Common questions when considering G Suite

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Overview

  • What is the difference between G Suite and Google's free apps?

    With G Suite, you'll receive a number of additional business-grade services which are not included with Google's free consumer apps. These services include: custom business email @yourcompany, twice the amount of cloud storage across Gmail and Drive, 24/7 phone and email support, 99.9% guaranteed uptime on business email, interoperability with Microsoft Outlook, additional security options such as two-step authentication and SSO, and administrative controls for user accounts.

  • Can I purchase individual G Suite apps?

    No. When you sign up for G Suite, you'll gain access to a set of integrated apps that work together seamlessly. For instance, you can receive a message in Gmail and instantly convert it into a Calendar event. When you make a comment in Docs, Sheets or Slides, collaborators automatically receive email alerts. With a single click, you can launch a Hangouts video meeting from your inbox or calendar. Using these tools together improves productivity and gives your business the most value. However, you're welcome to purchase the suite and only use the services of your choice.

  • Can I replace my current software with G Suite?

    We've found that many of our customers are able to eliminate their existing productivity suites and rely exclusively on G Suite to create different kinds of files, including text documents, spreadsheets and presentations. You can work on these files with other people in real time and store them in the cloud with Google Drive. G Suite's apps work across devices. Unlike traditional desktop applications, there is no software to install. G Suite is also compatible with files created in other programs, such as Microsoft Office.

Products

Gmail

  • How does Gmail in G Suite differ from free Gmail?

    G Suite's Gmail features include: custom business email @yourcompany, unlimited group email addresses, 99.9% guaranteed uptime, twice the storage of free Gmail, zero ads, 24/7 phone and email support, G Suite Sync for Microsoft Outlook and more.

  • Can a user have more than one email address?

    Yes. A user can have multiple email addresses by creating email aliases such as support@yourcompany. You can add up to 30 email aliases for each user.

  • Can I migrate my existing email to G Suite?

    Yes. G Suite migration tools are available for importing your old emails from legacy environments such as Microsoft®, IBM® Notes® and other email systems. For more information on the tools available for data migrations into G Suite, see Migrate your organisation’s data to G Suite.

Calendar

  • Can I create a group calendar?

    Yes. You can create a calendar that's accessible to everyone in your organisation (or a subset of users). For example, you might want a group calendar for events like team holidays and regular meetings.

  • Can I migrate and sync all my calendars?

    Yes. Calendar migration options are available for many types of calendars, including both Microsoft® and IBM®. For more information on the tools available for data migrations into G Suite, see Migrate your organisation’s data to G Suite. For information on allowing Microsoft Exchange and Google Calendar to work together, examine the Calendar Interop tool. For additional information about syncing Google Calendar and IBM Notes, see Options when migrating from IBM Notes.

  • Does Calendar have event reminders?

    Yes. By default, Calendar displays a pop-up reminder 10 minutes before an event. You can change the reminder times within Calendar's settings.

Hangouts Meet

  • Can external participants join a call?

    Absolutely! In fact, you can share the same link with all meeting participants, making it easier to get everyone you need on the call.

  • Is the meeting content secure?

    Yes. All video and audio streams in Meet are encrypted. Users can join securely even if they're off site.

  • Is a third-party service required for dial-in access?

    No. With G Suite’s Enterprise edition, you have the ability to include a phone number and PIN on each of your meetings with no other configuration required. Check the dial-in documentation for further details.

Drive

  • What file types can I upload to Drive?

    You can upload any type of file to Drive and convert certain types of files to a web-based Google document format: Docs, Sheets or Slides.

  • How much storage do I get with Drive?

    Each user gets 30 GB of cloud storage shared across Drive and Gmail. You can upgrade to unlimited storage (accounts with fewer than five users get 1 TB/user) for an additional fee. See G Suite’s pricing details for more information.

  • How does Drive in G Suite differ from free Drive?

    G Suite's Drive provides twice the amount of storage, 24/7 phone and email support, sharing controls and advanced reporting. You can upgrade to unlimited storage (accounts with fewer than five users get 1 TB/user) for an additional fee. See G Suite's pricing details for more information.

Docs

  • Does Docs work offline?

    Yes. This feature is available within a Chrome browser. If you haven't already done so, give Chrome a try – it's free and easy to install.

  • Can I share Docs files externally?

    Yes. You can change each document's settings to grant anyone you choose editing, viewing or commenting access.

  • Can I convert my existing documents into Docs?

    Yes. You can convert many different file types into Docs format. The original file will remain intact.

Currents

  • Can I control whether my public Currents posts appear on my profile page?

    Yes. Currents settings let you decide if you want to display or hide your Currents posts on your profile.

  • How is the privacy of user profiles maintained?

    Administrators can set a default to block user profiles from being shown in public web search results. Furthermore, there are extensive user controls to restrict the visibility of most profile information.

  • Do teams have the ability to keep social conversations private?

    Yes. Private communities offer an extra layer of security where only users in your organisation can join. Whether it's designs of your beta product or notes from your off-site team, anything that you post will remain restricted to the organisation.

Hangouts Chat

  • I’ve got an idea for a bot. How can I get started?

    We’ve got the following resources available for you at the Developer page.

  • How will this interact with the older version of Hangouts, the one that lives in my Gmail?

    To help make your Chat experience seamless, classic Hangouts will still be available and is compatible with Hangouts Chat.

  • How can I use Chat right away?

    If you’re a current G Suite customer, Chat is free. Click here to get started right away.

Hangouts Meet hardware

  • How much does the Hangouts Meet hardware kit cost? What are the specs?

    The Hangouts Meet hardware kit is available for £2190. The kit includes an ASUS Chromebox, a camera, a controller and a speaker mic. For full details about the kit and its components, see the spec sheet.

  • Is it possible to use other peripherals?

    The Hangouts Meet hardware kit comes with a set of peripheral components (including camera and speakermic) designed to deliver the best experience possible. If you would like to use other peripherals, please check our Peripheral Qualification Programme for more details.

  • How does Hangouts Meet hardware work with Jamboard?

    Jamboard makes collaborative creativity a possibility even when teams are spread out all over the world. With just a couple of taps, cast your Jam to a Hangout so all participants can see ideas come to life, and even join in using the Jamboard app.

Sheets

  • What formulae does Sheets support?

    Sheets supports cell formulae typically found in most desktop spreadsheet packages. These formulae can be used to create functions that manipulate data and calculate strings and numbers.

  • Can I use shortcuts in Sheets?

    Yes. Many keyboard shortcuts are available for Sheets, and they're always switched on. They're probably similar to many of the shortcuts that you've used before.

  • Can I convert other spreadsheets into Sheets?

    Yes. You can convert many different file types into Sheets format. The original file will remain intact.

Forms

  • Do people need G Suite accounts to respond to Forms?

    No. Anyone can respond to Forms.

  • Can I keep a form private to my company only?

    Yes. The sharing settings for Forms make it easy to control who is able to view and edit your forms.

  • Can Forms handle a large number of responses?

    Yes. Forms can handle as much data as Sheets, and Sheets can currently handle 2 million cells of data. That's a lot of data.

Slides

  • What kinds of features does Slides offer?

    You can draw charts and diagrams, insert objects and shapes, format text and images, enable animations and much more.

  • Can I convert other presentations into Slides?

    Yes. You can convert many different files types into Slides format. The original file will remain intact.

  • How does co-editing work?

    Co-editing means that multiple people can work on the same slide at the same time. Sharing settings allow you to control who can view and edit a slide, and revision history enables you to revert to earlier versions.

Sites

  • Can external visitors access a company site?

    Yes. People outside your company can access your site, even without a G Suite account. You can also opt to restrict access through sharing settings.

  • Can I still use the previous version of Sites?

    If your company is using any previous version of Sites, there will be no disruption. Keep editing and sharing your Sites as you have previously.

  • Can I purchase a domain through Google?

    Google can help you purchase a domain through one of our domain host partners. During sign up, simply select the option to 'Buy a new domain'. We'll then guide you through the process to help you set up G Suite for your new domain.

App Maker

  • How do I get started with App Maker?

    Take a look at our developer docs and our Getting Started tutorial here.

  • Can I use App Maker as an EDU customer?

    Absolutely. Your administrator can turn it on for your users from the Admin Console.

  • What type of support can I expect with App Maker?

    App Maker offers 24x7 technical support and service-level commitments. Learn more here.

Jamboard

  • How many people can use Jamboard at once?

    Jamboard supports up to 16 touch points at once on a single device. An entire team can join the same jam from other Jamboards, as well as from phones and tablets with the Jamboard app.

  • How much does Jamboard cost?

    Jamboard starts at £3,999 (includes 1 Jamboard display, 2 styluses, 1 eraser, and 1 wall mount) plus a £498 annual management and support fee.

    G Suite for Education customers are eligible to purchase a Jamboard with a one-time management and support fee payment of £498. There is no recurring annual fee. Email jamboard-sales@google.com or contact your reseller.

  • What are Jamboard's specifications?

    View the Jamboard specs sheet (PDF). For more information, visit the Jamboard Help Centre.

Admin

  • How do I sign in to my Admin console?

    You can access your Admin console at admin.google.com. Enter your email address and password to sign in, and the console appears.

  • What are user accounts?

    User accounts give people a name and password for signing into G Suite, as well as an email address. You can also create accounts to use as mailing lists and give people alternate email addresses.

  • Can I change data regions by organizational unit (OU)?

    Yes. You can split the location of your covered data by OU. There are no restrictions on the number of splits or on the number of times you request a data move. Learn more

Vault

  • What is eDiscovery?

    Electronic discovery, or eDiscovery, is the process of searching and retrieving information in electronic format. It is useful for legal matters and prevents data loss from employee turnover.

  • What happens to data in deleted accounts?

    If you delete a user, all data associated with the user's account will be removed from Google. As best practice, Google recommends suspending user accounts instead of deleting them.

  • How do I purchase G Suite with Vault?

    Vault is included with G Suite’s Business and Enterprise editions. Once you've started your free trial of G Suite, you can select and purchase one of these editions from within your Admin console. Alternatively, you can purchase by contacting sales.

Mobile

  • Are there additional costs for Mobile Management?

    No. Mobile Management is included with G Suite because security is important and we want to make sure that you have the protection you need.

  • Does Mobile Management work on Android and iOS?

    Yes, and yes. Admins can enforce policies across both Android and iOS so that your employees can choose the device they’re comfortable with to get work done.

  • How do I start using Mobile Management?

    Sign up for a free trial of G Suite. If you're already using G Suite, you can learn how to enable Mobile Management from your Admin console.

Pricing

  • What are the differences between G Suite's editions?

    G Suite has three editions: Basic, Business and Enterprise. Basic has 30 GB of storage per user, Business offers unlimited storage and archiving, and Enterprise includes additional advanced controls and customisation. You can compare G Suite's editions for more information.

  • Does G Suite have a free trial?

    Yes, we offer 14 days of G Suite service to new customers. Sign up for the free trial in minutes and create accounts for up to 10 people on your team. We’ll need to get your billing details to set up your account, but you will only be charged after the free trial is over. You can cancel at any time. To get the most out of your trial, we recommend trying at least three tasks that you want to explore, such as collaborating on Docs, launching a video meeting in Hangouts Meet or checking Gmail from your mobile device.

  • How do I purchase G Suite?

    You can sign up for G Suite online or contact our sales team to get started. When you sign up online, you'll automatically start with a free 14-day trial. We’ll need to get your billing details to set up your account, but you will only be charged after the free trial is over. You can cancel at any time. Please note that the trial is limited to 10 users. If you add more than 10 users during your trial period, the trial will end and you will begin payment.

  • How do I cancel my trial if I decide not to purchase G Suite?

    You can cancel your subscription at any time in the Admin Console dashboard, under the Billing section. If you cancel within your 14 day trial period, you will not be charged. Please refer to this Help Centre article for more information.

  • What is the cost of setting up and migrating to G Suite?

    Following our setup guide, you can set up G Suite and migrate your information at no additional cost. Our Support team is available to help if needed. If you would like someone to do the setup and migration for your company, please contact a Google Partner to learn more about these services and the costs associated.

  • What forms of payment does Google accept?

    You can pay for your G Suite subscription using an international credit card. Google accepts payment via Visa, MasterCard and American Express. In some locations, you can also pay by making withdrawals from a bank account (also called direct debit).

  • Can I pay for a full year of G Suite up front rather than monthly?

    Annual plans are only offered in some countries. Visit our pricing page to see if an annual plan is offered in your country.

  • What constitutes a user in terms of pricing?

    A user is defined as one personalised email address (name@yourcompany). A user can have several email addresses by creating email aliases. Group email aliases (such as support@yourcompany) don't count as users. You can add up to 30 email aliases for each user.

  • If I plan to create email aliases for groups, does that alias count as a user that I have to pay for? How many aliases can each user manage?

    No. Each user can have multiple email addresses by creating email aliases. You can add up to 30 email aliases per user.

  • Is a domain included as part of G Suite?

    No, the cost of a domain is separate from G Suite. During sign-up, you must specify the domain that you want for your business email. If you don't yet own the domain, you can purchase it from Google for an additional fee.

  • Does Google accept multiple currencies?

    Yes. When you first set up your billing, you choose the country in which you do business and the currency that you would like to pay in. Your country determines the payment methods that you can use. Choose your country and currency carefully, as you can't change these selections later.

Security

  • How does Google keep my information secure and prevent unauthorised access to my data?

    G Suite has been built from the ground up to mitigate the unique threats to cloud systems. Google's standards for performance and reliability apply to businesses, schools, universities and government institutions around the world.
    The technology, scale and agility of our infrastructure bring unique security benefits to our customers. Our vast network of data centres are built with custom-designed servers that run our own operating system for security and performance. Because Google controls its entire hardware stack, we are able to quickly respond to threats that may emerge.
    Google employs dedicated security professionals to work on protecting your data, including some of the world's foremost experts in computer security. Just like all teams at Google, this team is constantly innovating and making the future more secure, not just for Google's billion users, but for business organisations as well.
    Google has an outstanding track record of protecting user data. We protect this data from outside intrusions as well as insider threats. In addition, we tightly restrict and monitor any internal access to user data. The small set of employees with access is subject to rigorous authentication measures, detailed logging and activity scanning to detect inappropriate access via log analysis.
    It is this unique combination of people, technology and agility that ensure your data is secure at Google. For more information, take a look at the G Suite Security Whitepaper.

  • Does G Suite meet my compliance requirements?

    Google designed G Suite with very stringent privacy and security standards based on industry best practices. This helps our customers address their compliance and regulatory requirements. Google offers strong contractual commitments regarding data ownership, data use, security, transparency and accountability.
    Google undergoes several independent third-party audits on a regular basis. The independent auditors examine the controls present in our data centres, infrastructure and operations. Examples of these audits and standards include:
    SOC1™, (SSAE-16/ISAE-3402), SOC2™, SOC3™, ISO 27001, ISO 27018:2014 and FedRAMP.
    Learn more about our certifications at Security and Trust.
    Many G Suite services are also compliant with HIPAA (US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
    G Suite for Education can be used in compliance with laws and regulations which are important to schools and universities.

  • Is G Suite HIPAA compliant?

    G Suite supports customers' compliance with the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which governs the safeguarding, use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI). Customers who are subject to HIPAA and wish to use G Suite for PHI processing or storage can sign a business associate amendment with Google. View more details about HIPAA compliance with G Suite.

  • How does Google respond to government requests for data?

    Respect for the privacy and security of data that you store with Google underpins our approach to producing data in response to legal requests. When we receive such a request, our team reviews the request to make sure that it satisfies legal requirements and Google's policies. Generally speaking, for Google to produce any data, the request must be made in writing, signed by an authorised official of the requesting agency and issued under an appropriate law. If we believe that a request is overly broad, we'll seek to narrow it. For more information, see Google's Transparency Report.

  • Does Google encrypt my data?

    Core customer data that is uploaded or created in G Suite services is encrypted at rest, as described in this help centre article.
    This encryption happens as it is written to disk, without the customer having to take any action. Google encrypts data with distinct encryption keys, even if they belong to the same customer. Data is encrypted using 128-bit or stronger Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
    Google encrypts core G Suite data while it is "in transit" as well, whether it is travelling over the Internet between the customer and Google, or moving within Google as it shifts from one data centre to another. We encrypt this data between Google and our customers using HTTPS with forward secrecy.

  • Do I need to use third-party tools to keep my data secure within Google?

    Google offers the security features required by most customers directly in G Suite. G Suite's Business and Enterprise editions offer some additional security features, such as advanced Google Drive auditing and security keys management at scale. In all plans, G Suite administrators have control over system configuration and applications from within a single dashboard via our Admin console – regardless of the size of the organisation.
    Administrators can access advanced tools immediately, including authentication features such as two-step verification and single sign-on, or email security policies such as secure transport (TLS) enforcement, IRM and DLP which can be configured in a few clicks.
    For customers with security needs beyond what is included in G Suite, we've created a partner marketplace that extends our capabilities.

  • My organisation is subject to EU data protection requirements. Can I use G Suite?

    Yes. Google has a broad customer base in Europe. Google provides capabilities and contractual commitments for our customers designed specifically to help address EU data protection requirements and the guidance provided by the Article 29 Working Party. G Suite offers EU Model Contract Clauses and a Data Processing Amendment. Additionally, G Suite has been assessed as appropriate for use with the UK government's Cloud Security Principles "OFFICIAL (including OFFICIAL- SENSITIVE)".

Setup

  • Can I move my old emails, calendar events and contacts to G Suite?

    Yes, you can bring your existing email, contacts and calendar data with you to G Suite. You can migrate the data for yourself and your team members, or you can let your team migrate their own data. G Suite has tools to migrate data from Microsoft® Exchange, Outlook® or Office 365™, IBM® Notes® and other email systems. For more information on the tools available for data migrations into G Suite, see Migrate your organisation’s data to G Suite.

  • Will I experience email downtime during the transition?

    No, you'll continue to send/receive emails as usual. To use Gmail with G Suite, you set up your domain (MX records) to direct your mail flow to the Google mail servers. It's like registering your new address with the post office so that post is delivered to your new location. Once the MX records change takes effect (up to 72 hours), you can start receiving/sending emails through your G Suite account. Until then, you'll receive/send your emails through your old email system.

  • Will this transition affect my current website? Can you host my website?

    No, this transition will not affect your current website. Setting up G Suite does not require any changes to your current web host provider. While G Suite is not a web hosting provider, you can learn more about Google web hosting solutions through Google Cloud Platform.

  • Can I use my own domain with G Suite? If I don't have an existing domain, what should I do?

    To use G Suite, you need a domain. Your domain name is what appears after the www. in your website URL. If you already have a domain, enter it when you sign up for G Suite. (You'll be asked to verify that you own the domain.) If you don't have a domain or want to use a different one with G Suite, you can purchase a domain of your choice (if available) from Google.

  • Can someone set up G Suite for my company?

    Yes, you can work with a G Suite partner. These experienced IT-service companies can help you evaluate, customise, deploy and transition to G Suite. They can also provide training, data management and ongoing support. If you have questions about setting up G Suite, you can also contact G Suite Support. The Support team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
    Visit the Set-up Site for information on set-up, communication templates and resources for deployment and change management.

Administration

  • Can I manage mobile devices with G Suite?

    Yes, you can manage your organisation's mobile devices, without the need for an on-premise device management server, using the Google Admin console. Mobile device management (MDM) allows you to enforce device policies over mobile devices in your organisation and perform actions such as remotely wiping your users' mobile devices.

  • Can I manage multiple domains with G Suite?

    If your organisation acquires a new domain name or does business at more than one domain, you can add all your domains to your account at no extra cost. Users can then have identities at one or more of your domains while sharing services as part of a single organisation. And you can manage your domains from the same Admin console. Add a domain as either a separate domain or domain alias, depending on how you plan to use it.

  • Can I grant administrative privileges to other users?

    Yes. No matter the size of your organisation, we recommend that you distribute the responsibility of managing your users and services among a selected set of trusted users. You can grant a user administrative privileges by assigning them one of the administrator roles available. Assigning a role grants the user access to your Admin console. You can make a user a super user who can perform all tasks in the Admin console. You can also assign an administrator a role that limits which tasks the administrator can perform. For example, allowing them only to create groups, manage service settings or reset a user's password.

  • Can I control users’ access to certain features or services?

    Initially, most services are turned on for all of your users. You can use the Admin console to turn off services that you don't want people to use or to customise how services work. You have the option to enable the same settings for everyone or apply unique policies to different users. For example, you might turn on Hangouts just for your support team or allow only the marketing department to share public Google Sites.

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Contact sales if you have further questions.

Contact support if you're already a G Suite customer.