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Google Workspace Updates: What’s In Store For You This 2022?

Google Workspace is packed with helpful features that support small to enterprise-level businesses. One of the best features that Google Workspace has to offer its customers is its regular updates. Despite being one of the best – if not the best – cloud office system that’s widely available in the market today, Google still tries to improve and deliver high-quality service and experience to their users.

Onsite Helper has gathered a list of recent Google Workspace updates (January 2022), which businesses can greatly benefit from. These can improve overall security along with all Google Workspace Apps, ease of access, transparency, and so much more. So, what are the new Google Workspace Updates?

Google Workspace January 2022 Updates

These Google Workspace updates that are sure to help your business will work hand-in-hand with these Google Workspace Productivity Tips and Tricks. Learn more by clicking the button below!

Live translated captions in Google Meet

Google Meet Live Translated Captions

If you’re working with globally distributed teams, you will greatly benefit from this new feature. In 2021, Google announced that the live translated captions in Google Meet are in the beta stage. As of January 2022, they made live translated captions generally available for the following Google Workspace editions:

  • Business Plus
  • Enterprise Standard
  • Enterprise Plus
  • The Teaching and Learning Upgrade
  • Education Plus

The translated captions are available on both web and mobile devices. As for the meeting participants, they will be able to use the new live translated captions if the meeting is organised or initiated by a user using an eligible Google Workspace edition. Additionally, meeting participants can translate English meetings to the following languages:

  • French
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • Spanish

Google just made video calls so much more inclusive and collaborative. Without the language proficiency barriers, teams and participants can now better communicate, collaborate, and consume content. Ultimately, it improves the effectiveness of meetings for everyone, especially the ones working remotely.

This feature can be enabled directly from Google Meet.

From the web:

  • Settings > Captions > Translated captions

From mobile:

  • Settings > Captions > Live Captions > Translated Language

Google Chat Improvements

Google Chat got two great updates this January 2022. Both updates are available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers.

Rich text formatting to Google Chat messages

You can now add rich formattings such as the classic Bold, Italics, and Underlines. You can even change the text colour and have a bulleted list.

This is accessible by using standard keyboard shortcuts such as “Ctrl +B” or “Ctrl + I”. Similarly, pressing the “A” icon in the chat compose bar will expand the formatting toolbar and show a familiar text editing interface.

Google Chat rich text formatting

On top of having the formatting toolbar and standard keyboard shortcuts, you can also use Markdown formatting to format your text in Google Chat. To do this, you’re going to have to include special characters in your text.

  • For Bold text, add asterisks * before and after the message you want bolded.
  • To Italicise text, add underscores _ before and after the message you want to be italicised.
  • To add a Strikethrough line, add tildes ~ before and after the message you want to have a strike through line.

For more information about the rich text formatting and markdown formatting on Google Chat, you can refer to the Google Chat Help.

See when messages are deleted in Google Chat

Messages that are deleted in an unthreaded Google Chat space will now show a message and timestamp indicating the said deletion. Additionally, when a message has been deleted, the content itself and the replies are deleted.

Google Chat deleted message

This particular Google Chat update makes it easier to keep track of the happening in a Google Chat space or a thread. Showing who deleted a message and when it was deleted helps improve the overall readability and flow of the conversation. Moreover, it provides context for the users involved in the conversation.

Deleting a message or a reply in Google Chat is as easy as clicking the kebab menu and clicking ‘Delete’.

Google Chat - how to delete messages

Interested in Upgrading to Google Workspace?

These regular updates and improvements keep Google Workspace on top when it comes to cloud office systems. Indeed, Google Workspace is full of amazing features that allow businesses to scale and operate to the next level. And Onsite Helper has helped numerous companies in Australia time and time again in upgrading to Google Workspace.

If you’re enjoying knowing these updates and want your business to experience these too, call Onsite Helper and we’ll help you with Google Workspace migration!

If that wasn’t enough for you, here are 10 reasons why you should upgrade to Google Workspace this 2022. While you’re here, why not check our Google Workspace Security Audit today! Onsite Helper has specifically developed this comprehensive IT security audit that works for every IT system. Read all about it here.

Create text watermarks in Google Docs

All Google Workspace users can now add text watermarks to their documents in Google Docs. Additionally, this update also allows users to import documents with text watermarks. The watermarks from the imported Microsoft Word documents will be preserved when editing, importing, or exporting.

The watermarks will repeat on every page of the document. This is very useful for indicating file status such as “Confidential” or “Draft”, adding a significant amount of security in reminding the users regarding the file that they are currently working on. 

On top of the text watermarks, users can also opt to insert an image watermark or an image above or behind the text watermark. Should you choose to personalise your watermark according to your company, you can now do so with Google Docs.

To add a text watermark to your Google Docs file, click Insert > Watermark > Text.

Watermarks in Google Docs

Google Drive data security and malware protection

Google Drive is already optimised for businesses. If you know how to set up Google Drive for businesses and organisations, you’re already very close to maximising your potential when it comes to team collaboration and file sharing. Despite that, Google is still finding ways to improve Google Drive for businesses by protecting users and teams from malicious files and increasing data security and DLP regulations.

Warning banners will alert users of suspicious files in Google Drive

Google announced additional safeguards against abusive content at Google Cloud Next 2021. With this, Google Drive displays a warning banner to warn users and protect their organisation against malware, phishing, and ransomware. These warning banners are also available when opening Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and even Drawings.

Google Drive Warning Banners

Automated classification with Google Workspace DLP and Google Drive Labels

The ability to categorise content and enhance content protection at scale is now available. These features were a part of beta last year but they are now generally available for the following Google Workspace editions:

  • Google Workspace Essentials
  • Business Standard
  • Business Plus
  • Enterprise Essentials
  • Enterprise Standard
  • Google Workspace Enterprise Plus
  • Education Fundamentals
  • Education Plus

With the new Admin console setting, admins can now apply up to 5 labels to new files that users create. The automated classification helps organisations apply Drive labels to new files and content. This ensures that every file abides by Google Data Loss Protection and admin-defined DLP rules and restrictions, greatly reducing the odds of users accidentally sending confidential files to external users.

The automated classification helps scale data protection efforts by minimising potential errors that are associated with manual labels.

Setup Google Workspace With Onsite Helper today!

Your business can also enjoy these new features and more when you upgrade to Google Workspace with Onsite Helper today!

Onsite Helper is a top Google Partner in Australia specialising in Google Workspace migration, managed IT systems and solutions, and onsite IT support. We provide free cloud service consultation and a free IT security audit. We’ve helped hundreds of businesses in Australia and we are more than happy to work with you as well.

Click the button below and call us today!

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