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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.
What’s changing Launching first to beta, Currents is a G Suite app that enables people to have meaningful discussions and interactions across your organization, helping keep everyone in the know and giving leaders the opportunity to connect with their employees.

Currents is replacing Google+ for G Suite, and has a new look, feel, and set of features. All of your organization’s existing Google+ content will automatically transfer to Currents once you are enrolled in the beta.


Who’s impacted Admins and end users.

Why you’d use it Exchange ideas at scale: 
Currents makes it easy to have meaningful discussions by enabling leaders and employees to exchange ideas across the organization and gather valuable feedback and input from others — without flooding inboxes.

  • Currents features a streamlined experience for composing content — users can easily tag their posts and attach relevant attachments or images. 
    • Once a user posts, others can comment, give feedback, and ask questions all in the same place. 
    • Individual users can also track analytics for their posts. 
Currents also gives leaders a way to engage with their employees more directly, allowing them to take the pulse of their organization and understand what’s important.

  • Posts from leadership can be given priority in the home stream, improving visibility across the organization to drive alignment. 


Connect people to content: 
Currents connects employees to useful and timely content that is personalized to their role and interests. Giving employees access to relevant content keeps them connected to the organization and creates more learning opportunities:

  • Content remains on Currents over time, so users can revisit and engage at a later date. 
  • Tags and streams make it easy to find and discover content of interest. 
  • Content in the home stream is ordered by relevance so it’s prioritized for what is most important to that individual, or users can choose to sort it chronologically. 

Manage and curate with ease: 
Admins can shape the discussion in the organization by creating custom streams to promote specific content to a targeted set of employees or the entire company. Additionally, admins can measure engagement across the platform with metrics to track usage and understand what content is resonating across the organization.

  • Admins can delegate content management responsibilities to a new role called Content Administrator. 
  •  These Content Admins can easily create custom streams, manage tags, define leaders, moderate content, and track usage and engagement with metrics. 

How to get started 

  • Admins: To request access to the beta program for your organization, please fill out this form. 
  • End users: No action required. 
Helpful links 

Availability G Suite editions 
  • Available to all G Suite editions.

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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.


What’s changingWe’re announcing an Accelerated Transition Program to give a first wave of organizations a head start on migrating to Hangouts Chat and get early access to new features.

Additionally, we've heard your feedback, and we want to give you early access and more time before the general availability of these features. Therefore, we’re extending the previously announced timelines to give you more time to manage change in your organization. See below for more information.

Who’s impactedAdmins only

Why you should apply to the Accelerated Transition ProgramSimplify communications by disabling classic Hangouts apps and migrating all users to the newest enterprise-grade Chat product on a faster timeline. As a part of this program, you’ll receive early access to new Chat features such as Chat integration with Gmail and the ability to chat with external users.

For more information about the additional benefits of this program, check out the Accelerated Transition Program Help Center.

How to get started

Upcoming changes to the Chat and Vault transition scheduleSome changes originally scheduled to happen starting on April 16, 2019, such as Chat retention rules and holds applying to your messages in Hangouts Classic, and enabling Chat for all users that are using classic Hangouts, will now take place over the next few months. We'll also be giving you more time before we transition all domains from classic Hangouts to Chat. More notices and details will be shared on the G Suite Updates blog as they approach.

Note: If you are a Google Vault customer, you still must set Chat retention rules and holds before April 16, 2019. You must continue to create new holds in both Mail and Hangouts Chat if you need to preserve chat messages during this migration period.


Helpful links

AvailabilityG Suite editions

  • All G Suite editions are welcome to apply to this program.

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Update (December 5, 2019): The option to restrict the use of Drive File Stream to company-owned devices is now available. See this post for more details.

Update (July 10, 2019): We’re still working on the feature that allows you to restrict use of Drive File Stream to company-owned devices only. We’ll update this post when that feature becomes available. We apologize for the delay!




This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.

What’s changing We’re giving admins more control over their corporate data by integrating controls for Drive File Stream into Google’s device management interface. Drive File Stream streams data between devices and the cloud to ensure users can access the files they need safely and efficiently whether they’re online or offline. Device management helps you easily manage and protect corporate data on devices.
This integration will allow admins to:

  • Control which devices can use Drive File Stream by restricting use to company-owned devices only. 
  • See the status of Drive File Stream on a device (size of the offline content cache, software version, time of last sync etc.). 
  • Remotely block the device and wipe the account specific offline content cache from a machine should it become lost or they no longer want Drive File Stream to be used on the device. 


Who’s impacted Admins only

Why you’d use it Drive File Stream is a simple and efficient way for users to access Drive data on Windows and Mac devices. This integration provides tools for administrators to gain extra visibility into how it’s used in their organization, and ensure corporate data is protected by controlling which devices can be used to access Drive File Stream. With the ability to block or wipe drive cache with a few clicks, admins have more control on over remediation activities.

How to get started 
  • Admins: 
    • To see the Drive File Stream information for specific devices in the Admin console at Admin console > Device Management > Devices. 
    • To restrict Drive File Stream to company owned devices, go to Admin console > Apps > G Suite > Drive and Docs > Features and Applications > Drive File Stream > Only allow Drive File Stream on authorized devices. 
    • To manually approve new Drive File Stream installations, go to Admin console > Device management > Setup > Device Approvals > Requires Admin approval 
  • End users: No action needed. Notifications are sent to the user when a device is blocked, account is wiped, or if a device is pending approval. 


Additional details Control which devices can use Drive File Stream 
If you do not choose to manually approve devices before they can use Drive File Stream (see above), there will be no change to how your users set up Drive File Stream today unless the device also has a pending admin approval for Endpoint Verification. However, you will still be able to block and wipe Drive File Stream data from the devices. If you activate the “Requires Admin approval” setting, devices with Drive File Stream already installed will be grandfathered to continue working, unless the device also has a pending admin approval for endpoint verification.

See the status of Drive File Stream on devices 
With the new integration, you can see and manage the Drive File Stream information for specific devices in the Admin console at Admin console > Device Management > Devices. You’ll be able to see information such as the Drive File Stream offline content cache size, when Drive File Stream last synced, the device model, OS and more.

Remotely block the device and wipe the Drive File Stream data 
If a device is lost or you don’t want Drive File Stream to be used on a device, you can block the device. If you do this, all Drive File Stream data will be wiped, and the device will not be able to re-login and access Drive File Stream again.


You can see and manage Drive File Stream information in the Devices section of the Admin console. 


New admin policies to control the use of Drive File Stream 

Helpful links 




Availability Rollout details

  • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially more than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 10, 2019.
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially more than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 10, 2019. 


G Suite editions 

  • Available to all G Suite editions. 


On/off by default? 

  • By default, devices will be able to use Drive File Stream without specific approval. You can require manual approval by adjusting the endpoint verification setting as described here. 
  • Devices already using Drive File Stream will be grandfathered to continue working with Drive File Stream, unless the device also has a pending admin approval for Endpoint Verification. 
  • The setting to only allow Drive File Stream on company-owned devices will be OFF by default.


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Update (May 30, 2019): We'll now begin rolling this feature out to Scheduled release domains. Please allow 1-3 days for full visibility.

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Update (May 13, 2019): Rollout for Rapid release domains has resumed. 

For Scheduled release domains, there will be a full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting no earlier than May 27, 2019.

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Update (May 7, 2019): We have encountered an unexpected issue with this launch. We will advise on updated rollout details for both Rapid and Scheduled domains as soon as they’re available.

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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.
What’s changing With Office editing, you can now edit, comment, and collaborate on Microsoft Office files using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This feature brings the collaboration benefits of G Suite to Office files while streamlining workflows by eliminating the need to convert file types.


Who’s impacted End users
Why you’d use it Office editing will make it easy for G Suite users to open and edit Microsoft Office files that have been shared by partners, vendors or other teams. In cases where some members of your organization use Office while others use G Suite, this ensures seamless collaboration and eliminates the need to consider or convert file types.

Office editing brings everyone the benefits of G Suite’s real time collaboration tools and intelligence features to Office files.
How to get started Admins: If your organization uses the Office compatibility app in Chrome, you may experience issues using this feature. To learn more about disabling this app for your domain or having users remove it, see here.

End users:
  • In Google Drive, double-click your Office file. This will open a preview of the file. 
  • At the top, click Open in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides. 
  • From here, you can edit, share, view version history, collaborate in real-time with others, and more. 
  • All changes you make will be saved to the original Office file. 
Additional details 
The following Office file types are supported: 
  • Word files: .doc, .docx, .dot 
  • Excel files: .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm (macro enabled Excel files), .xlt 
  • Powerpoint files: .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .pot 
Note: If you edit Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents older than Office 2007, files will be saved to a newer format when editing using Office editing. 

Helpful links 

Availability 
Rollout details
  • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 17, 2019. 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting no earlier than May 27, 2019.
G Suite editions 
  • Available to all G Suite editions 

On/off by default? 
  • This feature will be ON by default. 

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Update (November 27, 2019): This feature is now in beta. If you're not already in the beta and would like to participate, you can sign-up here.
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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.


What’s changing We’re introducing connected sheets in beta (coming soon). This new type of spreadsheet activates when using the Sheets data connector and will allow users to access, analyze, visualize, and collaborate on up to 10 billion rows of BigQuery data without the need for SQL scripts.

With connected sheets, it’s easier for users to surface insights in Sheets and make sense of that data using tools and features already familiar to them — like formulas, Explore, pivot tables, and charts. 

Admins can learn more about the beta here.


Who’s impacted Admins

Why you’d use it Connected sheets makes it easier to do the following:

  • Access and refresh large volumes of connected data without CSVs or SQL scripts 
  • Streamline reporting workflows and easily build data driven reports 
  • Simplify collaboration with other analysts and stakeholders. 

How to get started 
  • Admins: To learn more and apply to the connected sheets beta, see here. 
  • End users: No action required. 

Additional details 
Users can refresh their data which in turn will refresh any associated data within a chart, pivot table, function or table.

Data can also be set to refresh automatically, making it even easier to stay up to date on the latest and greatest data.

Helpful links 


Availability 
  • Available to G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and Drive Enterprise editions.
  • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G Suite for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits editions.
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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.

What’s changing G Suite’s globally distributed cloud infrastructure reduces latency and protects data with geo redundancy. Therefore, most organizations choose not to geo-restrict their data. However, some organizations have preferences around where their data is stored at rest. To serve this need, last July, we introduced data regions allowing you to choose the regions where covered G Suite data at rest is stored - globally distributed, US or Europe. We’re now launching enhancements to data regions with two key updates:

  • Coverage for Backups: Backup data for covered Apps is now included. 
  • Coverage for additional products: Forms’ and new Sites’ covered data is now included. 


Who’s impacted Admins only

The expanded product and data coverage will not alter any previous settings you may have configured. Your existing settings will be applied to the additional apps and data types covered with this release. As with the prior release, there is no impact to your end users.

Why you’d use it Data regions has been built keeping in mind the requirements of a geographically dispersed organization. With data regions, you can create as many organizational unit-specific regions as you want with no minimum seat requirements. Your end users don’t have to deal with downtime and continue to enjoy full edit capabilities of all files, even during a data move. Additionally, when file ownership changes happen, or users switch OUs, covered data is moved dynamically according to your settings.

How to get started 


Additional details To ensure visibility into your data move progress, there will be a new ‘Backups’ tab in the data regions dashboard (Admin console > Dashboards). The tab shows a breakdown of the Backup data move progress for each of the covered products. See image below for an example of the new dashboard view.


Helpful links 


Availability Rollout details



G Suite editions 

  • Available to G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education and Drive Enterprise 
  • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits 


On/off by default?

  • For customers already using data regions, expanded product and data type coverage will automatically be supported according to the pre-established settings. 
  • For customers not using data regions, it will be OFF by default and can be enabled on the Company Profile page at individual OU levels.



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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.
Quick Launch Summary We’re launching the beta of metadata in Drive. This beta will allow users to add structured metadata to all their files in Drive, making it easier to search and organize based on that information. Admins and end users can use metadata to ensure their content stays organized and accessible, helping them streamline their work.

Admins for Drive Enterprise, G Suite Business, Enterprise, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits can learn more and apply for the beta here.

Here are some ways you can use metadata in Drive:

  • Create common file categories for your domain 
    • Admins can create metadata categories like “contract” or “engineering design” that consist of the properties that are relevant to these categories. End-users can apply them to all files that they can edit.
  • Organize team content 
    • Team Drive managers can create categories for their Team Drives or select which existing categories to enable for their Team Drives.
  • Curate and find files faster 
    • End-users can select the suitable categories for their files and folders. The new advanced search methods allow for searching over categories and properties to enable queries like “all contracts that need to be signed by next week.” 
Helpful links To learn more about and apply for the metadata in Drive beta, click here. 
To learn more about metadata in Drive, see here. 
Add metadata to files in Google Drive.

Availability 
  • G Suite editions Available to G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, Drive Enterprise, G Suite for Education, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits. 
  • Not available to G Suite Basic. 

On/off by default? 
  • This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the domain level.

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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.


What’s changingWe’re adding an option to use your Android phone’s built-in security key for multi-factor authentication in G Suite. All phones running Android 7.0+ (Nougat) have a built-in key which can be activated. This means your users can use existing phones as a primary 2-Step Verification method to protect against phishing. Using a phone as a security key is currently offered in beta.

Who’s impacted Admins and end users

Why you’d use it 2-Step Verification greatly improves the security of your account by adding another layer to your account security and making it more resistant to phishing attacks. By adding the additional option of using your Android phone’s built-in security key, we’re expanding access to phishing-resistant 2-Step Verification method in a convenient form - your phone. This can make it faster for you to implement 2-Step Verification in your organization while keeping user training and overall costs to a minimum. 

Previously, in order to protect your users against password phishing, the only option was to use a security key fob. With this beta, their mobile phone can be that security key.

How to get started 


Additional details 
  • Available to G Suite, Cloud Identity, GCP customers, and personal Google Accounts. 
  • Available on phones running Android 7.0+ (Nougat) with Google Play Services. 
  • Compatible with Bluetooth-enabled Chrome OS, macOS X, or Windows 10 devices with a Chrome browser. 



2-Step Verification on a Pixel 3 

Helpful links 




Availability Rollout details



G Suite editions 

  • Available to all G Suite editions in beta. 


On/off by default? 

  • If 2-Step Verification or Security Key Enforcement is turned on for an organization, Android phone will be available as an option for security keys by default.


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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.

What’s changing We’re launching a beta program that enables G Suite admins to dynamically control access to G Suite apps based on a user’s identity and the context of their request (device security status, IP address, etc.). Members of the beta will be able to:

  • Set up different access levels based on a user’s identity and context of the request., 
  • Use granular controls for different organizational units (OU) 
  • Control access to several G Suite apps by setting different policies for the different access level profiles that have been set up 

Who’s impacted Admins only

Why you’d use it Currently G Suite admins can turn access to apps and services on or off for specific OUs or groups of users. This beta will provide more dynamic controls, so you can take into account contextual signals, such as device security status or IP address, to control access to those apps and services. Examples of access controls that can be set up through the context-aware access beta include:

  • Only users from corporate-owned device and a corporate IP address can access Google Drive. 
  • Only a “High Trust” group can access Google Drive when not on a corporate IP address. 
  • Only users from an encrypted device with a screen lock enabled can access Gmail. 
How to get started 
  • Admins: This is an opt-in beta. Admins can opt-in by changing their security settings Admin console> Security> Context-Aware Access
  • End users: No action needed


Additional details In the beta, context-aware access will only be configurable for Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and Keep. You’ll be able to use the following contextual signals to control access:

  • IP Subnet (specific IPv4 or IPv6 address) 
  • Device policies as reported through the Endpoint Verification extension, including whether a device password is active, device encryption status, minimum OS versions, and company-owned devices. 

You can apply policies by OU or to the whole domain, and all admin activity is logged in audit logs in the Admin console > Reports > Admin view.

Availability 
G Suite editions 

  • Available to G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and Cloud Identity Premium 
  • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G Suite for Education, G Suite for Nonprofits, and Cloud Identity Free.


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This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 in San Francisco. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.

What’s changing 
We’re launching a beta for the alert center for G Suite which will enhance the existing alert center and make it easier for admins to manage and collaborate on alerts. Specifically, the beta will mean you’ll be able to:

  • Set status, assignee, and severity of alerts: Add key information to help your team take ownership of, assess, and collaborate as you work through security investigations. 
  • Use a more powerful search: Find alerts more easily by searching for alerts that contain a specific email address. 
  • See related alerts: The alert detail view will show other alerts related to the same actor or user to help discover possible related security incidents. \
  • See alert change history: See the history of metadata or content updates to that alert. This includes when status, assignee, or severities have changed. 

Find out more and sign up for the alert center beta here.
Who’s impacted Admins only

Why you’d use it The alert center already provides a single place to see notifications about potential issues within your domain, and take action to resolve the issues. We hope the enhancements in this beta will improve collaboration between admins and related teams with status, severity, and assignee information now available. We also hope it will make it easier to find patterns within alerts by adding more specific search capabilities and surfacing related alerts proactively.

How to get started 

Helpful links 


Availability G Suite editions 
Available to all G Suite editions.

Beta sign up 
Find out more and sign up for the alert center beta here.

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