Tag Archives: Other

Reminder: Absolute metrics removed from Admin console Reports API on 5/29

As a reminder, we’re removing some Drive metrics from the Admin console Reports API starting May 29th, 2018. Specifically, we’re removing absolute count metrics, which have been replaced by activity based metrics. This was announced a year ago, and the Admin console user interface was updated in October. The old metrics will no longer be available through the Reports API from May 29th.

More Information 
G Suite Developers blog post (April 2017): New Google Drive metrics now accessible from Reports API 
G Suite Updates blog post (October 2017): Google Drive reporting will show activity-based metrics in the Admin console 

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Admin preview for Google Sites automatic conversion tool

We’re introducing a tool that makes it fast and easy to move a site created in classic Sites to the new Google Sites interface. This will be available to admins from May 22nd, and will start to become available to end users who own eligible sites on June 19th.

The new Google Sites makes it easy for anyone to create functional and attractive sites. However, our users told us that it was time-consuming to manually move sites they had previously created in classic Sites into new Sites. This is why we developed this simple site conversion tool.

Classic site owners can use the tool to automatically create a draft of their site in the new Google Sites. This new draft site will have the updated look and feel of new Sites, and contain the content from the classic site. Starting the process will not affect the original site, so owners can review and edit the draft in the new Google Sites interface. When the new site is ready to go live, it can either be published to the URL of the classic site (to replace the original site and automatically redirect viewers), or published to a new URL.

The tool will currently work on some but not all sites. To see if the tool will work on a site, the site owner should open the classic site at sites.google.com and look for:


  • A banner at the top that says “New: Convert to new Sites,” or 
  • A link in the left sidebar at Settings > Manage Site > Convert to new Sites. 


If the banner and link are not available, the site is not eligible for conversion with the tool yet. This can be for several reasons, but is usually because it uses some features the conversion tool does not support yet. We’re working to make the tool work on more sites. When the site becomes eligible, the banner and link described above will appear.

The admin preview of the tool will roll out to admins in all domains within seven days. Use our Help Center to find out more about how to convert a classic site to a new site and what to expect when you convert a site.

Note: If new Sites is disabled for a domain, users will not see the banner and will not have access to the tool.


This admin preview period can help you to evaluate how you want to use the new Google Sites in your organization, and support your change management efforts with your users.

Launch Details
Release track:

  • Admin preview launching to both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release. 
  • End user launch to Rapid Release will start on June 19. We’ll release a post with more details when this starts. 

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only during admin preview. End users when launch starts on June 19.

Action: 
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
G Suite Updates blog post (May 2017): An update on the classic Google Sites deprecation timeline
G Suite Updates blog post (Nov 2016): A totally rebuilt Google Sites—now available to everyone


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Important additional information about the legacy Google Drive desktop sync client shutdown on May 12

As previously announced, the old Drive desktop sync client for Mac and PC—a feature officially known as “Google Drive for Mac/PC”—will start to shut down on May 12th, 2018. After May 12th, the sync client may not work for your organization.

Here are some important things to know: 

1. If you haven’t already, upgrade to a newer sync solution. 

This shutdown is happening because we have better sync solutions available for Drive users. G Suite organizations still using Drive for Mac/PC should transition to Drive File Stream. For non-G Suite users, we recommend Backup and Sync. For more information on choosing the right sync solution for your users, check out this Help Center guide.

2. The turn-down will be gradual. 

We will start the shutdown process on May 12th, but it will be gradual and may take several weeks to impact all organizations. After May 12th, however, updates to files may stop syncing between your users’ computers and Drive, so we recommend upgrading by that date.

3. Once the client shuts down for you, the Google Drive folder will stop syncing. 

When the legacy Google Drive desktop sync client shuts down, it will stop syncing the Google Drive folder to Google Drive. The local Drive folder (containing users’ files) will not be deleted from the machine, but changes made inside this folder will no longer sync to Drive. We don’t recommend editing files inside of this folder after May 12th, as it could lead to users misplacing their edited files (not realizing that this folder isn’t syncing to Drive). To avoid confusion, you may want to delete the legacy Google Drive folder. By default, this folder is located at:

  • Windows: “C:\Users\%USER%\Google Drive” 
  • macOS: “/Users/$USER/Google Drive” 


Use caution when deleting this folder, as it may contain content that has not yet been saved or synced.
In addition, after the legacy desktop client shuts down for you, the app will display this dialog when it starts up:
This message will be shown to end users still using the legacy sync client after it is shut down. 

4. After May 12th, Drive File Stream will display a dialog and rename the old Google Drive folder to clarify that the old folder is not syncing. 

If a user signs in to Drive File Stream and it detects that the old Google Drive folder (from the same account) is still present on the machine, it will append “(Not Syncing)” to the old Google Drive folder, and display the following dialog:


After renaming the old Google Drive folder, Drive File Stream will display this dialog. 
If you don’t want your users to see this dialog, you may remove the old Google Drive folder before May 12th.

After May 12th, if you choose to automate the removal of “~/Google Drive/”, you should remove “~/Google Drive (Not Syncing)/” as well. Note that for users who use Drive File Stream in another language, this folder name will be localized.

It’s important to note that while this folder name change is intended to discourage users from editing files inside the old Google Drive folder, it does not prevent users from making changes in it. We strongly encourage administrators to educate their end users to use Drive File Stream, and not the old Google Drive folder.

More Information 
Blog post (Sept 2017): Drive File Stream launching to all G Suite customers 
Blog post (Jan 2018): Legacy Google Drive desktop sync client now shutting down on May 12th, 2018
Help Center: Deploy Drive File Stream
Help Center: Choose a sync solution


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Coming May 7th, 2018: A more secure sign-in flow on Chrome

If your organization uses SAML to sign users in to G Suite services*, those users will soon see an additional step in the process when using Chrome as their web browser. Starting on May 7th, 2018, after signing in on a SAML provider’s website, they’ll be brought to a new screen on accounts.google.com to confirm their identity. This screen will provide an additional layer of security and help prevent users from unknowingly signing in to an account created and controlled by an attacker.


To minimize disruption for the user, this feature will only be shown once per account per device. We’re working on ways to make the feature even more context-aware in the future, meaning your users should see the screen less and less over time.

Protecting against phishing attacks
This new screen is intended to prevent would-be attackers from tricking a user (e.g. via a phishing campaign) into clicking a link that would instantly and silently sign them in to a Google Account the attacker controls. Today, this can be done via SAML single sign-on (SSO), because it doesn’t require a user interaction to complete a sign-in. To protect Chrome users, we’ve added this extra protection.

Creating a consistent identity
This new security feature is part of a larger project to create a consistent identity across Google web services (like Gmail) and native Chrome browser services (like Chrome Sync). This consistency will make it easier for signed-in G Suite users to take advantage of native Chrome browser features, but it requires additional protection during authentication. This new screen adds that protection and reduces the probability that attackers successfully abuse SAML SSO to sign users in to malicious accounts.

Disabling the new screen
If you wish to disable the new screen for your organization, you can use the X-GoogApps-AllowedDomains HTTP header to identify specific domains whose users can access Google services. Users in those domains won’t see this additional screen, as we assume those accounts are trusted by your users. This header can be set in Chrome via the AllowedDomainsForApps group policy.


*This won't impact individuals who sign in to G Suite services directly and those who use G Suite or Cloud Identity as their identity provider. The screen is also not shown on devices running Chrome OS.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release on May 7th, 2018

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

With new security and intelligent features, the new Gmail means business

(Cross-posted from The Keyword)

Since the beginning, our aim with G Suite has been to help companies transform the way they work with our suite of cloud-based collaboration and productivity apps.

Today we’re announcing major updates to help the more than 4 million paying businesses that use G Suite work safer, smarter and more efficiently. This includes an all-new Gmail, with a brand new look on the web, advanced security features, new applications of Google’s artificial intelligence and even more integrations with other G Suite apps. We’re also introducing a new way to manage work on the go with Tasks.


Keep sensitive data secure with new Gmail security features

Keeping your data secure is our top priority, which is why last month, we introduced new phishing protections to help address Business Email Compromise (BEC) threats—or when someone impersonates an executive to get sensitive information. With these new protections, Gmail has helped block 99.9 percent of BEC attempts by warning users or automatically moving messages to spam for them.

Today, we’re introducing a new approach to information protection: Gmail confidential mode. With confidential mode, it’s possible to protect sensitive content in your emails by creating expiration dates or revoking previously sent messages. Because you can require additional authentication via text message to view an email, it’s also possible to protect data even if a recipient’s email account has been hijacked while the message is active.

New confidential mode in Gmail lets you set expiration dates for sensitive information.

Built-in Information Rights Management (IRM) controls also allow you to remove the option to forward, copy, download or print messages. This helps reduce the risk of confidential information being accidentally shared with the wrong people. Confidential mode will begin to roll out to consumer Gmail users and a limited number of G Suite customers in the coming weeks (broader rollout following).

We’ve also redesigned our security warnings within Gmail so that they are simpler to understand and give a clear call to action to employees. These bigger, bolder warnings will help you be even more informed when it comes to potentially risky email.

Bigger, bolder security warnings help you keep your company’s confidential information safe.

And it’s always worth a reminder: we do not scan Gmail for the purposes of targeting ads, and there are no ads shown in Gmail for G Suite customers.


Stay on top of email effortlessly using artificial intelligence in Gmail

New AI-powered features in Gmail, like Nudging, Smart Reply and high-priority notifications, can now help you spend more time on work that matters.

Most of us get more emails than we can deal with at one time, and sometimes things slip through the cracks. With Nudging, Gmail will proactively remind you to follow up or respond to messages, making sure you don’t drop the ball.

Now Gmail will intelligently (and subtly) “nudge” you when you need to prioritize actions in your inbox.

Last year, we introduced Smart Reply to our Gmail mobile apps. Smart Reply processes hundreds of millions of messages daily and already drives more than 10 percent of email replies on mobile. Today we’re bringing Smart Reply to Gmail on the web to help you respond to messages faster.

We’re also introducing new features on mobile to help you minimize interruptions and clutter. High-priority notifications is a new setting that only notifies you of important messages, keeping interruptions to a minimum. Gmail can also recommend when to unsubscribe from mailing lists. Using intelligence, unsubscribe suggestions appear based on cues like how many emails you get from a sender and how many of them you actually read. You’ll start to see these notifications show up in your inbox over the coming weeks.

New notifications on mobile help you stay focused on what’s important (and eliminate clutter, too).

Over the past few months, Salesforce has tested the new Gmail to collaborate on global projects. “As the global leader in CRM, the ability to quickly and securely communicate with our stakeholders around the world is critical,” says Jo-ann Olsovsky, executive vice president and chief information officer of Salesforce. “Gmail’s new easy-to-use interface and built-in intelligence enable our employees to collaborate faster and smarter, spending less time managing their inboxes and more time driving our customers’ success.”


Accomplish more from your inbox with easy-to-use tools

We redesigned the Gmail web application to help you take action even quicker. Now you can see and click attachments in your inbox before ever opening a thread. You can also hover over messages (you don’t have to click into them) to do things like RSVP to a meeting invite, archive an email thread or snooze an email until the time is right.

Gmail’s new design helps you take action quicker.

As a part of the redesign, we’re also tightly integrating Gmail with other G Suite apps you use every day. Now you can quickly reference, create or edit Calendar invites, capture ideas in Keep or manage to-dos in Tasks all from a side panel in your inbox.

The side panel also makes it easy to access Gmail Add-ons, like third-party business apps you might use. This way you don’t have to switch between tabs or apps to get work done. You’ll start to see the new side panel integration in other G Suite apps in the coming months—like inside of your Calendar, Docs, Sheets and Slides apps.


Use the new side panel in Gmail to access all of your favorite G Suite apps, like Google Calendar

New native offline capabilities in Gmail on the web can help you work without interruption when you can’t find Wi-Fi. Search, write, respond, delete, or archive up to 90 days of messages, just as you would working online, but offline. Teams can start using offline capabilities in coming weeks.

Like we mentioned, we’re introducing an all-new Tasks on web, as well as new mobile apps to help you handle work on the go. You can use Tasks to create tasks and subtasks, and even add due dates with notifications to help you stay on track.

Track projects and meet deadlines with Tasks’ refreshed design on the web and brand new mobile apps.

And because Tasks closely integrates with G Suite, you can simply drag and drop an email from Gmail into Tasks to create a to-do. Tasks with due dates can also appear in your Calendar. You can download the new Tasks mobile apps from the Google Play Store or iOS App Store today.

The all-new Gmail experience is available for businesses to start using today in the G Suite Early Adopter Program (EAP) and can be turned on in the Admin console. Read more detail on how to turn on the experience in this post. Heads up: you’ll start to see offline support, confidential mode (limited release), Nudging, high-priority notifications and unsubscribe suggestions appear in the coming weeks. Keep up with the latest news on these features in the G Suite Updates blog. 

Personal Gmail users can opt-in to the new experience, too (Go to Settings in the top right and select “Try the new Gmail.”).

Finally, if you need help getting started with the new Gmail, check out this Help Center article or this cheat sheet on our Learning Center. 


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Additional details on the new Gmail Early Adopter Program

We recently announced an Early Adopter Program (EAP) for the new Gmail. Below you’ll find additional details on the EAP, including how to opt in, the related Admin console settings, and the implications of certain features. If you haven’t yet checked out our post on the G Suite blog, we encourage you to do so before reading the information below.


Opting in to the new Gmail EAP

There’s no need to sign up for the new Gmail EAP; you can simply turn it on in the Admin console. You can enable the new Gmail EAP for your entire domain or for specific organizational units (OUs) only. Please note that it may take up to a day for the setting to appear in your Admin console.

Admin console settings to enable and disable the new Gmail EAP


Trying the new Gmail

After you’ve enabled the new Gmail EAP for your organization, your users will have the option to turn it on individually in their Gmail settings.

Option in Gmail settings to try the new Gmail

If they choose to, your users can continue to use the classic version of Gmail instead of the new UI. When we launch the new Gmail to general availability, you’ll have the option to force your users into the new UI. Note that if a user tries the new Gmail and wants to switch back to the classic version, he or she can do so from the Gmail settings menu.

Option in Gmail settings to go back to classic Gmail


Native offline support in Gmail

We previously announced that we’re moving Chrome apps, like Gmail Offline, to the web. As part of this effort, we’ll introduce native offline support to EAP end users in the coming weeks. We’ll follow up with an announcement on the G Suite Updates blog when the feature becomes available.

Native offline support will only be available to domains and users who’ve opted in to the new Gmail. At launch, it will be off by default for those domains, and admins will need to turn it on before it becomes available to their users.

Please monitor the G Suite Updates blog for more information.


Contact cards

We recently launched new cards that surface user profile information when people need it most, right inside G Suite apps. These cards will appear in the new Gmail, so we recommend uploading relevant information about your users to make the cards as useful as possible. For step-by-step instructions on how to populate these details, please visit the Help Center.

An example of a card that surfaces profile information


Gmail Labs

The new Gmail will include a number of enterprise-friendly features that exist only as Gmail Labs in the classic UI. For example, you’ll see canned responses, multiple inboxes, preview pane, and more as permanent features in the new Gmail. Users will be able to access these features from the Advanced tab in their settings.

Preview pane in the new Gmail

Turn on the new Gmail EAP today. For more information, check out the resources below.

More Information
G Suite Blog: With new security and intelligent features, the new Gmail means business
Help Center: What's new in Gmail
Learning Center: New Gmail Cheat Sheet
Learning Center: New Gmail FAQ


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

G Suite Enterprise for Education is Now Available

(Cross-posted from The Keyword)


Since launching G Suite for Education, we’ve heard a common request from colleges, universities and large school districts: the need for more advanced tools to meet their complex technology needs. In January, we announced G Suite Enterprise for Education, a new edition of G Suite for Education that offers additional enterprise-grade capabilities designed for large institutions and customized for education. Starting today, G Suite Enterprise for Education is generally available to educational institutions in the United States, and is coming to more countries soon.

Additionally, new tools—such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), security key management and enforcement, and Gmail S/MIME—will start rolling out to all G Suite for Education users over the next few months. G Suite for Education, a suite of tools used by 80M teachers and students, has been and will remain free for schools and we’ll continue to add new features to that edition at no additional cost.


New security features added to free version of G Suite for Education



Admins can expect increased security and greater controls with new tools that are being made available over the next few months to the free version of G Suite for Education:

  1. Gmail and Drive Data Loss Prevention (DLP) lets admins prohibit users from sharing sensitive content with people outside their institutions. It checks for sensitive content like personal student information or preset keywords, and alerts admins so they can intervene.
  2. Hosted Gmail S/MIME offers schools an additional line of defense to protect sensitive emails. With this tool, institutions have the option to digitally sign and encrypt emails. In addition, it also adds verifiable account-level signatures authentication to better protect against email spoofing. It’s easy to manage for administrators and seamless for users.
  3. Security key management and enforcement offers an additional layer of security for user accounts by requiring a physical key. Admins can now require faculty, staff and students to use physical keys that use cryptography as a part of 2-step verification when signing into G Suite.
  4. Admins can control session length for users accessing Google services like Gmail and Drive, which means that users will be automatically logged out after a specified amount of time. If specific groups of users require certain session lengths, admins can apply different web session duration settings to different groups.


Enterprise-grade tools for educational institutions



For educational institutions with administrative needs similar to businesses, G Suite Enterprise for Education offers robust tools customized for education. Here’s what users can expect:

Advance your institution with advanced controls

The Security Center in G Suite Enterprise for Education gives organizations more visibility and control over security. To prevent institutions from potential threats, we’re arming IT admins with actionable insights to protect sensitive data against attacks. With security center tools, IT departments gain insights into how data may be exposed with external file sharing, can see phishing messages targeting users within their organization, and access metrics to demonstrate the organization’s security effectiveness.

With Advanced Mobile Device Management (MDM), universities and institutions have scaled control over devices in their domain. Using customizable MDM rules, admins can automate mobile device management tasks, like approving all Android devices that enroll for management at the start of a new school year. Once the rules are in place, pre-specified events trigger actions like sending notification emails to administrators, blocking or approving a device, or even wiping account data from devices if its lost by a student. And with Mobile Audit, admins can see a report of device activities, including device policy compliance.



Enhanced analytics and search capabilities

Cloud Search is coming to G Suite Enterprise for Education soon, and with it, institutions will benefit from a unified search experience across G Suite—powered by machine intelligence. This tool helps educators and students stay on top of schedules, documents and emails, and can even suggest files that need attention. By searching through everything from a lecture presentation to the school corporate directory, users can spend less time searching for information and more time focusing on teaching and learning.

Gmail logs in BigQuery allow institutions to run sophisticated custom queries, conduct deep analysis and build custom dashboards. Gmail logs contain valuable information that can help administrators diagnose issues. The integration with BigQuery makes it easier for administrators to analyze the logs and unlock insights to help they run their organizations.

Collaborate. Coordinate. Communicate.

Advanced capabilities in Hangouts Meet improve internal and external collaboration, allowing for meetings with up to 50 participants and recordings saved to Google Drive. With these communication tools, instructors can save lecture and lesson recordings straight to Drive and collaborate from anywhere.

Since announcing G Suite Enterprise for Education in January, we've opted to make the U.S. dial-in feature in Meet available to all business and education customers, and will be rolling it out in the coming months. This lets users join meetings via phone from anywhere, without worrying about poor Wi-Fi connections. With G Suite Enterprise for Education, Meet dial-in is available in dozens of countries, allowing educators to easily connect if their institution has a footprint around the globe.

Get G Suite Enterprise for Education for your institution

If you’re interested in purchasing individual licenses, G Suite Enterprise for Education is $4/user/month for faculty and staff, and $4/user/month for students. If you’re purchasing licenses for all faculty and staff in 2018, we’re offering a special introductory price of $2/user/month for faculty and staff, and free for eligible students. Renewals at the introductory price will be honored for 3 years. Learn more about pricing, renewals, and features for this edition on our Help Center.

For help choosing the edition that’s right for your institution, explore what’s included with G Suite Enterprise Education and fill out an interest form to be contacted by a partner.