by | May 23, 2024 | News
What's changing
We are pleased to announce the launch for additional features of Chat API via the Developer Preview Program, enabling space management at scale on behalf of admin users. These new features, which you can read more about below, are available to all users currently enrolled in the Developer Preview Programme. See here for more information on how to enroll in the Developer Preview programme.
Who's impacted
Admins and developers
Why you'd use it
In 2023, we launched the Space Management tool, which allowed admins to view all the spaces within their organisation, understand the activity within those spaces, and perform essential actions like deleting a space or assigning space managers. While finding the tool helpful, admins expressed a desire for more robust tools to perform these tasks faster and at scale, for example, with the help of APIs. Admins can now use the Chat API to find information and manage their spaces in bulk- specifically they'll be able to:
Audit spaces: Admins can pull a list of all spaces in their organisation, which includes detailed information about space settings and metadata like member counts, history setting status, the ability to invite external guests, and more. The list will be exported to a CSV file for further analysis and audit.
Delete inactive spaces in bulk: It's common to create spaces for projects and initiatives that are only relevant for a specific period of time. As these projects move towards completion, activity in these spaces become inactive or abandoned altogether without deletion. This can result in a huge amount of clutter, making it difficult for end users to navigate and search for relevant spaces, and for admins, making it difficult to audit and take action when managing your spaces. You can now easily detect and delete all inactive or unused spaces, or create an automated cleanup task with the help of Chat API.
However, there are some cases where less active spaces should not be deleted, such as spaces dedicated to quarterly or annual events. In these situations, admins can use the new API functionality to identify space managers so they can reach out and confirm whether a space should be deleted.
User onboarding and offboarding: When a new user joins an organisation, it's important that they're connected to all relevant spaces, including organisation wide spaces or spaces based on specific departments or job roles. Admins can use this functionality to automatically add users to relevant spaces based on specific attributes like their department, role, location, and more.
Conversely, it's also important to ensure users are removed from spaces when they leave an organisation or change roles. Admins can quickly identify all spaces where an outgoing user is a member of and remove them from spaces that are no longer relevant to them.
Audit external members: To monitor and control access to organisations' data, admins can conduct an audit of membership for a specific user or group of users. Admins can use the Google Chat API to generate a list of all space members - this information, combined with a query to the People API, can assist in identifying a space's external members. As a result, admins may choose to remove specific users from organisation's conversations. This can be done on a space-by-space basis using the API directly or with the help of your own scripts, adjusted to the unique process in your organisation.
We plan to introduce more functionality for managing spaces in the future - stay tuned to the Workspace Updates blog for more information.
Getting started
End users: There is no end user impact or action required.
Rollout pace
by | May 16, 2024 | News
This announcement was part of Google I/O '24. Visit the Workspace Blog for more about new ways to engage with Gemini for Workspace and the Keyword Blog for more ways to stay productive with Gemini for Google Workspace.
Last year, we introduced AI-powered writing features that help you quickly refine existing work or get you started with something new in Google Docs and Gmail using Gemini for Google Workspace.
Since then, Help me write has assisted numerous users in drafting content for things like emails, blog posts, business proposals, ad copy and so much more. In fact, 70% of Enterprise users who use Help me write in Docs or Gmail end up using Gemini's suggestions. Today, we're excited to announce this feature is now available in Spanish and Portuguese.
Help me write in Google Docs using Portuguese
Who's impacted
Admins and end users
Why it's important
Users who write in Spanish and Portuguese can now benefit from AI-powered creation in their own language.
Help me write in Gmail using Spanish
Getting started
Rollout pace
Availability
Available for Google Workspace:
Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium Google One AI Premium
Resources
by | May 14, 2024 | News
This announcement was part of Google I/O '24. Visit the Workspace Blog for more about new ways to engage with Gemini for Workspace and the Keyword Blog for more ways to stay productive with Gemini for Google Workspace.
What's changing
Earlier this year, we announced that Google Workspace customers with a Gemini Enterprise or Business add-on now have access to chat with Gemini at gemini.google.com.
Starting today, we're pleased to announce that Gemini (gemini.google.com) is now available in more than 35 languages:
ArabicBulgarianChinese (Simplified / Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEstonianFarsiFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHebrewHungarianIndonesianItalianJapaneseKoreanLatvianLithuanianNorwegianPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSpanishSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianVietnamese
And is now available to Gemini Enterprise and Business users in the following locales:
France and French TerritoriesHong Kong
Getting started
Admins: New languages will be available in Gemini (
gemini.google.com) by default to all Gemini Enterprise and Business users. Visit the Help Centre to learn more about
turning Gemini (gemini.google.com) on or off for your users, or about
Gemini Enterprise and Gemini Business in general.End users: To use Gemini (
gemini.google.com) in any of the above languages, simply enter your prompts using one of these languages.
Rollout pace
Available immediately.
Availability
Gemini Enterprise is available as an add-on for Google Workspace:Business Standard and Plus Enterprise Standard and Plus Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus and FundamentalsFrontline Starter and StandardEnterprise Essentials and Essentials PlusNonprofits
Gemini Business is available as an add-on for Google Workspace:Business Starter, Standard and Plus Enterprise Starter, Standard and PlusFrontline Starter and StandardEssentials StarterEnterprise Essentials and Essentials PlusNonprofits
Note that Gemini for Google Workspace features are only available for users over the age of 18.
Resources
by | May 16, 2024 | News
What's changing
To review files in Google Drive, you currently have to open each file manually or right-click on a file and then click "Open with > Preview" from the context menu. Additionally, if you want to see what updates have been made to a file, you have to open the file and view the
Activity Dashboard. Today, we're introducing file hovercards in Google Drive to improve this experience and help you complete tasks faster without having to open multiple tabs. Now, when you place your cursor over a file icon in Google Drive on the web, a hovercard will appear with a thumbnail of your file and other relevant information, such as file type, file owner, who recently modified the file and when they last modified the file.
Who's impacted
End users
Why you'd use it
This new experience may help save time by enabling you to gain context on your files without having to open the information sidebar to view details and recent activity.
Getting started
Rollout pace
Availability
Available to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts
Resources
by | May 1, 2024 | News
What's changing
Directly from the Admin console, admins can remotely set custom configs for managed iOS apps on end-user devices for their enterprise using Google Mobile Device Management. Managed configurations are applied using XML property lists and the same app can be configured differently across different domains, groups, or organisational units (OUs).
Adding a managed configuration for an app using XML information
Who's impacted
Admins and end users
Why it's important
Prior to this update, mobile app configuration was only available for managed Android devices. Beginning today, Workspace admins can use Managed App Configuration to set custom app configurations and deploy them to manage iOS devices across their organisation. This gives admins the flexibility they need to create safety parameters that align with the various needs of users across their organisation.
by | May 1, 2024 | News
This announcement was part of Google Cloud Next '24. Visit the Workspace Blog to learn more about the next wave of innovations in Workspace, including enhancements to Gemini for Google Workspace.
What's changing
AppSheet helps users automate manual workflows by integrating with data sources like Google Drive and Sheets, and today we're excited to announce its integration with another data collection tool in Workspace: Google Forms.
Many companies rely on the data collected via form submissions when they are performing tasks for ticketing or incident reporting. However, prior to today you could only view information from form submissions via email, spreadsheet or in the Forms app itself.
With this update, Google Forms submissions can act as event triggers within AppSheet Automations. These automations can then take many different actions, such as sending notifications or approval requests to Gmail or Google Chat, or even calling a custom Apps Script function.
Who's impacted
Admins, end users and developers
Why you'd use it
This integration enables users to receive actionable notifications based on responses to Google Forms.
Getting started
Admins: AppSheet admins can use AppSheet's Policy Engine to control access to this feature by App Creators in their organisation. Visit the Help Centre to learn more about policy enforcement in AppSheet
policies and specific guidance on
preventing app creators from using Google Forms. This feature is available as an open beta, which means AppSheet app creators can use it without enrolling in a specific beta programme. Developers and end users: Visit the Help Centre to learn more about
building automations using Google Forms. Rollout pace
Availability
Available for Google Workspace:
Business Starter, Standard, Plus Enterprise Standard, Plus Enterprise Essentials Plus Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus and the Teaching & Learning Upgrade Frontline Starter, Standard AppSheet Starter, Core, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus
Resources
by | May 1, 2024 | News
What's changing
We're enhancing the experience for client-side encrypted Google Meet calls to include support for inviting external participants, including users without a Google account. Admins will need to turn on access for external participants and determine which identity provider the guest uses to join.
Who's impacted
Admins and end users
Why it's important
Meet already encrypts all of your data
at rest and
in transit between our facilities - client-side encryption gives users direct control of their encryption keys and the identity service that they choose to authenticate for those keys. Adding support for external participants means customers can collaborate with any of their stakeholders safe in the knowledge that only the meeting participants can decrypt the call media. This feature further extends the privacy and compliance capabilities of Google Meet and is the latest security enhancement, alongside encryption for
in-meeting chat messages,
co-host support, and the ability to
join an encrypted meeting from a mobile device. For more information about client-side encryption for Google Meet, see our
original announcement.
Getting started
Admins: Admins will need to
update their IdP/KACLS configurations to open up for external participants and determine which third-party Identity Providers they can use to join a client-side encrypted meeting. Visit the Help Centre for more information on
providing external access to client-side encrypted content.
End users: Organising encrypted calls: To turn on client-side encryption for a meeting, go to a calendar event with Meet video conferencing, navigate to Settings (cog-wheel icon) > Security and select "Add encryption". Contact your administrator to learn about your organisation's policies and which external identity services and guests have been configured to allow access. Visit the Help Centre to learn more about inviting participants to client-side encrypted meetingsNote that only directly invited participants can join client-side encrypted meetings.
Joining encrypted calls: External users will validate their identity using a method supported by the Identity Provider. Authentication methods vary between providers. Some common options could be to log in with an account from e.g. Google or Microsoft, or by receiving an email with a one-time password. Visit the Help Centre to learn more about client-side encrypted meetings.
Rollout pace
Availability
Available to Google Workspace:
Enterprise PlusEducation Standard and Plus
by | May 1, 2024 | News
What's changing
You can now use client-side encryption as a condition for a data loss prevention (DLP) rule. As with other DLP rules, you'll be able to configure:
If users are warned before sharing externally. If users are blocked from sharing externally. The ability to download, print, or copy the document are disabled for commenters and viewers. Whether these events should be sent to the
Alert Centre for further investigation.
Client-side encryption goes beyond the latest
cryptographic standards used by Workspace by giving organisations authoritative control and privacy as the sole owner of private encryption keys and the identity provider of the encryption keys. Combining client-side encryption with DLP rules helps our admins build an even stronger framework around sensitive data and information.
by | May 1, 2024 | News
What's changing
In today's world, getting our work done can happen from many locations, across many devices. Beginning today, you can smoothly transfer between devices while on a Google Meet call without hanging up and rejoining. For example, if you were taking a Meet call on your mobile phone or tablet, you could smoothly switch to your laptop when you arrived at your desk. You'll notice the new "Switch here" option when joining a meeting on your laptop, which will switch the call from your mobile devices while maintaining an ongoing conversation and without worrying about missing important information.
Select the "Switch here" option to seamlessly switch between devices without interruption
Getting started
Admins: There is no admin impact or action required.End users: Visit the Help Centre to learn more about
transferring a meeting between devices.
Rollout pace
Availability
Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts
Resources
by | May 1, 2024 | News
What's changing
We
recently announced the ability to import data from other messaging platforms using the Google Chat API. To build upon this, we're excited to announce a new migration solution from
CloudFuze that enables you to import data from Slack into Google Chat.
With this integration, you can move messages and memberships from Slack channels into Chat spaces. CloudFuze also imports data while maintaining historical timestamps to ensure users can start using spaces right where they left off.
Who's impacted
Admins and developers
Why you'd use it
Developed in collaboration with Google Workspace, CloudFuze imports your knowledge repository from Slack into Google Chat.
Additional details
To import user data from other messaging platforms into Google Chat, please review the original
blog post on how to create a Chat app to migrate data.
Visit the
CloudFuze resource page to learn more about user integrity preservation, optimum Cloud Authentication, migration security and more.
Getting started
Rollout pace
Availability
Available to all Google Workspace customers. Note that a separate CloudFuze licensing is required to enable data migrations.
Resources
