African corporates embrace Google Workspace
Opennetworks helps bring rebranded G Suite to businesses across the continent
October, 30, 2020, Johannesburg – Google recently announced its G Suite rebrand, introducing Google Workspace to the SMB and enterprise market; providing a single online working environment that brings all the needs of the modern professional innovator and collaborator into one seamless integrated solution. Leading Google premier partner, Opennetworks, has already got the ball rolling, ensuring that all businesses, including Africa’s top corporate G Suite users, are able to seamlessly transition to the offering’s new features. Google’s Workspace recently cracked 2 billion users in April 2020.
“Enterprises have adapted to a rapidly digitised workplace, particularly during the pandemic,” says David Glyn-Jones, Director, Opennetworks. “Google has launched Google Workspace in response to changing remote and on-the-go working dynamics, helping businesses build ongoing sustainability and resilience. In order to remain future-fit, it is imperative that organisations utilise tailored cloud solutions, and are able to collaborate as efficiently as possible, in real time. Google Workspace addresses these requirements and more, providing everything these businesses need to get anything done, in one place. What’s more, our expert team is ready to help new and existing customers navigate some of the additional benefits.”
While G Suite transformed the modern workplace, providing leading functionality and leveraging the incredible computational power of the Google Cloud, Google Workspace ushers in the next level of cloud enabled workspace solutions.
These include:
- Next level video productivity tools: Following on from the introduction of Meet, Google has added new features like picture-in-picture in Gmail and Chat (where you can see and hear other collaborators); this feature will soon be available, across devices, in Docs, Sheets and Slides so employees can see reactions when presenting or editing (also reducing the number of emails users have to deal with.)
- Artificial intelligence: Finalise documents and carry out tasks faster, and more accurately as Google’s leading artificial intelligence suggests outputs, and assists in completing repetitive tasks throughout the Google Workspace suite.
- Smart contacts: Expect smart chips to appear in documents when you hover over contacts’ names. This reveals their contact card, allowing you to contextualise content and contact individuals directly from documents.
- Improved security and compliance: No more Meet and Chat disruptions – users will now be classified, and if marked “abusive” won’t be allowed to join meetings/conversations. Additionally, admins will have an overview of all actions taken across Google Workspace products through comprehensive logs. Workspace also improves data management, fully complying with global privacy regulations and frameworks.
According to Glyn-Jones, customers can count on quality support and training to assist companies in leveraging these additions; making employees comfortable with the improved user interface and functionality, “We will also be working closely with clients with regards to Google’s discounted transition period for existing customers, and the solutions and costings that will best suit their requirements. We look forward to equipping more businesses with technology that effectively promotes human connection and productivity; creating profitable organisations that are flexible and sustainable.”
About Opennetworks
Opennetworks is Africa’s leading Google Premier Partner. Opennetworks holds the only Professional Development specialisation on the African continent and is one of only 50 Google for Education Partners globally to hold the specialisation. Opennetworks specialises in customer implementation and change management for the Google Workspace and Google Cloud Platform solutions.
Opennetwork’s vision is to make cutting edge collaboration technology accessible to business and education, connecting people, empowering creativity and innovation, reshaping the markets we operate in and enabling our customers to be resilient and successful.
The Opennetworks team is highly skilled, comprising Google certified cloud engineers, collaboration engineers, deployment specialists, education specialists and trainers. Opennetworks delivers the most comprehensive offering of cloud-enablement for workplace productivity, security, data migration, business intelligence and professional development. The business also has a full technical account management capability supporting customers in their daily operations to always be connected.
