid working

> Google Drive update delivers a simple but effective productivity hack

> Google Meet aims to tear down the language barrier

> Google Calendar update will stop meetings clogging up your day

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February 24, 2022
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Getting your data moved over to Google Workspace should soon be a much smoother process thanks to a new release from the company.

Google says the Workspace Migrate tool offers an easier way for admins to assess and plan migration projects, and “confidently migrate their users and large amounts of critical content directly into Google Workspace.”

Previously announced in beta way back in 2019, the tool is now generally available to admins across the world for select Google Workspace Editions.

Google Workspace Migrate

In a blog post announcing the news, Google noted that its new tool should be particularly useful for those admins looking to move a large amount of enterprise data, offering a secure and effective way to migrate information and set up on-premises infrastructure.

This includes the ability to migrate data from a wide range of sources, including Microsoft Exchange (covering Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016, and Microsoft 365), Microsoft SharePoint (including SharePoint 2010, 2013, 2016, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business), Microsoft OneDrive, file shares, and Box migrations.

Google Workspace Migrate tool — (Image credit: Google Workspace)

It will also support legacy G Suite Business and Google Workspace environments, enabling admins to selectively migrate Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and more data between Google Workspace environments.

Alternatively, the tool will allow admins to migrate all users from one environment to another, or move specific user data (such as organizational units, users, or subsets of data) between Google Workspace environments.

The tool will also allow admins to easily identify project progress and status through frequently updated and detailed logs, as well as being able to quickly scan source environments to help accurately plan for key project milestones and watch points.

Google Workspace Migrate is available now for users on Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, and legacy G Suite Business – however not for Google Workspace Essentials or legacy G Suite Basic users just yet.

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> Google is closing one of its least-loved Workspace apps

The news comes soon after Google revealed it would be cutting down on users accessing Google Workspace for free.

The company announced that all G Suite legacy free edition users would soon be shifted over to a paid version of Google Workspace from July 1 in order to ensure they kept access to tools such as Gmail, Meet and Docs.

Google Workplace plans start at $ 6/user/month for its Business Starter option, with Business Standard ($ 12/user/month) and Business Plus ($ 18 /user/month) also on offer, providing an increasing level of services with the amount paid.

Google plans to automatically move free users from May 1 to “an upgraded Google Workspace paid subscription”, based on its analysis of the customer's usage and the features it thinks you'll need. The company is also offering businesses who don't want to pay or upgrade the chance to export their data at no extra cost.

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February 11, 2022
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It's no secret that Google has an interesting relationship with creating social media and messaging services – often with far less success than its search engines and, mobile operating systems.

Add to the body of evidence the demise of Google Currents, introduced in 2019 as replacement for Google+ as part of the G Suite services, which the company has now announced is coming to an end.

Instead, Google says enterprise customers should use Spaces, which it introduced in 2021 as part of Google Workspace, the replacement for G Suite for Enterprise.

Here today, gone tomorrow

“Since launching Spaces, many customers have told us that they appreciate the tight integration with Google Workspace products, including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and Meet, and the seamless collaboration experience,” says Google. As such, starting in 2023, Currents will be found down and its services moved over to Spaces.

Anyone impacted – which is surely a fairly small community – will be fully supported by Google in the transition, with Spaces offering many of the same tools as Currents but with tighter integration into other Google apps.

“Upgrading Google Currents to Spaces removes a separate, siloed destination for users, and provides organizations with a modern, enterprise-grade experience that reflects how the world is working today,” the company added.

“Spaces provide a central place for teams to engage in topic-based discussions, share knowledge and ideas, move projects forward, and build communities and team culture.”

Responding to feedback is essential to succeed in the enterprise software space, where IT admins and end-users are the key consistency that must be heard. Creating frictions, or unnecessary faff, will likely spell the end of the product.

>There's an all-new free version of Google Workspace for work

>Google tells free G Suite legacy users it's time to start paying

>Google Workspace is getting a major upgrade to rival Microsoft 365

With Workspace, Google has been challenging in a very crowded field. Seemingly all major companies offer some kind of SaaS tools for businesses, including Meta (formerly Facebook), which offers Workplace and runs its own business on it.

The intense competition means that companies need to move fast and recognise when something isn't working, which Google appears to have done here.

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February 4, 2022
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Workers looking to experience a host of the most popular Google Workspace software can now try for free thanks to a new offering from the company.

The new Google Workspace Essentials plan provides access to the likes of Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and more as the company looks to offer its online collaboration tools to more businesses than ever before.

What's more, you don't even need a Gmail account to sign up – and it's absolutely free.

Free Google Workspace

“We’re rolling out a new version designed to help people bring the apps they know and love to use in their personal lives to their work life,” Kelly Waldher, Vice President of Marketing, Google Workspace, wrote in a blog post.

“The new Google Workspace Essentials Starter Edition is a no-cost solution for business users looking to enhance teamwork and unlock innovation with secure-by-design collaboration. With Essentials Starter, we’re making it easy for employees to choose their own productivity tools and bring modern collaboration to work.”

There are some caveats to the plan, as users will only get 15GB of cloud storage, down from the usual 30GB available with the basic Google Workspace Business Starter plan, which typically costs $ 6/user/month.

There's also obviously no access to Gmail either, but users will be able to hold Google Meet video conferences of up to 100 people for up to an hour, as well as access to Spaces, Google Chat, Sheets, Slides and Docs.

> Google Workspace is getting a major upgrade to rival Microsoft 365

> Google Workspace Individual offers all you need to start and run a small business

> Google takes aim at Microsoft 365 with small but important update

The news comes as something of a surprise, given Google had recently said it would be cutting down on users accessing Google Workspace for free.

This had upset users who may have recently signed up for the software, particularly non-business users facing having to pay for the first time, with Google saying that anyone not signed up to a paid subscription by the July deadline faced being locked out.

Google plans to automatically upgrade free users from May 1 to “an upgraded Google Workspace paid subscription”, based on its analysis of the customer's usage and the features it thinks you'll need. The company is also offering businesses who don't want to pay or upgrade the chance to export their data at no extra cost.

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February 3, 2022
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Tracking down that elusive Google Docs or Sheets file could soon get a lot simpler thanks to a new search upgrade.

The company has revealed it is adding a new setting to its search history tool specifically designed to find files created in its Google Workspace office software suite.

The new addition will hopefully be able to track down and display those hard-to-find files directly in your search history, removing a common headache for workers everywhere.

Google My Activity

The change is coming to the Google – My Activity page, which contains all the details of your recent searches across both the web and Google's own apps, such as YouTube.

Going forward, search data from Workspace apps will be contained in a new setting, which will allow users to see suggestions from their own search history.

Past searches can be rerun if necessary, and will cover the likes of Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, and Currents, along with standalone services such as Google Cloud and Google Sites.

Google says it doesn't utilize any of this data for targeted advertising, and deletes all search history data after 18 months (although this can be reset to delete at 3, 18 or 36 months) and users can amend, expand or restrict the amount of data collected on them at any time.

The new setting will begin rolling out on March 29, and will be set to on by default. Users can disable it by heading to My Activity page > Other Google activity > Google Workspace search history.

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> Google could give free G Suite users a way out of paying for Workspace

The news comes shortly after Google unveiled a new look for Gmail that aims to combine several of the most popular Workspace apps in one window.

The approach looks to provide users with a one-stop shop for all their communication needs – whether via email, video conferencing, or just good old-fashioned instant messaging – without them having to open up extra tabs or windows.

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Posts tagged "Workspace"

Hunting for your Google Workspace reminders? They’ve moved to a new app

Google Tasks migration

Google Workspace doesn’t really need AI, but you’re getting it anyway

Google’s collaborative AI

Google adds another AI dollop to Workspace to catch up with Microsoft

Google’s AI investments

A load of top Google Workspace programs are about to look a lot different

Google Workspace changes

Massive Google Workspace update dials up the fight for hybrid working supremacy

Google Workspace for hybrid working

Massive Google Workspace update dials up the fight for hybrid working supremacy

Google Workspace for hybrid working

Migrating your data to Google Workspace is about to get a whole lot easier

Google Workspace Migrate

Google is closing one of its least-loved Workspace apps

Here today, gone tomorrow

There’s an all-new free version of Google Workspace for work

Free Google Workspace

It’ll soon be easier to track down all your lost Google Workspace docs

Google My Activity