The G Suite to Google Workspace Transition: What customers should know

Get updates as soon as we post them

Latest news, tips and tricks, straight to your inbox

Introduction

On October 6th, 2020, Google introduced the Google Workspace brand, product experience, and set of offerings to better equip its customers for the future of work. Google Workspace is the best way to create, communicate, and collaborate, whether at home, at work, or in the classroom. Google had previously notified us that our customers with a G Suite subscription will need to transition to a Google Workspace subscription by the end of 2021. Google has since set definitive dates and timelines for the transitions. After March 8, 2023, Google will automatically transition customers to the Google Workspace plans once they are eligible*.

How to transition to Google Workspace

If you have a legacy G Suite subscription, Google will contact all customers under the legacy plans with information about the transition to Google Workspace. Transitioning from G Suite to Google Workspace is not disruptive to end-users or admins. There are two options for transitioning:

Option 1: Google-Led transition after your organization is eligible.
If you prefer to wait, Google will notify your G Suite admin at least 30 days before it’s your turn to automatically transition. Customers who purchased G Suite directly from Google will see the first automatic transitions begin in November 2021. Customers who purchased from a partner will see the automatic transition begin on March 8, 2023, upon their next renewal.

Option 2: Partner Assisted transition (Google recommended).
As a partner, we shall be glad to assist you with this transition from Legacy G Suite to Google Workspace. The reason the Partner Assisted transition is recommended is that:

  • We shall help map your features and current usage to fit in the destination plan.
  • We can help you mix some users in the same Google Workspace account/domain across multiple same-family Google Workspace plans. For example, you can have 50 users on Google Workspace Starter, 25 Users on Google Workspace Standard, and 25 Users on Google Workspace Standard Plus, etc.
  • We have a limited window to support upgrades and transition users with discounts. Transitions Discounts are subject to Google Approvals.** Reach out to us to review if your account qualifies

Although transitioning does not affect your Google Workspace data or service availability, expect some minor feature losses; For example with G Suite Basic to Google Workspace Business Starter, there is the loss of joining and creating Spaces (Rooms) that contain external participants. Also, G Suite Business to Google Workspace Business Standard needs to map the Google Vault use cases and UNLIMITED storage map to 2 TB.

What to consider before you transition

When choosing which Google Workspace edition to transition to, you should consider these factors:

  1. The number of users—Google Workspace Business editions can have up to 300 users. If you have over 300 users, you’ll need to transition to an Enterprise edition.
  2. Features you currently use—Make sure you choose an edition that includes the features your organization relies on today. i.e. Chat rooms with external participants and Google Vault.
  3. Features you’d like to use in the future—Are there features you’d like to add that your organization isn’t using now? i.e. the ability to record Google Meet events and save the recording to Google Drive.

We have prepared more resources to help you make the best decision as you transition to the new Google Workspace plans before the set deadline:

If you have additional inquiries about the transition to Google Workspace, feel free to contact us at [email protected]

*A customer’s eligibility date will be determined based on the features they use and only after any current annual/fixed-term plans end, if applicable.
** Valid only up to Marcxh8, 2023, and subject to Google’s Approval.