Google Workspace Changes

Google Workspace introduces Business Continuity Plus edition, a full-featured 'hot' standby solution for enterprise customers with extensive data syncing capabilities.

The Google Workspace Business Continuity Plus edition is a full-featured 'hot' standby solution designed for organizations requiring a more readily available environment with extensive data syncing to minimize disruption and drive immediate adoption and productivity. In addition to active directory syncing, this edition supports data syncing across various products including email, calendar, drive, and chat. It provides extended access to Google Workspace and generative AI tools for up to 60 days per year. Google recommends a partner-based solution for implementation.

Google Workspace introduces Business Continuity edition as a disaster recovery solution for non-Google Workspace primary collaboration platforms.

The new Google Workspace Business Continuity edition serves as a robust 'cold' standby disaster recovery solution for organizations using non-Google Workspace primary collaboration platforms. It provides a secure, isolated environment to ensure leadership and critical teams can communicate and collaborate during a crisis. Key functionalities include active directory syncing for user directory availability. This edition is intended for limited use, offering access to Google Workspace and generative AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM for up to 21 days per year.

Existing reporting rules convert to activity rules for Business and Education Fundamentals customers, allowing notification frequency configuration and descriptive alerts.

For Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, and Enterprise Essentials customers, all existing reporting rules will automatically be converted to activity rules. Admins will now have the ability to configure notification frequencies and access more descriptive alerts. However, it's important to note that applying thresholds and actions to rules will not be available for these specific Workspace editions. This change aims to provide a more streamlined workflow for managing alerts.

Reporting rules are combined with activity rules for Enterprise and Education Plus customers, adding threshold-less rules and a new event-based threshold mode.

For Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Education Plus, Cloud Identity Premium, Chrome Enterprise Premium, and Enterprise Standard customers, reporting rules are now combined with activity rules. This change allows admins to create rules without thresholds and introduces a new threshold mode that triggers a rule every time a relevant event occurs. This aims to simplify the admin experience for creating rules and monitoring alerts within the Admin console.

Google Workspace is implementing a Shared Signals Framework (SSF) Receiver to enhance security by ingesting Continuous Access Evaluation Profile (CAEP) signals, currently in closed beta.

The Shared Signals Framework (SSF) is an initiative by the OpenID Foundation to standardize cross-system communication between security platforms, facilitating the sharing of security insights and events. Google Workspace is supporting this initiative by implementing an SSF Receiver to ingest Continuous Access Evaluation Profile (CAEP) signals. This feature is currently available in a closed beta for Google Workspace customers and interested partners. An example use case for this enhancement is session revocation, where a signal to revoke a session will automatically invalidate the user's session, thereby reducing the window of access for potentially compromised users. This improves security by enhancing cross-system communication and accelerating responses to security incidents.

Migration of files from Microsoft SharePoint Online to Google Drive is now generally available via the New Data Migration service.

The functionality to migrate files from Microsoft SharePoint Online to Google Drive, previously in open beta, is now generally available through the New Data Migration service. This service allows admins to transfer data from SharePoint Online sites, including document libraries, folders, files, and associated permissions, facilitating a smooth transition to Google Workspace. The migration process supports up to 100 SharePoint Online sites at a time to Shared Drives, provides comprehensive reporting, and offers delta updates for newly added or modified files.

The Workspace Updates Blog is launching a new look and feel with a refreshed user interface and improved navigation.

The official Workspace Updates Blog is set to launch a completely refreshed user experience on Monday, July 14. This update will align the blog's interface with other official Google channels, offering a more modern and consistent look. Key improvements include a compact layout for quicker scanning of multiple posts, easier navigation through product tags categorized at the top, and quick links to other resources like the Release Calendar. Additionally, the blog will feature auto-translation for over 100 languages via Google Translate from the footer, with all updates also accessible on mobile.

Translate the Workspace Updates blog in over 100 languages

You can now use Google translate to view content on the Workspace Updates blog in over 100 languages.

Upcoming Changes to Microsoft Exchange Migrations

Beginning May 31, 2025, the legacy Data Migration Service will no longer support migrating email, calendar, and contact data from Microsoft Exchange on-premises servers.

Legacy Data Migration Service will no longer support migrating data from Microsoft Exchange on-premises servers after May 31, 2025. Use Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GWMME) instead.

Beginning May 31, 2025, the legacy Data Migration Service will no longer support migrating email, calendar, and contact data from Microsoft Exchange on-premises servers (e.g., Exchange 2010, 2013, or 2016). Admins will not be able to start new migrations after May 31, 2025 – migrations that are in progress will continue until completion. Instead, admins can use the Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GWMME) data migration tool to perform these migrations. We highly recommend all admins to start leveraging Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange as soon as possible.

Starting in March 2025, admins who have Additional Services enabled for users under the age of 18 to re-review them on an annual basis.

Admins are in control of which services their users have access to, and to do so in alignment with both our terms of service and local laws and regulations that determine what services are appropriate for users under 18. Since admins manage which services their students have access to, only they can enable or disable access for their under 18 users.

Starting in March 2025, admins who have Additional Services enabled for users under the age of 18 to re-review them on an annual basis.

Admins are in control of which services their users have access to, and to do so in alignment with both our terms of service and local laws and regulations that determine what services are appropriate for users under 18. Since admins manage which services their students have access to, only they can enable or disable access for their under 18 users.

Consent re-confirmation for under 18 users accessing Additional Services will soon be required

Admins are always in control of which services their users have access to, and this gives admins an opportunity to ensure the right users have access to the right services.

The Policy API is now generally available, enabling super admins to audit security settings for Calendar, Gmail, and MFA.

The Policy API has transitioned from open beta to general availability, allowing super admins to programmatically access and audit Google Workspace environment service level settings and rules. This update expands auditing capabilities to include Calendar, Gmail, and Multi-factor authentication (2-Step Verification) settings. The API streamlines security management and integrates with CISA's SCuBA project to help organizations align with secure configuration baselines using tools like ScubaGoggles.

The Policy API is now generally available with support for auditing more security features

Admins can now use the API to audit more settings, specifically: Calendar, Gmail, Multi-factor authentication settings (2-Step Verification)