4/27/22 Google Workspace Roundup: Updates that Matter Most

red couch with two chairs and two team members working near brick wall

The Google Workspace development team has been busy crafting a variety of new features for the Admin Console, Google Meet, Cloud Search, and much more! Read on to learn how your team can start benefiting from these updates.

 

Admins: Move folders into Shared Drives more easily

We at HiView always encourage our customers to fully utilize Shared Drives. This Drive feature not only prevents files from counting toward your overall storage limit, but also helps companies maintain clear organization, file security, and business continuity in the case that an employee is away or leaves the organization.

Now, Admins can more easily move users’ folders from their personal Drive to a Shared Drive. This is because the following process improvements have been made:

  • Retaining folder IDs to reduce disruption (no “copying” occurs)
  • Preventing moves that would exceed any Shared Drive limits
  • Creating shortcuts for any items that cannot be moved, preserving the storage hierarchy as a reference

 

This change has taken place for all Workspace Admins except those on the Business Starter or G Suite Basic editions. Click here for step-by-step instructions to help you move a user’s folder to a Shared Drive.

 

Apps script logoAppSheet Apps Script connector now available

AppSheet (which enables all users to build custom no-code apps) and Apps Script (which Admins use to rapidly build apps) are now connected. This means that Admins can use the simple AppSheet interface to build no-code apps, helping them easily automate workflows for their environments. For example, an Admin might build an app that:

  • Routes employee time-off requests
  • Auto-uploads employee-captured photos of a project to Drive, adjusting sharing settings appropriately
  • Manages work schedules and appointments for a service team

 

Users of the App Sheet Core plan and above now have access to this feature. Learn more about this connector in this developer article.

 

Client-side encryption, GA support for Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Previously in beta, a new security feature for Workspace Enterprise Plus and Education Plus Admins is now generally available. This feature allows client-side encryption for all Drive file types, as well as Microsoft 365 files and PDFs.

Although all Workspace data is encrypted by default, client-side encryption goes further by providing greater control over access in the form of private encryption keys. This kind of security is necessary for companies needing to meet certain data security requirements, but is beneficial for any organization looking to greatly bolster their security standards.

A key access service partner is required to start using this feature. We at HiView offer and recommend Virtru for this purpose. For more information about client-side encryption and Virtru, visit this page.

 

Configure additional settings prior to Calendar meetings

The Google Workspace team has been adding more and more customization features to Google Meet, such as the ability to create breakout rooms in advance of a meeting. In addition to this, meeting hosts can now do the following:

  • Toggle meeting safety features (e.g. chat lock, present lock)
  • Designate co-hosts who will have management privileges

 

Both of these settings can be changed prior to the meeting. This feature is available to all Workspace and G Suite users. To learn how to start using these Meet features and more, see this article.

 

Context-aware access rules now available for the Admin console

Similar to how Admins can configure user access according to IP addresses, operating systems, and other criteria, Admins can now also configure these requirements for their fellow Admins. This is intended to help Workspace Enterprise and Education Admins better mitigate risk of unauthorized access to the Admin console. Learn how to configure context-aware access for Admins here.

 

Define your dynamic groups in a new way

Dynamic groups can now be defined according to custom user attributes. These attributes include the following directory information:

  • Country
  • Domain
  • Department
  • Language

 

This feature is exclusive to Admins of Workspace Enterprise editions. For examples of queries you may want to use while creating dynamic groups, see this article.

 

Emoji reactions in Google Docs

A new fun and informal feedback feature allows all users to react to parts of Google Docs using an emoji! To use the feature, simply click/highlight the text or image you want to react to, click the yellow smiling face, and select the emoticon you’d like to use. You can remove your or another person’s emoji reaction by clicking on it, clicking the three-dot menu that appears, and then clicking “resolve.”

 

Rollout for this feature has begun and will conclude in early May 2022.

 

Intelligent corrections for Google Sheets formulas

A new type of context awareness has arrived to Google Workspace! As a follow-up to last year’s formula suggestions feature for Sheets, users will now see intelligent corrections to many types of formulas in Sheets. These include:

  • VLOOKUP errors 
  • Missing cells in range input 
  • Locking ranges when applying formulas across cells

 

When Sheets detects that a formula of yours may be improved, a suggestion box will appear, giving you the opportunity to accept or reject the suggested corrections. This feature is active for all Workspace and G Suite users and is on by default. If desired, users can disable this feature by navigating to Tools > Enable formula corrections within their Sheet.

 

Join a Meet call from a Drive file

You might have noticed while editing a file that a Meet icon [MEET ICON] has appeared in the top right corner of the interface. As part of a continued effort to enable remote teams, Google has added this feature to make it faster and easier to start a meeting to work on a Doc, Sheet, or Slide together. This allows users to collaborate on a document using their video and microphone without even leaving the document itself (no screen sharing necessary). Give it a try!

 

New DLP beta for external Google Forms

Currently, users within Admin groups or organizational units (OUs) with Drive Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies in place could not respond to external Forms requesting a file upload. In an effort to better balance data security and user enablement, a beta has been launched which allows users to submit responses to these external Forms while also preventing the submission of sensitive files.

Admins can express their interest in joining this beta by submitting a form here.

 

Popular documents now to be prioritized in Cloud Search rankings

The Workspace development team has announced a change to the algorithm while browsing documents in Cloud Search. Admins will notice that documents which have been opened by a larger quantity of users will appear sooner. This newly-released feature is hoped to help Admins more easily locate documents that are relevant to the users and organization as a whole.

Please note that this feature is only available to Google Cloud Search, Workspace Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, and Education Plus customers. Let us know if you would like to learn more about Cloud Search.

 

Questions?

Have questions about these updates? As a Google Cloud Premier Partner and authorized Workspace reseller, we’re here to help. Submit your contact information using the form below and we’ll be glad to help your team get the very most out of Google Workspace.