All of Google’s products have been designed to be easily accessible. That included Google Docs and the work app bundle that was GSuite.
When G Suite became Google Workspace in 2020,as part of a mass reorganisation of the company’s apps for the “future of work”, the company also announced the end of a free edition.
Google Workplace, from there on, required users to subscribe to the service, clearly with the goal to support the companies cloud strategy in enterprise segments.
TechCrunch now reports, Google is paddling back on that decision with their announcement of Google Workspace. Essentially, it will allow corporate users to leverage Google Docs, and all other services, except email. For free.
It is an interesting turn in strategy. Under the argument of supporting the “Future of Work”: My bets are some workforce in some companies will gladly accept Google’s new offer. The decision enables individuals to chose from a broader market offering. It lowers the entry barrier for office workers and gives opportunity to cooperate outside the own organisation.
Given the increasing importance of cooperation in modern economies, the chances for adoption are high. In particular in companies that still leverage legacy software licenses and have not (yet) made efforts to transition to the cloud. It is a nightmare for IT departments and potential buying centers, that Google wants to target with this strategy.
Google today announced a new version of Workspace, Google Workspace Essentials. It comes without Gmail.
Frederic Lardinois on TechCrunch
Source: Google Workspace goes all in on shadow IT | TechCrunch