Extend Google Workspace with a Google intranet

Choosing a Google intranet comes with many benefits for any organization that already uses G Suite or is planning to implement G Suite into their business process. The benefits of Google’s G Suite apps are clear: it is one of the best tools for collaboration, organization, and security. With a 2-way synchronization Google applications can then be connected with an intranet. The advantage is that all applications can be accessed from within the intranet platform, organizations can take advantage of Google’s apps popularity, and at the same time increase the value of their investment in the G Suite platform.

Happeo is the best Google intranet platform because it integrates seamlessly with G Suite. If organizations use G Suite apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs on a daily basis then Happeo is a perfect extension because it is adding valuable features for socialising and engagement. Happeo comes with an intuitive user interface that is easy to understand and navigate. Maintaining and building new pages is done easily with drag and drop and no coding skills are needed - making it the perfect tool for non-technical users. As a Google intranet Happeo also benefits from Google Cloud's security model, which means that all files and other data are stored on servers in secure data centers.

Organizations might wonder if an intranet is needed, when they already use Google’s collaborative apps. The answer is yes. Google’s productivity apps focus on collaboration and miss features for employee engagement. Adding a Google intranet solution, also called Google Workspace intranet, will help organizations to not only drive collaboration but also employee engagement and a good corporate culture.

Google does have its own intranet software, called Google Sites. Google Sites is an application that is part of Google Workspace. It differs from other intranet solutions because it focuses on static web page creation and the distribution of information in a more traditional manner instead of collaboration and employee engagement. Hence, Google Sites is about passive communication and not two-way communication.

If organizations decide to use a Google intranet, also called a Google Workspace intranet, then first they need to sign-up for a Google Workspace account. After Google Workspace is set-up a Google intranet solution can be added. There are plenty of Google intranet platforms available, and choosing the right one can be a challenge. Any selection process should start with a good understanding of what employees need. After the requirements are collected, organizations can narrow down their options to streamline the decision-making process. Most Google intranet providers offer support with the set-up and implementation of the new intranet.

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a collection of productivity apps and collaboration tools developed and marketed by Google. Google Workspace includes popular tools as Gmail, Drive, Doc, Meeta nd many more.

In October 2020 Google rebranded from G Suite to Google Workspace to more accurately represent the product vision. The new productivity suite features all the old favorites - Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive Drive, Meet etc. - but offers a more “deeply integrated user experience”. With Google Workspace, Google blurs the lines between each application for a more fluid feel. For example, organizations are able to create and work together on files from within a chat room and preview them sent over by a colleague without opening it in full.

Google Workspace comes with three main changes: new features, new name, and new pricing. These three changes are the beginning of an evolution in digital collaboration – one that leads to more efficient work.

New Workspace features
Google brings together products that were loosely connected to create a digital dimension where efficiency, flexibility, and connectivity meet.

The new user experience design of Google Workspace is all about creating an environment without digital limitations. To achieve this, Google unified its various apps into a single integrated interface for Google Workspace’s productivity apps, as well as email, chat, video, voice, and content management to ensure quick and easy access to information.

Collaborating in Chat and Drive will become more flexible, as users will be able to generate content and work on documents together with guests in chat rooms. This will make the workflow with outsiders to the company easier and faster.

Next to the big changes that affect how we interact with Workspace, almost every individual application has been improved. An example of that would be Meet’s picture-in-picture feature which will be integrated into Docs, Sheets, and Slides, making online business meetings easier to conduct.

New brand image
The new brand image will align with Google’s vision for Workspace as a hub for teams. One that ensures seamless collaboration and communication. While all separate G Suite apps were programmed for different problems, Google Workspace represents the unity between all the apps. Now all of them are better integrated to optimize collaboration and clear workflow.

The icons of all formerly-known-as G Suite apps are changed to represent connectivity, flexibility, and unification, and visually kickstart Google’s Workspace new beginning.

New pricing tier
Google Workspace’s customers are widely diverse – different backgrounds, different stages of company growth, different demands, you name it. To effectively meet the needs of all their customers, Google Workspace will offer editions tailored to small and big businesses, with editions designed according to the needs of the business.

Next to the regular Business Starter, Business Standard, and Enterprise (pricing on request), Google added a new pricing tier to Workspace – Business Plus. It’s an upgrade that fills the gap between the Business Standard and Enterprise plan that offers improved features.

Similar to G Suite, all Google Workspace plans provide a custom email for organizations. Next to Gmail, plans also include the following: Meet (for video and voice conferencing), Chat (for team messaging), Calendar (also shared calendars), Drive (for cloud storage), Docs (for word processing), Sheets (for spreadsheets), Slides (for presentations), Forms (for survey building), Sites (for website building), Currents (for employee engagement), Keep (for notes and lists), Apps Script (for work optimization) and Cloud Search (for smart search across Google Workspace). Depending on the plan an organization chooses, an Admin panel and Vault for managing users and the services is available. Google workspace also includes the digital interactive whiteboard Jamboard.

Google Sites and Currents are both business tools to improve productivity and owned by Google. However, they are different in that Google Sites focuses on creating and sharing content and Currents focuses on connecting and engaging people. Features of Google Sites include: share knowledge, create sites for teams, projects or events, and access all content from Google Workspace. Features of Currents include: post and comment on ideas and messages from colleagues, get instant feedback, share knowledge, get relevant and personalized content with Currents home stream and measure employee engagement with analytical tools.