3/10/21
In 2018, Google released G Suite Enterprise for Education (GSEfE). All of the paid features were bundled together in GSEfE, without the ability to parse features organizations were truly interested in adopting. In 2020, 93% of customers purchased GSEfE for the enhanced Meet capabilities, which comes as no surprise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most were delighted to find the additional security features that GSEfE afforded them but it was secondary to the Meet features. Frequently, Amplified IT fielded questions related to, “but do we have to purchase all the features if we just want some of them?” Google also heard this feedback and created their new editions based on the needs of educational organizations.
If you aren’t sure which edition of Google Workspace for Education you need, you can take our 2-minute, 18-question assessment. This interactive assessment can match your organization’s technology needs with the right Google Workspace for Education edition.
April 14, 2021, will bring four new editions to Google Workspace, providing more flexibility and options for organizations looking to meet their learning objectives. At this time, Google Workspace for Education will become four different editions, each with a unique feature set and pricing:
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Education Fundamentals (previously the free edition of G Suite for Education)
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Education Standard
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Teaching and Learning Upgrade
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Education Plus (previously G Suite Enterprise for Education)
What are the features of each edition?
For organizations who are current G Suite Enterprise for Education subscribers and purchased before October 31, 2020, you are locked into the same price and the full Google Workspace for Education Plus edition until your 2022 renewal; no action is needed. Afterward, you will need to decide which edition is best for you. Let’s take a peek at the new editions and the key features that make them distinct. Check out the edition comparison here.
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Education Fundamentals (free)
Announcements from Google on February 17, illustrate their commitment to providing free and secure collaboration and productivity tools to schools. There is no action needed for those wishing to continue with Education Fundamentals and it will still be free for qualified organizations.
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Education Standard ($3/student/year)
Education Standard is essentially the Security Center (Dashboard, Investigation Tool, and Security Health) offered in the previous GSEfE edition with a few additional tools for advanced features for both security and analytics. Data regions are also included in the Education Standard edition along with advanced mobile device management, Gmail Security Sandbox, and Gmail log search in BigQuery, and the use of target audience groups. Education Standard is a good fit for schools that are only looking to leverage the additional admin features it provides. You can purchase an Education Standard edition in combination with the exact number of licenses you need for Teaching and Learning Upgrade, essentially combining the two editions to meet your needs.
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Teaching and Learning Upgrade ($4/license/month)
The Teaching and Learning Upgrade will encompass the enhanced Meet features as well as unlimited Originality Reports for Google Classroom. Unlike the Education Standard and Education Plus editions, there is not a minimum purchase requirement as there was previously. You can purchase just the number of Teaching and Learning Upgrade licenses needed.
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Education Plus ($5/student/year)
If you have been enjoying the expansive features of GSEfE, Google Workspace for Education Plus is the same edition. For organizations that purchased before October 31, 2020, the price is locked for 3 years at the discounted price. It is recommended that you keep the Google Workspace for Education Plus subscription. If you navigate to the Admin console>Billing>Subscriptions you will notice that the name has changed in the console to say, “Google Workspace for Education Plus – Legacy.”
How is each edition licensed?
Another important difference in the varying editions is how licenses can be purchased. The previous GSEfE edition was determined by the NCES database and full-time employees (subtracting out the non-support roles) and then 10 free student licenses were also applied for every faculty license purchased. Now, the Education Standard and Education Plus editions are based on student enrollment and schools will get one free staff license for every four student licenses. Google is moving away from the 1:10 staff-student ratio to a 4:1 student-staff ratio. Moving to this model will ensure there are enough licenses to cover both staff and students.
Amplified IT’s Tom Woods and Google outlined the recent updates to Google Workspace for Education in 2021 during their February 23rd webinar. Watch the recording and follow this link for the slide deck to reference.
We know you may still have questions. As a Premier Google for Education partner, we are here to support your institute through this transition. Learn more about Google Workspace for Education here.
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Catherine Weers
Onboarding & Engagement Consultant -
About the Author:
Catherine lives in Virginia Beach, walking distance to the Chesapeake Bay where she is Amplified IT’s Google for Education Onboarding and Engagement Consultant. Catherine joined the Amplified IT team in 2017 after serving in public schools for 13 years as a teacher in addition to various technology roles. Her current role as Onboarding and Engagement Consultant allows ample opportunity to empower schools, while sharing best practices to get the most out of the cloud solutions they adopt. In her spare time, you can find her at the beach with her family, likely chasing her 2 young daughters and petting all the dogs.