Google Workspace for Education – a multi-cloud approach

27 April, 2021

Key benefits

  • Boost productivity with creating, organising, sharing and grading all in one place

  • Provide diversity with new advanced options for customers who have specific needs

  • Data sovereignty – greater insights to alleviate issues at speed and protect sensitive data

  • Automate processes proactively with new tools like student polls, recording options, breakout rooms, interactive Q&As and more

Google Workspace for Education (GWSfE) is a set of Google tools and services that are tailored for schools in the classroom and virtually; to collaborate, streamline instruction, and keep learning safe.

2020 was a mad rush to facilitate changes in channel priorities. 2021 is focusing on strategic investments and moving towards long term enhancement.

The adoption of GWSfE, formally known as G Suite, by partners has spiked over the last 16 months from increase in remote education, online collaboration and technology usage. The daily active usage of GWfE has increased three times nationally.

Post pandemic, the channel is continuing to invest and Google is innovating their tools and solutions to enable partners and their requirements.

In February 2021, Google launched over 50 updates with new capabilities for education tools including Classroom, Meet, Chrome Education Upgrade and the next gen of GWSfE.

To mitigate student disengagement and drop as a result of broad based teaching and learning, GWSfE has opened up greater opportunities for partners to engage.

It is a portfolio solution that offers multiple editions to meet your customers’ needs:
1. Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals:
Free suite of easy-to-use tools for qualifying institutions. All the same tools you know and use just have a new name, and continue to provide a flexible and secure foundation for learning, collaboration, and communication.
2. Google Workspace for Education Standard:
Builds on Education Fundamentals to help schools proactively enhance security with the visibility and controls needed to make digital learning environments safer.
3. The Teaching and Learning Upgrade:

Builds on Education Fundamentals or Education Standard to enhance educators’ instructional impact.

4. Google Workspace for Education Plus:
The most comprehensive edition to help achieve a digital transformation encompassing all the capabilities of the aforementioned editions.
Channel opportunities

More than 170 million students and educators are using Google Workspace for Education globally.

Case study 1: Email security

A large channel partner invested in the GWSfE Plus edition. A student from one of their education institutions mass spammed an overwhelming number of emails to the whole school. The partner was able to instantly support the school’s IT department to easily turn off their system and resolve the problem in just one day. By understanding the customers' needs early on, the partner had already set up the controls needed to future-proof roadblocks of this nature and reduce impact.

Case study 2: Advanced capabilities

An education customer was on the lookout to better understand how their students can use the full potential of technology for those at higher risk during remote learning. A GWSfE partner utilised the advancement in capabilities by adding APIs to monitor student activities like how long they are online and what they’re accessing; using the comprehensive reporting system. This improved student engagement, transforming their hybrid classroom.

Success checklist:
  • Understand the open ecosystem nature of Google
  • Meet customer requirements early on
  • Go beyond a transactional business and jointly address transformation with customers
  • Build a broad expertise base
  • Ensure the ease of use
  • Sustainable profitability: Up-sell to the customer while helping them save on headcount
Driving profitability with Google Chrome

Google Chrome is an important piece of the Google portfolio and acts as a powerful gateway to accessing information. When combined with Google’s ecosystem, customers can individualise learning and broaden out the technology stack.

With over 60 device enhancements over the last few years, Google Chrome products are maturing as partners develop their own services to suit.

Key benefit: While GWSfE acts as a foundational platform, partners are able to add additional services by expanding their offerings on the back of Google’s ecosystem to drive value for their education customers.

Next steps: A multi-cloud approach

Google is always evolving. When partners understand the capabilities available to them beyond stock standard tools; from combining settings, usage and integration, they move away from reinventing the wheel and can make the most out of the options available.

With current channel trends and user feedback, Google will be making new announcements in the near future on further enhancements expected to hit the channel. Watch this space.

Why should you journey with Synnex?

Partners can sell in the form of an ecosystem solution set. You can combine Synnex, Google and ISV solutions all-in-one to create the most desired outcome for each of your customers.

Synnex play: Key initiatives to help partners maximise their potential

Synnex has built out a comprehensive onboarding and enablement plan with Google features spanning operational, technical and integration scaled offerings:

#1. TaaS
The Synnex technology-as-a-service program is a powerful finance program that enables partners to wrap up any solution deal into a recurring model.
#2. Telemarketing
Certified experts in Google and complementary solutions, they work with partners to contact customers and help grow a pipeline of opportunities.
#3. ISV solutions

Provide your customers with a full suite of integrated complementary solutions; from Acronis, CloudM, Parallel, Printix, Freshworks and more.

Download the full report

If you are interested in getting started with Google Workspace for Education or cloud solution attachments, connect with our team: googlecloud@au.synnex-grp.com

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