OPINION A New Era Years ago, the move from paper-based systems to computers revolutionised the way we work. Fast forward to 2015 and the current move to cloud services gives us a similar opportunity to re-think the way we co-create and share information on any device – laptop, Android, iPhone, Chromebook – wherever we are in the world. Google Apps for Work is an all-in-one suite of tools that enables users to communicate, store and create in the cloud. The suite includes file storage and sharing with Google Drive, real-time collaboration with Google Docs, video meetings with Google Hangouts and professional email with Google mail, all bundled together with a single price tag. Let’s take a closer look at how different organisations are using Google for Work and its cloud functionality.
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Get your teams working together – faster, smarter, but not harder The personal productivity tools of the last two decades, such as word processors and spreadsheets, have changed the way individuals work. Now Google Apps for Work is changing the way teams work together. Start with Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides. This is one of the most impactful and fundamental changes your organisation should adopt. Google Drive is a cloud-based office productivity suite that comes bundled with your apps purchase and offers the advantage of real-time collaboration and a single source of truth in the cloud. Any time you find yourself attaching files versioning things (v1, v2, v3, etc.) there is an opportunity to transform.
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Improve employee communications beyond email Email is still mission-critical for most businesses, so providing quick, easy and reliable access to email at the lowest possible cost is vital. Yet users are moving past email and embracing social media tools that let them communicate and collaborate faster and more effectively. Google Apps for Work also gives you social tools. You can start an instant message conversation right from your Gmail inbox, quickly switch to a voice, video or group chat all from your browser and with no need to fire up separate applications. With Hangouts, your employees have a powerful communications platform that includes text chat, voice and video conferencing including multi-party video conferences, which also allow you to share documents and your screen in real time. Google+ offers a powerful social platform to help your organisation engage its workforce and connect with customers, partners and suppliers. With Google+ profiles, your employees can follow leadership or influential VIPs. With private communities you can build centres of excellence on special topics or encourage knowledge sharing with remote personnel. Google+ is fully mobile and integrated with Gmail and Hangouts.
NEARLY 1 IN 2 EMPLOYEES work away from the office at least once a week. Source: Cisco.com
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View, store and share any kind of files With Google Drive, you can open a file even if you don’t have the right software installed. You can view over 40 popular file formats including videos, images, Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets and PDFs. You can even edit Office files, without having Office installed. You can do this on your mobile, online and offline. The maximum file size is 5 terabytes and each user has unlimited storage, so your organisation never has to manage storage quotas again.
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Create intranets to collaborate on team projects Google Sites, also bundled with the Google Apps suite, allows anyone to quickly and easily publish content to a web page. You can create intranets as simply as writing a document through an intuitive editor. That means you no longer need to go through a complex IT request to get a website created for your team or organisation. Now, the people who know the content best can own it and keep it updated.
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The all-in-one suite means ease of use and rapid user adoption Google Apps for Work is designed as an all-in-one solution with integrated tools that work seamlessly together. When you make a comment in Docs, Sheets or Slides, collaborators automatically receive
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