Key Google Workspace™ Features for Admins and Teams

Google is constantly improving Google Workspace™ with new productivity features for businesses. In this article, we’ll overview some key Google Workspace™ features.

Google Workspace is a unified cloud platform that combines productivity tools like Google Docs, Google Meet, Gmail, and Google Calendar into a single collaborative environment. 

Using it, teams can create documents, manage schedules, and communicate in real-time from any connected device.

What Security and Admin Features Are Included in Google Workspace?

Organizations need protection for their sensitive data and centralized management for their user’s accounts. Workspace provides this with a centralized administrative architecture and tools for mitigating risk and enforcing data compliance. Google’s core security features include:

• Multifactor authentication
• Advanced Protection for high-risk users
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
• User-based access controls

Workspace features an advanced security center with the security investigation tool to assist with administrator’s effort in risk mitigation and compliance. 

So, admins have a centralized location for accessing data about user devices, view device logs, view email metadata and content, and view Drive log information.

What Google Admin Console Updates Should Admins Know About?

Let’s start with an overview of significant  Admin Console updates. There have been many changes over the past several months, and we’ve handpicked the updates that have the most impact on the Admin’s work.

Audit Reports

Admins now have, via the security investigation tool discussed above, access to the policy compliance log. 

This log stores events regarding which users are assigned to specific data regions. This information is critical for verifying that data access and region settings are in compliance with company policies and government regulations.

Audit Log API Enhancements

Google added a large number of new datasets to the Workspace audit log API:

• Admin data action logs
• Contacts logs
• Assignments logs
• Directory Sync logs
• Profile logs
• Graduation logs
• LDAP logs
• Meet hardware logs
• Takeout logs
• Tasks logs
• Cloud search logs
• Access evaluation logs
• Data migration logs

These new datasets help admins more accurately identify and address security incidents. They’re accompanied with new API features that make filtering simpler and more robust.

Migrate from Microsoft Exchange to Workspace

Google Workspace’s ability to migrate email from Microsoft Exchange Online is now in general release. This is part of the Workspace Data migration service, and includes the ability to run targeted migrations that won’t create duplicate emails.

Google also placed the ability to migrate Microsoft Exchange calendars into Beta. It operates in conjunction with, or independently of, email migrations.

Taken together, these new features give admins the ability to quickly and reliably migrate users to Workspace at scale.

Small Business Migration From Microsoft to Workspace

Administrators of new small business accounts can migrate up to ten users from Microsoft directly to their new Workspace accounts. This feature is completely automated: simply create the users in Workspace and the Data migration tool identifies them in Exchange and migrates their data.

What Are the New Google Workspace Features Users Need to Know About?

Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the features that Google Workspace™ has made available to users.. 

Gmail™ updates

Gmail™ has important new features that help it compete with CRMs like Hubspot or Salesforce. Google enabled mass send-out and email layouts. Overall, this feature is best for updating a small group of people (great for CSMs and anyone working with partners).

1. Multisend Mode

This mode enables you to create a small send-out to multiple recipients. Each of them will receive a similar version of the message. All the recipients will be added to the Bcc list so they won’t know it’s a mass send-out. 

You can also personalize your email. Just type @ and pick in the drop-down menu first name, last name, full name, or email. The respective personalized information will appear in your letter.

Keep in mind that Google doesn’t have the functionality of a real CRM to disperse these emails in time. Thus, if you aren’t careful about the number of recipients, you can be considered a spammer and blocked!

2. Email Layout

You can set up an email layout to make your letter more visually appealing. It can help your email stand out. However, we suggest using it carefully. Emails with layouts are associated with marketing send-outs and can have the opposite effect!

Google Meet

Google Meet has added several features that will come in handy for many professionals.

1. In-Built Meeting Transcription

Probably one of the most significant additions is meeting transcription. Why is it so important? Meetings contain a large volume of business-critical information. 

However, most of this information isn’t preserved. The memory of attendees isn’t the most reliable medium to store this data. That’s why having the transcription option is so important.

Keep in mind that the meeting transcriptions are only stored in the initial folder for 3 months. After that, they are automatically deleted. So you need to prompt your users to transfer these files to another folder if they want to store them for a longer period of time.

2. See the Invitees That Haven’t Joined Yet

This is a minor change, but, in our opinion, it is very important. It can help you understand whether you can begin the meeting or if you need to wait a little bit longer.

3. Automatic Framing

This feature will put your face in the center of your screen and enlarge it if necessary. This way, you can have an even representation of all the members of the meeting.

Google Drive™

One of the recent Google Drive™ changes is related to tighter integration with Gemini.  But there’s a new critical security update related to ransomware, too.

1. Ransomware Detection

 Ransomware is an ongoing and ever present problem for large and small companies. Google launched ransomware detection for Drive into beta in September 2025. It was a success, and reached general release in early 2026.

2. Gemini for Google Drive

Companies and users with the right Google AI plans now have access to Ask Gemini for Google Drive. This makes it possible to engage in conversation about content in Drive and other Workspace apps.

Ask Gemini for Drive offers:

• Persistent conversation history that allows you to pick up where you left off in earlier discussions.
• Gemini does not copy or duplicate files when you use it to discuss them. It complies with your data controls and respects your access permissions.
• Your conversations with Gemini are confined to the documents and sources you include, which means faster and more accurate responses.

3. Bulk Data Import with Client-Side Encryption

Google has added bulk data import with client-side encryption to Google Drive. This simplifies the path to retiring third-party storage while maintaining security. 

This feature transitioned to general release in 2026. Using it, customers can migrate sensitive files with security keys they manage themselves.   

How Can Google Workspace Help Your Business?

Workspace is a secure cloud platform for collaboration. It’s where users meet, create business documents, and safely store them. It’s also where IT administrators introduce and enforce the rigorous enterprise data controls they need to keep data safe and stay within compliance. 

While Google’s infrastructure ensures robust uptime and effective security, complete business continuity requires independent data preservation that mitigates insider threats, accidental deletion, and ransomware. 
Spin.AI’s SpinOne platform closes that gap with its comprehensive backup and disaster recovery tools. Check them out now!

FAQs

Was this helpful?

Yes No