It's hard to keep up with Google Workspace updates, because there are so many of them!
We have tried to summarize some of the additional features released in recent months for all users, we will talk about Meet, Presentations, Google Sheets and more. Let us know if you have discovered any of them and what is your favorite, the last ones mentioned in the article are reserved for Google Console admins.
This update is an opportunity we really love because it transforms the way we work especially for those teams who meet in Meet to discuss data, slides, and information.
Google Apps already provide for multi-handed work on text, information, and graphics, but this update adds an extra gear. Not only can you save time, but it promotes a collaborative and interactive environment, even when you're remote.
Every work session becomes even more dynamic, collaborative, and productive because you can organize a Meet directly in those Google Documents, Sheets, and Presentations you are discussing. Here's how to do it:
1 enter the document, spreadsheet, or Google presentation you are interested in
2click the Google Meet icon in the upper right
3 join or start a meeting, join other users by entering their email addresses or sharing the Meet link.
Concurrently, you can continue to take advantage of Google Meet features to present your screen, share links, or choose emoticons.
Google Chat continues to innovate business communication. Did you know that you can send emails to members of a Space with one click?
This feature simplifies greatly communication by allowing users to reach all Space members via an email directly from the Google Chat interface.
The integration between email and Google Chat eliminates the need for additional steps and improves efficiency by speeding up internal communication processes for tasks that require more tracking or if all members are not active when needed.
If in a Google Chat you already have the opportunity to
in recent months, the new update allows you to generate an email address tied to a Space in Google Chat to easily send emails to all its members.
Emails sent to the address associated with the Space will also be published there (note, only Space managers can generate email addresses). Here's how you can proceed
Another update affecting Google Chat is that of advanced notifications for mentions. Are you already using it?
Don't miss important updates, create alerts whenever you are mentioned in a Discussion Space to make the most important communications timely and effective.
If you want to keep your team aligned and speed up workflows, notifications to mentions in Google Chat Spaces especially help with conversations that require a higher level of attention.
Here's how to turn on notifications to mentions in Google Chat:
We often remind teams to use Google Chats and Spaces, as opposed to WhatsApp or unauthorized applications, because they provide a collaborative and secure environment, and avoid putting sensitive corporate information at risk.
Where before as a user you had to be invited to a Spacer, now you can request it directly. This functionality is essential for maintaining acohesive and interconnected work environment, improving internal communication and optimizing the management of all projects.
Implementing and using Google Chat Spaces on a daily basis consolidates collaboration for each team and promotes an organized and productive workflow.
Applying to participate in a Google Chat Space is simple:
1 join Google Chat and navigate to the Spaces section
2 you can see the option to Apply to participate in an existing Space
3 click on this option and submit your request, which will be reviewed by the Space administrator
4 Once your request is approved, you will be added to the Space and can begin collaborating effectively with your colleagues.
Among the Google Workspace 2024 updates, there is definitely the ability to highlight a live video feed within Google slides. Think about how useful this can be during a webinar, training your employees, or to explain more complex projects.
Thanks to this update you can create visual, interactive and engaging presentations in the same Google App and in just a few clicks.
You do not need to use a separate video recording tool, but your computer's built-in or external camera and microphone to add your voice and webcam feed to the recording.
Here's how to do it:
1 Open the Google Presentation you are interested in
2 in the toolbar click on Insert
3 select Highlighted presentation
4 in the sidebar select the form of the Featured Presentation to be added
5 if there is a featured presentation form in the slide, your device's camera will activate. If you use slide recording, the buttons at the bottom of the screen can also control whether the featured presentation camera is active or not.
So let's get to the Google Sheets, because there are several very interesting updates to share.
Whether you are monitoring data, inventory, or workflows, you can now receive real-time updates when certain conditions occur.
Explore the potential of conditional notifications now to boost productivity and stay current by setting up custom alerts based on specific conditions within spreadsheets.
Thanks to conditional notifications, you can configure Google Sheets tosend a notification via email or directly to your device whenever a particular cell reaches a specific value, exceeds a predefined threshold, or meets any set criteria.
This not only improves efficiency, but also theability to react quickly to data fluctuations, increasing the effectiveness of information management.
To integrate this function, just
Taking advantage of smart chips allows you to transform your tables into interconnected information hubs, making data management and analysis more intuitive and immediate.
With Smart Chips you have more interactive and integrated data management, making it easier to access additional details, without ever leaving the Google Sheet, you can enter
Google Sheets thus becomes an even more powerful and versatile tool, increasing productivity and improving efficiency.
How to efficiently manage data in Google Sheets? In addition to creatingdynamic pivot tables, you can format and quickly organize information in tables to support the management and analysis of large data sets.
We help you speed up the decision-making process for your strategy:
1 enter the data into the Google Sheet
2 click on Format
3 Convert to table
to keep the data structure and format up-to-date and clean even when multiple people collaborate on the same document. Each user can set specific criteria that automatically change the color of cells based on the data, facilitating immediate visualization of trends and anomalies.
In addition, the Create a filtered view option allows you to sort and display only the most relevant information, reducing clutter and improving efficiency in data analysis.
This update affects Console administrators and is available in Enterprise versions of Google Workspace.
If you want to ensure maximum security for sensitive operations, implementing multilateral approvals can help your business crucially. Every sensitive action will require approval from all authorized parties, thus ensuring that every decision is thought through and verified.
Multilateral approvals add an additional layer of security for sensitive actions taken in the Administration Console, helping to prevent unauthorized or accidental changes.
The action is performed automatically after administrator approval and the requester does not have to take any further action. This makes administrators aware of the changes being attempted and gives them the opportunity to accept or reject these sensitive actions.
When you view a user's details page in the Administration Console, you will notice the new tabs Investigation, Security, and Groups.
Inside these tabs you will find all user-related information, from security alerts to audit logs, group memberships, and security policies applied. Click on the relevant sections of the Administration Console to find more information about the event and take action if necessary.
Centralization of this information should reduce the time and effort required by administrators to assess and take action on user problems.
As always power2Cloud, Premier Partner Google Cloud, can guide you