News Analysis
Google's approach to updating Workspace hasn't changed much in the years since its 2006 launch. The company's iterative approach to improvements tend to fly under the radar, leaving its competitors Slack and Microsoft Teams to publicly sling mud at each other (particularly before Slack's 2020 acquisition by Salesforce) in a battle to dominate the workplace productivity space.
But in recent months, Google has been rolling out a new series of releases which puts it squarely in the competitor's ring with its louder cohorts.
Google Workspace Introduces Google Vids
The first sign emerged last September, when the company announced Google Workspace's Duet AI, which brought generative AI to Sheets, Slides and Meet.
Then in the lead up to Google Cloud Next, the company released a series of small improvements to Workspace, including the introduction of voice memos, improved encryption, upgrades to file sharing in Google Chat, integrations with Miro in Google Meet and more.
The most recent announcement from was Google Vids, a brand new, AI-powered video creation app for work, which Aparna Pappu, VP and GM at Google Workspace described as “a brand new, AI-powered video creation app for work.” Google Vids is expected in June, when it will be released to Workspace Labs, a tester program for users to try new AI features.
Vids will sit alongside other Workspace tools like Docs and Sheets with a similar ability to create and collaborate through a browser. Pappu said Vids will act as a writing, production and editing assistant and can create just about any content needed to produce a video, including drafting storyboards, choosing styles, pulling scenes from stock videos and creating first drafts.
Vids is specifically for the workplace. It's designed to help meet organization specific needs such as creating meeting recaps, delivering company announcements or building training videos.
Even if Vids was just a single addition to the workplace, it would be a major step forward. However, other announcements out of Google Cloud Next will dramatically increase enterprise appeal.
Related Article: Teams vs. Slack Debate: Which Is Better for Collaboration?
Google Workspace Announcements From Google Cloud Next
Pappu also announced two new commercial offerings that will offer AI-powered meetings and messaging, as well as a security offering. Each of these will cost $10 per user per month on top of the current licenses and will effectively supercharge existing products.
She explained that AI features like Take Notes for Me, a new AI Meetings and Messaging add-on, is already in preview and allows users to focus on conversations while it (true to its name) takes notes. The Translate for Me addition, due in June, will detect and translate captions in over 69 languages in Meet. The company plans to launch automatic translation of messages and on-demand conversation summaries in Google Chat later this year.
These weren't the only Workspace releases coming out of Google Cloud Next. Google Chat, for example, will soon come with the ability to create a shared space for up to 500,000 people, to enable cross-organizational collaboration and communication.
Gmail will now come with voice prompts so users can request AI help to compose emails while on the go, as well as a tool to take notes and turn them into a comprehensible email. Sheets will get new blocks and notifications, while Docs will get new Tabs and personalization possibilities.
Finally, Google is making it easier for customers to build custom AI agents with Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and Google Workspace.
By using Model Garden on Vertex AI, Pappu wrote, people can choose the right model for their workplace from more than 130 options. The Workspace add-on framework means these custom agents can be brought into other productivity apps to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration.
Google appears to have finally understood that its communications applications have, until now, been widely regarded as consumer applications and not received the traction in the organization it might have expected.
The company's ongoing push of generative AI across Workspace over the past year and its interoperability with Slack and Teams changes the landscape a bit.
Related Article: How Copilot in Microsoft 365 Will Impact Productivity
Traction in the enterprise
Leaving aside other players like Zoho and Zoom, the question now is whether there's enough here to improve Google Workspace's image as an enterprise offering, or if Slack and Microsoft have the market all sewn up.
TechTrone IT consultant Remon Elsayea said businesses thrive when they have access to a seamless and unified communication ecosystem, so if Google now offers that, anything is possible. The integration of tools like Chat and Meet into a more cohesive Workspace could potentially address a common pain point, notably the fragmentation of communication channels. But, Elsayea warns, the integration needs to go further.
"We're talking about more than just the integration of Meet and Chat," he said. "It's about the fusion of email, documents, spreadsheets, video communications, virtual team rooms, and much more into a singular platform. This would reduce the need for app switching, thereby streamlining workflows and collaboration."
The key to success for Google, he added, will involve not just this strong integration but also the creation of unique features that enhance user experience and productivity. Here he notes what he described as significant improvements Microsoft has made in project management and team collaboration through its advanced automation and integration capabilities.
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“If Google can introduce unique, productivity-enhancing features into Workspace, it could indeed reshape how organizations collaborate. From what I've seen, the right blend of ease of use, integration and unique features is critical in making a collaboration platform stand out,” he said.
The key pivot for Google, he reiterated, will be the integration of work tools into something akin to a 'one-stop-shop' for corporate needs.
Here he cited its Smart Canvas updates, where it blended features from various apps to create a more immersive and interactive workspace. Bold steps like these that suggest Google is trying to reimagine the way teams collaborate, which could potentially set a new standard for digital workspaces.
Related Article: Microsoft Retires Yammer Brand, Google Ups Its Workspace Prices, More News
A Dual Need for Product Innovation and Marketing
Although Google may be considered a late entrant into this arena, its persistence and modular approach with tools such as Google Workspace could lead to increased adoption, Businessmap's Gabriel Lukov said.
At the heart of the issue is the need for Google Workspace to use its unique capabilities that extend beyond what Teams or Slack offers, he continued. Specifically, integrating robust document creation and collaboration features within Meet and Chat might offer a competitive edge especially with the addition of generative AI.
While Google's tools fundamentally work, their perception as secondary alternatives to rivals is a result of lower emphasis on enterprise-focused marketing, he said. To compete, Google Workspace should work on simultaneously strengthening product innovation and enterprise engagement.
“The potential for Google Workspace to compete with established players like Slack and Teams is absolutely realistic,” he said. "Google's strength lies in its interconnected suite of products and services. By leveraging this, and with continuous enhancement and innovation, Google Workspace can rival, if not surpass, competition in the collaboration tools market.”
The market wants platforms that make collaboration a breeze. Meet and Chat alone don't totally hit the spot, ProAI founder Chase Hughes said.
By weaving these into Google Workspace and blending in AI that evolves with how teams work together in real-time, Google could craft a genuinely innovative experience custom-fit for dynamic collaboration, especially now with Vids, he said. Companies need things that work together smoothly so employees can more easily do their jobs.
If Google combines Chat and Meet with its other apps, like Docs and Sheets, it could make talking and collaborating more organized and productive.
It is reasonable to think Google's whole service might compete with Slack and Microsoft Teams, especially since it wants to improve the integration between Chat and Meet and use artificial intelligence to help people get more done. "Google wants everything to work seamlessly together. And adding smarts that help employees be more efficient puts their Workspace in a good place ... [for] companies to choose."