Google Workspace Management & SupportGoogle Workspace, administered properly, by people who will not try to move you off it.
Plenty of businesses run happily on Gmail, Drive and Meet, with an admin console nobody has opened since the day it was set up. We administer every account, switch on the security settings Google leaves to you, keep sharing under control and handle starters and leavers the day they happen. We support Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and if Google is working for you, we keep it working.
Who this is for
Small and medium-sized businesses across the UK on Google Workspace who have nobody in-house doing the administration properly, or where the person who set it up has moved on. It is usually part of managed IT support, and can be bought on its own by businesses with their own desktop support.
Which edition do you need?
Google sells Workspace in Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus and Enterprise editions. The licences are paid at Google's price; what we do is make sure each person is on the edition that fits the way they work, and that you are not paying for features nobody uses.
For most small businesses, Business Standard is the sensible default. Starter's 30 GB of pooled storage per user fills up quickly once shared drives and email attachments build up, while Standard gives 2 TB per user and the meeting features most teams expect.
Business Plus is worth the step up when you need Google Vault for retention, eDiscovery and legal holds (common in legal, financial and regulated work), or advanced endpoint management to control phones and laptops more tightly. Business editions stop at 300 users; beyond that, or where you need the more advanced data protection and access controls, Enterprise is the route, and we will tell you plainly whether you actually need it.
Source: Google Workspace: compare editions, Google Vault Help: which editions include Vault
The security we switch on
Google Workspace is secure when it is configured, and much of the protection is a setting someone has to turn on. On every Workspace we manage, we work through the same list and document what we set.
- 2-Step Verification enforced for every account, with security keys or passkeys for administrators.
- Administrator roles kept to the least privilege each person needs, with day-to-day work done from ordinary accounts.
- Gmail phishing and malware protection settings tightened, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up on your domain.
- External sharing from Drive and shared drives controlled, so files cannot be shared publicly by accident.
- Alerts on suspicious sign-ins and on new mail forwarding rules, reviewed by our helpdesk in office hours.
- Third-party app access (OAuth) restricted to apps you have approved.
- Google endpoint management for phones and laptops, and Chrome browser policies.
- Data loss prevention rules and context-aware access, on editions that include them.
Source: Google Workspace Admin Help: Deploy 2-Step Verification, NCSC: Small organisations guide to cyber security
Shared drives that make sense
Files that live in one person's My Drive leave with that person. We set up shared drives by team or function, with access given to groups rather than individuals, so that a new starter gets the right folders by joining the right group and a leaver takes nothing with them.
Where files are already scattered across personal drives, we agree a structure with you and move them across in stages, so nobody arrives on a Monday to find their folders gone.
Staying on Google, or moving
Nobody has to move. If Google Workspace suits the way your business works, we look after it as carefully as we look after Microsoft 365, and Cyber Essentials, backup and device management all work on either platform.
If you do want to move, from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace or the other way, that is a project, scoped and quoted on its own, with an honest view of whether it is worth doing before you commit to anything.
What is included
The right edition per person
Each user on the edition that fits what they do, reviewed each quarter. Unused licences are released and people on the wrong edition are moved, so the bill reflects your team as it is now.
Accounts and sign-in security
Users, groups and shared mailboxes administered in the Google Admin console. 2-Step Verification enforced for everyone, and administrator access kept to the people who need it, so a stolen password on its own gets nobody in.
Joiners, movers and leavers
Tell us by 10am and the new starter has a working account, mailbox, calendar and the right shared drives by lunch. Leavers are suspended the day you tell us, their mail and files handed over to the right person, and the licence released.
Sharing and shared drives
External sharing controlled, shared drives structured by team with access through groups, and third-party app access limited to apps you have approved.
Email authentication
SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up and monitored on your domain, so your email is trusted by the people you send to and nobody can easily send as you.
Devices and browsers
Phones and laptops enrolled in Google endpoint management with screen locks and the ability to wipe a lost device, and Chrome browser policies applied. Windows laptops in a Google business can still be managed and protected properly, and we set that up with the managed device service.
Backup and Cyber Essentials
Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts backed up outside Google with our Google Workspace backup service, and your Workspace configured to meet Cyber Essentials, which works the same on Google as it does on Microsoft. Backup is a separate service, priced per user per month on top of support.
What is not included, and why
- The Google Workspace licences themselves. They are paid at Google's price and shown separately from our service fee.
- Device support. This service covers each person's account and how Workspace is set up. Fixing the laptop is the managed device service, and the two are usually bought together as managed IT support.
- Migrations. Moving to Google Workspace from Microsoft 365 or another provider, or from Google to Microsoft, is a project, scoped and quoted on its own.
What it costs
Google Workspace management is part of our Managed User service, priced per identified user per month, so it moves with your headcount, with Google Workspace licences extra at Google's price. We quote after a short discovery call, once we know your setup. The initial term is 36 months, stated on the quotation along with what happens at the end. When it is combined with device support, the two are quoted together as managed IT support.
How it starts
- 1Free IT Health CheckA short online check that benchmarks your security and business risk and tells you where you stand.
- 2Discovery callAn engineer, not a salesperson. What you have, what is broken, what it would cost to fix, in writing.
- 3OnboardingEverything moves across on a plan, with no gap in cover and nothing lost.
Questions people ask before signing
Do you support Google Workspace as well as Microsoft 365?
Yes. We support both, with the same service, the same response times and the same price. We will give you an honest view of which fits your business, and if Google Workspace is working for you, we will not push you to move.
Which Google Workspace edition should we be on?
For most small businesses, Business Standard: it gives each user far more storage than Starter and the meeting features most teams expect. Business Plus is worth it if you need Google Vault for retention and legal holds, or tighter control of phones and laptops. Enterprise is for larger organisations or those that need its advanced data controls.
Can you take over a Workspace someone else set up?
Yes. We need a super administrator account in your business's name, which you should have anyway. We audit what is there, fix what is unsafe and document it. If a previous provider or a former employee holds the only admin account, our switching guide covers how to get it back.
Does Google back up our data?
Not in the way most people assume. Deleted items can be recovered for a limited time, and Vault is a compliance tool, not a backup. Our Google Workspace backup service keeps Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts outside Google for seven years in the UK, priced per user per month.
Can we get Cyber Essentials on Google Workspace?
Yes. Cyber Essentials does not care which platform you use. It asks for things like multi-factor authentication, controlled admin accounts, supported and patched devices and secure configuration, and Google Workspace can meet all of them when it is set up properly.
How fast are joiners and leavers handled?
Same working day, and usually within a couple of hours. Leavers are the urgent ones: the account is suspended as soon as you tell us, and their mail and files are passed to whoever needs them before the licence is released. Our joiners and leavers guide has the checklist.
Should we move from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365?
Only if there is a real reason, such as software you depend on that needs Microsoft, or a client or insurer requirement. Moving either way is a quoted project, and for many businesses the right answer is to stay where they are and get the setup right.