Google Workspace is a premium suite of productivity applications developed by Google for business use. Formerly known as Google Apps, later GSuite, it included popular cloud-based tools and services that can be scaled to fit the needs of businesses, whether big or small. It works cross-platform and can be used on all types of devices.

Including services like Gmail, Google Drive, and other apps, this trial version of Google Workspace takes these popular and widely used applications, and adds business-centric features and options focusing on online collaboration. That way, team members coming from all over the globe can work together seamlessly.

New moniker, same great features

If you've used any of these Google apps in their free versions, you may be surprised at the changes in Google Workspace. Some of the additional features you can expect include Drive's quick access feature, which predicts the documents you'll need next based on factors including your viewing history and your schedule. Another is a plain-English interface in Sheets that performs searches based on English queries.

This suite also comes with added security and administrative tools that allow admins to set permissions on files and folders that are shared with others. The company's efforts into generative artificial intelligence have resulted in Duet AI, an enhanced method of working that relies on deep machine learning to provide capabilities like generating images from text in Slides, data classifying on Sheets, and more.

Another way AI has integrated into work is by writing emails or documents. A mentioning/tagging system keeps members of a project in the loop. It can also help generate text content based on short descriptions. As mentioned, this suite is cloud-based, making it accessible from pretty much any device. However, you will always need an active internet connection for it to work properly.

For small and medium businesses

The standard set of Google Apps already had handy collaborative tools for small and medium businesses. Google Workspace's added features will further support that goal. Easy access to shared resources from anywhere is a key feature. Some users will find these apps to be on the simple side, but for many teams, they'll be all they need to greatly improve their online collaboration.