Google Data

In September, we introduced Google Cloud, a portfolio of products, technologies, and services designed for enterprises. Following that announcement, we’re rebranding our Google Apps Directory Sync tool to better reflect the wide variety of products and services it supports. Going forward, Google Apps Directory Sync will be known as Google Cloud Directory Sync. In addition to this change, the latest version of Google Cloud Directory Sync will include the features and fixes described below.

What’s new

• The GCDS interface now shows only those sync features supported by your domain type. 
• The tool uses the latest Java JRE v1.8, which by default uses TLS v1.2 for HTTPS connections. 
• The GCDS EULA has been updated to include customers who may use a domain covered by the Managed Google Domain Terms.

What’s fixed

• “Force new users to change password” is now properly set on account creation. 
• Group memberships are now added properly on initial sync with group creation. 
• Instead of displaying “Connected failed – null” when there is a connection error testing SMTP notifications, GCDS now displays a proper error message. 
• Random passwords for accounts are no longer synced on the first and subsequent syncs; they are now set on the first sync only. 
• Users are now properly provisioned with the defined default password. 
• You can now re-authorize GCDS using a different account, even if GCDS has a valid auth token. 
• You can now perform a sync in GCDS, even if you haven’t configured email notification settings.
• Instead of displaying the raw HTML EULA when installing from the command line, the installer now displays the plain text EULA. 

Check out the Help Center for more details, and download the latest version of GCDS.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action required

More Information
Help Center: About Google Cloud Directory Sync
Help Center: What’s New in Google Cloud Directory Sync

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Today, we’re announcing that as of February 1, 2017, we will discontinue service for Drive for Mac/PC desktop app versions 1.27 and lower. Going forward, we will officially discontinue service for any Google Drive for Mac/PC versions older than one year.

Newer versions of the Drive desktop app offer several performance and security updates. To ensure the highest quality experience for your users, we recommend that you take the following actions as soon as possible:

• If you manage your users’ installations, upgrade by following the instructions in the “Install Google Drive for Mac/PC” Google Apps Administrator Help Center article.
• If users have installed the client on their own, direct them to the “Install Google Drive for your Mac/PC” Drive Help Center article for end-users.

OS X and Windows users may check what version of Google Drive they are using by clicking on the Drive for Mac/PC menu, clicking on the three-dots icon, and then clicking About. Users still on versions 1.27 and lower after February 1, 2017 will no longer be able to sync files between Google Drive and local storage using Google Drive for Mac/PC.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be contacting domain administrators whose users currently use older versions of Google Drive for Mac/PC and provide guidance on the appropriate migration path.

Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Editions:
Applicable to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
End-users using Google Drive for Mac/PC versions 1.27 and older

Action:
Change Management/FYI

More Information
Help Center

When collaborating with your team in apps like Gmail and Calendar, you’re able to quickly look up their information by tapping on their profile photo. Today, we’re rolling out an improvement to this integration on Android devices by surfacing new information from the domain directory, including job title, manager, department, and location.

Now when you tap on somebody’s profile photo, the information that’s available in the domain directory will be shown in the new “Directory” card, making it easier to understand that person’s job function.

This feature is enabled for any G Suite domains which have the domain directory enabled from the Admin console.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release 

If your organization uses non-Gmail email server software, you can use the SMTP relay servicesetting to route outgoing mail through Google. This setting enables you to filter messages for spam and viruses before they reach external contacts and to apply G Suite email security settings to outgoing messages. However, if a spammer is able to get the username and password of a user at your domain, they may also be able to use the SMTP relay service to send messages on behalf of your domain.

With this launch, when Gmail detects abuse of the SMTP relay service by a domain’s user, we will now send admins a list of the users affected as well as some steps to identify why this problem is occurring. If a user is affected by this issue, admins should run virus scans on all of the user’s devices and make sure that their password is changed to prevent further abuse. It’s important to action these messages as soon as possible, because spam messages from these accounts can damage your domain’s email reputation to other mail providers and could have other negative effects on your mail flow.

This is our first step to let administrators know when we’ve detected abuse. We will be looking for other ways to keep your domain’s email reputation safe in the future.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in 2 weeks

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

If your domain has enabled non-admin user password recovery from the Admin console, then you may have decreased your help desk tickets by giving users an automated way to reset their password. Starting October 25, 2016, we’re extending non-admin user password recovery to include email addresses, an extension to our phone numbers launchfrom last year.
Getting Started

• Non-admin user password recovery launchedover a year ago as default OFF for new G Suite domains, and you can enable the feature by Organizational Unit from the Admin console under Security settings.

Security Best Practices
If you’ve enabled this feature for your domain, we’d like to remind you of the following resources for administrators we’ve updated with this launch:

• Employee departure security best practices
• Set password strength and user password recovery

Note: For G Suite for Education domains that are Primary/Secondary institutions, only administrators will be shown the prompt for email address and phone number.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on October 25, 2016

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More information

• Set password strength and user password recovery
• Employee departure security best practices

The table of contents in Google Docs makes it easy to organize and navigate long and complex documents. Starting today, you have the option to include page numbers in these tables, a frequent request from G Suite customers. To do so, simply select the numbered option when inserting a table of contents from the Insert menu.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Add a title, heading, or table of contents in a document

Note: all launches are applicable to all G Suite editions unless otherwise noted

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One common request we’ve heard from customers is for an integrated search experience for the content you care about, regardless of what app you’re in. Beginning this week, we’ll be rolling out an integrated search experience in Gmail, Google Calendar, Groups, and Drive on the web for G Suite Basic and G Suite Business customers to make finding the content you care about easier.

This new search experience uses Google’s latest technologies to make searching for content more intelligent than ever. The search results you’ll see will change depending on what you’re trying to accomplish and also which services are enabled for your domain. Typically, search results in the top portion will be the same type as the application you’re using, and below, you’ll see related documents, contacts, calendar events, or emails that are most relevant to what you’re searching for.

Please note: At this time, the integrated search experience will be rolled out only to G Suite Basic and G Suite Business customers (formerly called Google Apps for Work and Google Apps Unlimited).

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (More than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users on G Suite Basic and G Suite Business

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

Many administrators who use admin quarantines have requested email notifications when mail messages are quarantined. Beginning this week, we’ll be rolling out a new setting in the admin quarantine that will let you do just that. These email notifications will make it easier to quickly take action on certain email quarantines which may be more severe than others.

Based on your organization’s needs, you can enable notifications per each quarantine. Once enabled, admins will receive an email notification within an hour of when an email is quarantined. The frequency and timing of the alerts will vary based on how often new quarantined mail arrives, but will never be more than once hourly. We recommend only enabling email notifications for the quarantines that need to be actioned immediately.

The newest versions of the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps for Android make it possible to retrieve trashed files you unexpectedly need or accidentally delete. Simply select Trash from the navigation menu in your Docs, Sheets, or Slides app, and you’ll be given the option to restore or permanently delete any files that you’ve trashed.

Visit the Google Play Store to download the latest Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps for Android and check out the new functionality.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Delete a document, spreadsheet, or presentation

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Along with our new name, today we’re announcing a number of new features to help employees work together as teams on strategic and creative projects to better serve their customers. Two of these features are coming soon as Early Adopter Programs:

Drive for teams
When Google Drive launched in 2012, bringing all of your work to all of your devices was a key focus. Today, with Drive installed on more than one billion smartphones, mobility is a given. As businesses have adopted Google Drive, a new focus has emerged: teams. Teams move fast, they grow, they shrink, they’re rebuilt. In order to keep pace, a new capability called Team Drives redefines the model, shifting from a focus on the individual user to a focus on the team. Content ownership and sharing are managed at the team level, and new roles give more granular control over team content. Team Drives help streamline teamwork from end-to-end, from onboarding a new team member (add her to the team and she instantly has access to all of the work in one place) to offboarding a departing team member (remove him from the team and all of his work stays right in place), and everything in-between. We’ve been previewing Team Drives with a small set of customers, and we’ll be extending this capability to more customers through an Early Adopter Program.*

Meetings for teams
Teams extend beyond office walls — spanning countries and companies — and video meetings have become critical to bringing teams together. No matter where you’re sitting or even when you’re on the go, you expect to be plugged in so you never have to worry about missing a thing. A new meeting experience for Google Hangouts makes this exceedingly easy: no downloads, no browser plugins, invite anyone, join from any device, even without an account or a data connection. Every meeting generates a short link and dial-in phone number so you can invite anyone without friction. An updated user interface accommodates up to 50 video participants, and with seamless integration into Calendar and instant screen sharing, your team will be better connected than it ever was before. Like Team Drives, we’ve been previewing this new meeting experience with a small set of customers and we’ll be extending this to more customers through an Early Adopter Program.

Provide your information here to learn more about these Early Adopter Programs when they launch.

*Note: the Team Drives EAP will be available to G Suite Business (Google Apps Unlimited) customers only.

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(Cross-posted from the Google Docs Blog)

We built Google Docs to help you create your best work — from work, school or home, and everywhere in between. We know crafting presentations, projects and reports takes time and energy. That’s why today we’re introducing Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides to bring you insights, design tools and research recommendations so you can create better work, faster.

Explore uses Google smarts to help you create amazing presentations, spreadsheets and documents in a fraction of the time they used to take…so you can get on with what’s most important in your life. It’s like having a researcher, analyst and designer by your side.

Insights, instantly
Today’s updates to Explore in Sheets help you decipher your data easily, whether you’re new to spreadsheets or a formula pro. Just ask Explore — with words, not formulas — to get answers about your data. You can ask questions like “how many units were sold on Black Friday?,” “what are the top three items by sales price?,” or “what was the total cost of jackets last month?” Less time crunching numbers + crafting formulas = more time to find key insights and use them.

We’ve also added new formatting suggestions to help make your data pop. Explore in Sheets is available on the web, Android and now on iOS, too!

Beauty, baked in
Crafting the perfect pitch deck or sharing your team’s story is hard enough without having to make it look great, too. Explore in Slides makes design polishing simple. As you work, Explore dynamically generates design suggestions, based on the content of your slide. Simply pick a recommendation and apply it with a single click — no cropping, resizing or reformatting required.

We’ve seen that people save over 30% of the time they would have spent on formatting when they use Explore. So even if design isn’t your style, rest assured you’ll have a beautiful presentation to be proud of. Instantly.

Research, made simple
Explore in Docs makes researching and writing reports on the go a whole lot easier. Whether you’re writing about mobile retail trends or planning your next team offsite, you’ll get instant suggestions based on the content in your document. We’ll automatically recommend related topics to learn about, images to insert and more content to check out in Docs on your Android, iPhone or the web.

We know that it’s helpful to refer to other content when writing an analysis, summary or proposal. That’s why we’ve also made it easy to find a related document from Drive or search Google, right in Explore. Less time spent switching between apps more time to polish your ideas.

We designed Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides to make creating and working easy and most of all, fast — all backed by the power of Google. Let Explore save you time so you can focus on what matters most.

Posted by Ritcha Ranjan, Product Manager

Launch Details
Release track:
Mobile features: Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
Web features: Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks [Update – October 17th, 2016: Explore for Google Docs only coming to G Suite for EDU customers on Scheduled release in the coming months.]

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: See and use suggested content in a document
Help Center: See and use suggested charts and analysis in a spreadsheet
Help Center: See and use suggested layouts in a presentation

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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(Cross posted from the Official Gmail Blog)

Posted by Federico Asara, Software Engineer

Some topics are best discussed in face-to-face meetings, but setting them up takes too much time. Whether you’re coordinating across time zones, hunting for a room, or just trying to find a time that works for more than a couple of people — it really adds up.

If you’re using G Suite, “Find a time” already lets you set up meetings much faster in Calendar on Android. Today it’s coming to iOS and by the end of the year, the web. We’re also adding smart room booking, so you can easily find a place to meet as well.

Powered by Google’s machine intelligence, “Find a time” suggests meeting times and available rooms based on your preferences, which saves you lots of time and gets everyone together faster. Time and room suggestions are smart, too: They don’t just identify the first free slot in a grid, they also locate the next best slots as a back-up. For example, when Calendar doesn’t find availability for your preferred time, it then looks for conflicts across the group that are easier to resolve, such as recurring 1:1 meetings. And although “Find a time” makes smart suggestions, you’re always in control — just tap the grid to pick a time that’s a better fit.

Start saving time for the important things by downloading Google Calendar for Androidor iOS(and look out for this update on the web soon).

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end-users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More information
Android
iOS
Help Center

(Cross posted from the Google Cloud blog) 

Posted by Kelly Campbell, Senior Director of G Suite Marketing, Google Cloud 

All around the world, business is filling up with busyness. Employees today are more plugged-in than ever before, but technology too often gets in the way of turning ideas into game changers. For businesses, sharing and communicating has gotten complicated and often happens in silos. The bigger the company, the bigger the challenge.

But what if technology lived up to its promise for us at work? What if it helped us cut through the noise so we could work together to focus on what matters?

We created Google Apps for Work ten years ago (back when it was Google Apps for Your Domain) to do just that—to help people everywhere work and innovate together, so businesses can move faster and go bigger.

And today, we’re introducing a new name that better reflects this mission: G Suite.

G Suite is a set of intelligent apps—Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Hangouts, and more—designed to bring people together, with real-time collaboration built in from the start. And there’s a lot more on the way. Because we believe that when organizations break down silos, connect people and empower them to work together, we get the speed, agility and impact needed to compete in today’s market. So in the spirit of teamwork, we partnered with some of our favorite illustrators from around the world to bring our ideas to life with their iconic creativity.

With G Suite, information can flow freely between devices, apps, people, and teams, so great ideas never get left in the margins again. Imagine the future for your business, if this was how it could be…

Special thanks to artists Jean Jullien, Matt Blease, Chris DeLorenzo, Tomi Um, Jan Buchzcik, Josh Cochran, Xarly Rodriguez.

(Cross posted from the Google Drive Blog)

Posted by Cayden Meyer, Product Manager

Today, we’re launching Quick Access, which shaves 50 percent off the average time it takes to get to the right file by eliminating the need to search for it. It uses machine learning to intelligently predict the files you need before you’ve even typed anything.

Quick Access predictions are based on an understanding of your Drive activity, as well as your interaction with colleagues and your workday patterns such as recurring team meetings or regular reviews of forecasting spreadsheets.

Starting today, Quick Access will be available globally for G Suite customers on Android. Give it a try, and file away the time you save for more productive activities.

Launch Details
Release track:  
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace: 
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Search for your files