If you have not completed your transition from G Suite to Google Workspace, Google will automatically begin Google Workspace transitions on January 31, 2022.  You will receive at least 30 days notice of your migration.

Please note that this transition includes significant changes to your subscription options, features/functions, AND PRICING.

KEY POINTS TO KNOW:

• Disruption: The transition is non-disruptive to end users and administrators, unless you decide to transition to a subscription with different features.
• Pricing: Depending on your size and current G Suite services, keeping the same features may result in price increases of 50% to more than 300% (see below).
• Savings: Cumulus Global can manage your transition, help you select the best Google Workspace for your business, and offer discount incentives for making your transition before the end of the year.

YOUR KEY DECISION:

You need to decide if you want to manage your transition or wait for Google to transition your subscription automatically.

If you chose to manage your transition, we can:

• Save you money with Google-supported incentive discounts, provided we schedule your transition before the end of the year.
• Help you select the best subscription plan/mix for your business, ensuring your business and security needs are met at the lowest cost.
• Schedule your transition at a time that works for you and your team.
• Educate your IT team on any new end-user, admin, and security features.
• Support your IT team and end users.

YOUR MANAGED TRANSITION

To learn more about Managed Transitions, please contact us by email, or use the following form:

RESOURCES

In addition to more information in the “About” sections, below, we offer the following resources as well:

• Your Transition to Google Workspace – A short (~20 min) Coffee & Clouds webcast recording with a Google Workspace overview and an outline of your options based on key decision points.
• Quick Guide to Your Google Workspace Transition – An overview blog post with a link to our our 1 page Quick Guide
• The Transition to Google Workspace – The slide desk from our Coffee & Clouds webcast.
• Google Workspace Migration Guide – An eBook from Google about Google Workspace and the migration process.b
• Google Workspace Action Plan – A 3T@3 Webcast (~50 minutes) covering the transition to Google Workspace in detail.  Recorded in November, 2020, the discount incentives in the webcast have expired. Contact us for current options for savings.

About: Automatic Transitions

Google will begin automatic transitions on January 31, 2022.

• For annual subscriptions, the transition will occur at the end of your current annual or fixed term contract.
• Companies on “Flex Plan”, month-t0-month services, Google will transition your account as quickly as possible
• Google will determine the Google Workspace subscription based on your current product features, even if this change results in a significant price increase
• Automatic transitions are not eligible for incentives or other discounts

About: Pricing Changes

The three biggest impacts on your Google Workspace pricing are your number of licenses,  features, and storage.

License Count

Companies with fewer than 300 users can select from three Google Workspace Business subscriptions.  Companies with more than 300 users will need to select from the two Google Workspace Enterprise subscriptions.  While you can mix and match licenses within the Business and Enterprise tiers, you cannot mix and match Business and Enterprise subscriptions.

Impact for companies with more than 300 users:

• Companies running G Suite Basic, will see their per user license fees increase form $6 per month to at least $20 per month.
• Companies running G Suite Business, will see their per user license fees increase form $12 per month to at least $20 per month.

Features

The biggest feature impact for most companies will be their use of Vault.  Companies running G Suite Basic and Google Vault, or running G Suite Business (which includes Vault), will need to transition to Google Workspace Business Plus. Because both Google Workspace Enterprise subscriptions include Vault, any company with more than 300 users will have Vault due to the license count-based migration requirements.

Impact for companies using Vault (with 300 or fewer users):

• Companies running G Suite Basic plus Vault, will see their per user license fees increase form $11 per month to $18 per month.
• Companies running G Suite Business, will see their per user license fees increase form $12 per month to at least $18 per month.

Storage

Added storage is no longer an option with Google Workspace. Because you can mix and match licenses within the Business and Enterprise tiers, you may need to transition users to different subscriptions based on their storage needs.

The Google Workspace subscriptions offer the following per-user storage:

• Business Starter = 30GB, no Shared Drives
• Business Standard = 2 TB, aggregated across the domain, with Shared Drives
• Business Plus = 5 TB, aggregated across the domain, with Shared Drives
• Enterprise Standard = Unlimited storage, with Shared Drives
• Enterprise Plus = Unlimited storage, with Shared Drives

Other Changes: Vault Former Employee Licenses

Vault Former Employee (VFE) licenses are free or discounted Vault licenses for users that no longer have active G Suite accounts.  With the transition to Google Workspace, VFE licenses are no longer available; VFE licenses will transition to Archive User Licenses (AUL).

Archive User Licenses are NOT FREE. The per user per month pricing for AULs is as follows:

• AUL – Business = $4
• AUL – Enterprise Standard = $5
• AUL – Enterprise Plus = $7

Companies with VFE licenses should plan for alternate retention strategies or potentially significant licensing fees.