2020 may go down as the year of the video call. Over the past few months, we’ve seen the power of video meetings bring us together, whether we’re working with teammates, syncing with our colleagues, or learning from home. That’s why Google made all the advanced features of Google Meet free for everyone back in April. As of the 1st of October, these features won’t be free anymore. To continue to use Google Meet, organisations will have to opt for one of the Google Workspace editions. Let’s take a look at the different Google Workspace editions that might fit your organisation.
Back in April, Google announced that the advanced enterprise features in Google Meet were free until September 30th, 2020.
From tomorrow (1st of October) the access given for advanced features for Google Workspace that includes meeting allowance of up to 250 participants, ability to save meeting recordings to Google Drive as well as live-streams of up to 100,000 people in a single domain will also be not present.
If you’re one of the 6 million companies and organisations that use Google Workspace, formerly G Suite to power remote productivity, you already have access to Meet.
You’re not (yet) one of these 6 million companies and organisations that use Google Workspace but you would like to continue to use Google Meet?
Let’s take a look at the different G Suite editions that might fit your organisation.
Google Meet for your teams
For organisations that aren’t already Google Workspace customers, Google launched Google Workspace Essentials, formerly G Suite Essentials. In addition to enterprise-grade security, Google Workspace Essentials includes business-specific features like shared drives, advanced video conferencing, & enhanced integrations. It integrates seamlessly with your existing email & calendar system.
You don’t need the Gmail or Google Calendar features because you already have solutions that work for now?
But you still want to leverage Google’s cloud-based collaboration & productivity tools? Then Google Workspace Essentials is a great fit for you!
Use Google Workspace Essentials to connect one-on-one with a colleague, collaborate as a team, and more.
→ Discover Google Workspace Essentials
→ What is Google Workspace, formerly G Suite Essentials?
If you need a collaboration solution that includes email, calendar & other collaboration tools – you’re better off with Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus or Enterprise (formerly G Suite Basic, Business, or Enterprise editions).
Comparing Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus or Enterprise (formerly G Suite Basic, Business & Enterprise)
If you’re not (yet) using Google Workspace but you would like to level up your collaboration & productivity apps, here’s overview of the different Google Workspace pricing plans.
→ Which Google Workspace license fits your business?
Business Starter, formerly G Suite Basic
Professional office suite for up to 300 users with 30 GB storage per user
By opting for Business Starter, formerly G Suite Basic, you take advantage of shared calendars, video meetings through Google Meet, cloud-based storage, advanced mobile device management, Google Vault, online documents, and much more. You will also be able to use the professional business email app: Gmail.
Business Standard
Enhanced office suite for up to 300 users with 2 TB storage added for each user
By opting for Business Starter, you take advantage of shared calendars, video meetings through Google Meet with 150 participants, 2 TB cloud-based storage, online documents, and much more. You will also be able to use the professional business email app: Gmail.
*Business Standard is available for companies with less than 300 users.
Business Plus
Enhanced security & management controls, including Vault and advanced endpoint management
Business Plus offers access to all apps available in Business Standard in addition to Google Vault and advanced endpoint management. Most importantly Business Plus gives you the possibility to host video conferencing meetings with up to 250 participants, to record your meetings & to live stream with up to 10K participants.
Each user has 5 TB in Google Drive & you can use Shred drives for your team.
*Business Plus is available for companies with less than 300 users.
Enterprise, formerly G Suite Enterprise
Adds unlimited storage, advanced controls and capabilities
G Suite Enterprise offers everything that Business Plus does, but you’ll receive additional data loss prevention controls. Enterprise suits organisations with large teams that require substantial security and admin controls over the apps used in the company.
Benefit from Cloud Search, Cloud Identity Premium, DLP, data regions, and enterprise endpoint management.
→ Why businesses are upgrading their license to Enterprise
If you want to take advantage of the advanced Google Meet video conferencing capabilities, that were free until the 30th of September:
- Large meetings for up to 250 participants per call
- Live streaming for up to 100K viewers within the same domain
- Enterprise Security
→ Upgrade your Google Workspace edition to Enterprise, formerly G Suite Enterprise.
Conclusion
Google decided to continue to offer unlimited Meet calls (up to 24 hours) in the free version through March 31, 2021 for all the Gmail accounts. Google’s video conferencing app Google Meet has been designed for businesses like yours to stay connected via video conferencing.
Your organisation is ready to level up its collaboration and productivity apps but you still have questions about which Google Workspace edition would best fit your organisation? Just drop us a line, we’ll get in touch.
If you’re not sure on which license or pricing to choose for your organisation, just contact us, as our Google Workspace experts are always happy to help!
