Internet services are synonymous with Google. But, Google is much more than just a search engine. The company offers many services, including popular cloud-based applications via its G Suite.
In this guide, you will get an introduction to Google’s workspace, formerly known as G Suite, and all that it entails. Read on to get an idea of how you can learn this platform.
What Is G Suite?
G Suite, or Google Workspace, is a collection of cloud-based Google applications. The Suite platform provides collaboration tools and products for personal and business use.
There are several apps available in the workspace, which comes in a business starter edition, standard edition, and plus edition, with the latter offering the most features.
G Suite also has versions for education and non-profit use. You can start learning the Google workspace with a free, 14-day free trial offered by Google.
What Is G Suite Used For?
G Suite is a software platform that allows you to access multiple applications, with Gmail being one of the most popular. Its other products include Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Hangouts, and Google Calendar.
These products provide online storage, professional email, a platform for video and audio chat, and other collaboration tools. It is well suited for small businesses and is used in almost every industry and even by large corporations. It is compatible with all operating systems and devices.
Most Popular G Suite Applications
G Suite is one of the most popular productive suites in today’s market. The popularity of the suite is due to its wide range of applications. Knowing the suite’s applications and their uses will help you efficiently strategize your tasks.
With that in mind, below are the most popular G Suite applications and their uses. Bear in mind the features of the apps may differ according to the plan you purchase.
Gmail
Who doesn’t know of Gmail? G Suite offers this email service that is widely used by companies and individual consumers. Gmail is one of the most popular email applications available in today’s market with more than one billion users.
Most users know of this application as a free service, but with the suite upgrade, your employees can create a Gmail account that displays your business domain name. You can also avoid spam marketing emails that are usually sent to free users.
Google Drive
Demand for cloud-based applications has skyrocketed and to meet this demand, G Suite offers Google Drive as a cloud storage application. This app is used by businesses to store, share, and safely access their data in the cloud.
With the right business credentials, anyone on your team can access and use data stored in the drive. The suite application offers many plans. The basic plan provides 30GB of cloud storage for every employee, but you can get unlimited storage with the Enterprise, Business, and Team editions.
Google Docs and Google Sheets
These suite tools are used for sharing and creating content. Google docs and sheets are excellent cloud-based applications that you can use to collaborate, share, and receive feedback. The applications also provide tools to convert documents from the Google version to any other popular apps like Microsoft Office applications like Excel.
The sheet application is great to maintain a log of financial information and budgets. One of the best features of these applications is the real-time updates. You can make changes to a document shared with a team all while seeing the edits in real-time.
Google Hangouts
If there is one thing G Suite is a champion in, it’s collaboration. Google hangouts is an application that allows you to stay connected with your teams using chats, and audio and video calls.
G Suite has divided this tool into two applications: Google Hangouts Chat and Google Hangouts Meet. These applications are integrated with the other suite tools. For instance, you can launch a hangouts call from Gmail or Google calendar.
Learning G Suite
G Suite is an important tech skill to have on your resume. Learning Google cloud not only boosts your chances of landing a job but also gives you practical skills and tools to communicate and collaborate.
How Long Does It Take to Learn G Suite?
The amount of time it takes to learn G Suite is dependent on your background knowledge. It can take a couple of days or a couple of weeks to master. It is usually faster if you are already aware of some of the Google applications, like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Docs.
The key to learning the workspace lies in understanding each app. You can then learn how to integrate the features to use them productively. It also depends on the amount of time and effort you put into learning.
How to Learn G Suite: Step-by-Step
Learning any new skill efficiently requires that you have a solid learning structure. You should study using the format that best suits you. Below, we have created a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
- Research. The first thing you should do is Google. Research Google workspace and the purpose of each application.
- Explore the courses. Look for courses, books, and resources that suit your learning technique the most. To help you out, we have listed some of these resources below.
- Enroll. Now that you have selected a medium of study, it’s time to enroll. Take courses, read books, or learn from YouTube videos.
- Practice. Practice makes perfect. Learn and practice until you feel confident in your knowledge. With cloud-based software, it is important to get hands-on experience.
- Take a certification exam. Get Google certified by taking the G Suite certification to help your resume stand out.
The Best G Suite Courses, Training, Books, and Other Resources
Learning G Suite is now easier than ever, with countless resources available online. The use of G Suite is ubiquitous, from schools to businesses and offices, so there’s no reason not to learn this universal software.
We at Career Karma understand the importance of having common skills to succeed in tech. Thus, we want to help you understand cloud computing with Google workspace. Below, we have laid out the books, courses, and certifications you can use to acquire this new skill.
Best Online G Suite Courses
These online courses are for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students. Select your experience level and sign up for one of the top online G Suite courses.
Udemy
- Course: Learn G Suite, Everything you need to know about G Suite
- Time: 11 hours
- Prerequisites: Access to G Suite
- Cost: $9.99
This Udemy course covers every aspect of G Suite. In it, you will learn how to set up a Gmail account and how to use all of the Google applications. G Suite access is required, but you can choose to sign up for a free trial. Upon completion, you will earn certification and can be confident in your in-depth knowledge of the workspace.
LinkedIn Learning
- Course: Team Collaboration in G Suite
- Time: About 1 hour
- Prerequisites: None
- Cost: $29.99 per month, $299.88 per year
This course will teach you all the essential collaborative features of G Suite. You will learn how to integrate Google’s productivity apps so that you can share ideas and documents, and manage files. You will also learn how to create and share webpages using Google Sites. This is a great course if you want to understand and navigate Google’s cloud-based platforms.
Get Bigger Brains
- Course: G Suite Essentials
- Time: About 2 hours
- Prerequisites: None
- Cost: $15 per month
Get Bigger Brains offers this course on G Suite essentials, which will teach you how to use the top features of Google cloud applications. In it, you will learn to use Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Sheets, to illustrate, communicate, collaborate, and organize your work. Instructor Amy Roberts is an Adobe Education Trainer and Google Expert, so it is a great course for beginners and experts wanting to learn the most updated Google features.
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Udemy
- Course: Google Workspace (G Suite) Admin- The Complete Course
- Time: 28.5 hours
- Prerequisites: Basic IT knowledge and active G Suite admin console
- Cost: $10.99
This Udemy G Suite course will give you a deep understanding of the platform. To sign up, you are expected to have a base knowledge of IT concepts and an active domain name so that you can create a G Suite Admin Console.
In the class, you will learn how to use the settings on the Admin Console and will get advanced information on how to use the platform.
Best Free G Suite Courses
Not everyone wants to spend money on learning, so we have compiled a list of free online G Suite courses below.
Coursera
- Course name: Introduction to G Suite
- Time: 7 hours per course
- Prerequisites: None
- Cost: Free
Google Cloud offers this free introduction to G Suite in conjunction with Coursera. This is the first in a series of five detailed courses on Google administration specialization. In the first course, you will learn the basic functions of the admin console, including control access to services and configure security settings.
We highly recommend you enroll in all five courses so you can get a thorough understanding of the platform.
Google Workspace
- Course name: The G Suite Training
- Time: Self-Paced
- Prerequisites: None
- Cost: Free
What better way to learn a program than directly from the creator. Google offers this free workshop for anyone. You will learn the basics of the G Suite admin and Google applications.
You can use their tips library page to browse all of Google’s training resources. It is great for beginners who want to start learning the platform and its applications.
Best G Suite Books
You can also learn about what G Suite has to offer through books. For those who would rather read a book than study in an online course, the list of G Suite books below is for you.
The Ridiculously Simple Guide to Google Apps (G Suite): A Practical Guide to Google Drive Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Forms. Scott La Counte
La Counte’s book is a clear and concise guide to all of the Google applications. This book will teach you the basic features of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. You will also learn how to use shared calendars. This is a great book for anyone wanting to get a foundational overview of G Suite.
The Ultimate Guide to G Suite: Everything you need to set up and administer Google’s apps for your business (Zapier App Guides Book 9). Matthew Guay and Weston Thayer.
This book will teach you how to set up and manage your G Suite account. It also covers how to collaborate and share documents using the apps. The best part is that it’s free! You can read this book with Amazon’s Kindle app and apply the technical skills to your G Suite account.
G Suite For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) 1st Edition. Paul McFedries.
G Suite For Dummies by McFedries is an in-depth guide to G Suite. The book is meant for both personal and professional use. In it, you will learn everything about collaborating on the cloud, creating documents, and connecting via video or audio chat. This resource claims to be beneficial to everyone, regardless of their G Suite proficiency.
G Suite Certifications
Getting Google Certified is a great boost to your professional life. Almost every company uses Google applications and a certification will make your proficiency evident.
Google Workspace Certification
In this G Suite certification offered by Google, you will be tested on your knowledge of various Google applications, including Drive, Gmail, Sheets, Forms, Slides, Google Meet, and Docs.
This certification will demonstrate your ability to use Google cloud services to perform daily tasks. You can choose to take this exam from home or at a Google service center. Google offers practice tests and training sessions to help prepare you for the certification exam.
Online G Suite Resources
One of the best ways to strengthen your knowledge of a subject is by practicing and learning through the resources available. There are ample resources that will advise you on how to effectively use Google’s cloud workspace platform. Below are some of the best online resources.
G Suite Certification: Practice Lab
Provided by Qwiklabs, this is a fantastic free resource that will help you prepare for your certification exam.
The website has many resources you can peruse before taking the test. All you have to do is sign up for temporary access to the Google cloud console and over 200 labs. We recommend that you take some of these practice tests before completing your certification exam.
Google Workspace
This official Google YouTube channel offers a plethora of informative videos on Google workspace. On it, you can find everything you need to know about the applications and how to use them. The channel also has videos detailing the best methods and tips for using the Suite.
Google Workspace Admin Help
It is always nice to read up on the problems your fellow learners are facing. To facilitate this exchange of information, Google has created this platform where users can post queries and have discussions about the workspace.
This page is a help center that provides solutions to the issues users commonly face. We suggest you join this community to stay updated and informed about the cloud workspace.
Should You Learn G Suite?
Google is a global company, and its products are used in every industry. So, you should learn G Suite because you are bound to encounter it, regardless of what industry you work in. Knowledge of Google workspace is an expected skill in most jobs, practically qualifying as a basic computer skill.
Additionally, G Suite provides platforms that will meet your personal needs, as well as those of your company. The best part about acquiring this skill is that you most likely already use some G Suite applications, such as Gmail. So, learning the workspace as a whole shouldn’t be very difficult.
If you want to keep up with the required skills for the modern job market, then you should learn G Suite. We hope this article has helped you start the process of mastering this cloud-based workspace.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
