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Google Apps Users Flock to Google Drive for Work

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Google Drive for Work, a premium service which gives users unlimited file storage for US$10 per month, is signing 1,800 businesses a week just two months after launch, said Google.

IT administrators were the most likely instigators  for the change as the premium version of Google Drive carried several advantages over the standard version. Google Drive for Work’s unlimited storage meant an IT manager never had to worry about storage quotas again, and the premium service could track sharing across users and files within Google Apps.

An audit view in Google Drive for Work built into the admin console could connect to other cloud software programs and support services such as data loss prevention (DLP).

Other partners have built tools to help move business content into Drive from old file servers, local hard drives or other cloud storage products.

All files uploaded to Google Drive (either version) are encrypted from the user’s device to Google and in transit between Google data centres, and while at rest on Google servers.

Reliability for Drive in 2013 was 99.985 percent or less than 90 minutes of disruption per year.

Google Links Search, Maps and Google+ with Google My Business

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Finding customers and talking to them has never been so easy thanks to a multitude of internet-based services. The latest of these is the recently launched Google My Business, a new product that aims to help businesses connect more easily with customers.

Google My Business is a single listing that appears on Google Search, Google Maps and Google’s social networking platform Google+. The information in Google My Business is integrated into the respective services so Google Maps will provide driving directions to the business address, hours of operation will show up in Search and customers can click on a phone number to call it directly from their mobile phones.

The service makes it easier for business owners who previously had to jump between services like Google+, Google Analytics and AdWords, and Youtube Insights.

Here’s what you can do with this new tool:

  • You can update all of your business information on multiple Google services including Google Maps, Google+ and Google Search.
  • Customers can find you from any channel and should you want to change phone numbers or other contact details, you can do so within minutes.
  • You can add pictures of your premises or products. It can be a ‘virtual tour’ of your company which will ultimately help you to pitch your products or services in a better way.
  • Seamless Google+ integration ensures that all social updates posted on the platform will directly be visible on Google My Business.
  • You can check business reviews and respond to them without having to visit a separate site.
  • Just as you use Google Analytics to understand website traffic parameters, Google My Business also comes pre-loaded with features that provide custom insights into traffic.

A Google blog post said the new service replaced Google Places for Business and the Google+ dashboard.

It is rumored that Google may soon launch dedicated mobile apps for various platforms for this tool very soon. It has already launched an Android app and an iOS app will soon follow.

 

How do I get started with Google My Business?

Businesses without a profile on Google (as distinct to a profile linked to a person) just need to visit Google My Business, click the Get On Google button and follow the prompts. It should take a couple of minutes to set up.

If a business already has its own Google+ page you can view the summary information in Google My Business by logging into Google+ as that business and clicking on the main menu in the top right corner. Google My Business is the first entry.

Henry Chow is managing director of Motionwave Technologies, an IT support provider based in Sydney, Australia.

Edit Google Docs on Your Mobile? Just Download the App

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Google has released individual mobile apps for its word processor Google Docs and spreadsheet app Google Sheets for iOS and Android users. The latest update was part of a transition to unbundle the Google Drive platform into three specific tools with targeted uses.

Users would still require the Google Drive app for cloud storage and document management, but to edit and create documents users had to download apps for Google Docs, Google Sheets and (soon) Google Slides.

Once installed, users who clicked on the file in the Google Drive mobile app were taken directly into the corresponding productivity app. The standalone apps could be edited offline and Google Drive also had the option to protect documents by password.

Send Google+ Photos to Gmail with One Click

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Gmail users could send images stored on Google+ by adding them directly to new emails. Google was encouraging smartphone and tablet owners to back up their photos automatically to the social network through the Google+ mobile app by offering unlimited storage.

Users had access to all the photos that were stored on their Google+ account. It was possible to send an entire album by adding it to a Gmail email.  The number of photos that could be added to an email was limited the total size of 20MB, whereas an album could contain a number of images and was sent as a link in the email.

Users accessed as many photos that were stored on mobile devices under the Google+ account and had the option to share an entire album.

An additional feature included photos being able to be resized in the composed message. The corners of the photo were dragged to the desired size.

Google+ Photo in Gmail
Google+ Photo in Gmail

The new ‘insert photo’ button appeared at the bottom of the message next to the text and ‘send’ button. Google users needed to turn on Auto Backup on their smartphones to enable this function in Gmail.

Instructions for sending photos from Google+

1. Download Google+ to your Android phone or tablet, iPad or iPhone.

2. Turn on online backup for images in the Google+ app settings.

3. Open a new message in Gmail and click on the camera icon to add an image.

4. Select Google+ to see photos to send.

Gmail Experiments with Promo Emails as a Grid of Images

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Google started a new experiment in its cloud email service Gmail where promotional emails could be changed from the traditional text list to a colourful grid of square images.

The feature was still in testing and users could request access to join the trial. Users in the trial could switch between the traditional and grid view at any time.

The new visual resembled the recent release of Google Now Cards for Chrome Desktop. One difference is that marketing emails couldn’t be shifted around by drag and dropping the squared images.

The introduction of tabs in Gmail had given users a taste of auto-sorting emails by type, with promotional emails automatically stored in the Promotions tab. Gmail users could add additional category tabs for other incoming messages besides the Primary email tab such as Forums for conversations on online discussion boards and mailing lists, and Updates which featured receipts, bills and cloud software notifications.

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