Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, offers several editions to meet the diverse needs of businesses.
While the Business edition is suitable for most businesses, Google Workspace also offers an Enterprise edition with additional features.
This article examines the key advantages of the Enterprise edition over the Business edition, to help you choose the option best suited to your organization.
1. Advanced security capabilities
| Enterprise Edition | Business Edition |
| Data Loss Prevention (DLP): protects sensitive information by preventing unauthorized sharing. | Standard security with access control and identity management options. |
| Mobile Device Control: Manages and secures devices used by employees. | Not available. |
| Advanced Threat Detection: Protection against phishing attacks and other threats. | Not available. |
| Two-factor authentication: Use of hardware security keys for enhanced security. | Standard two-factor authentication. |
2. Enhanced archiving and compliance capabilities
| Enterprise Edition | Business Edition |
| Google Vault Archiving of e-mails and chats, enabling data to be stored, searched and exported to meet retention and compliance requirements. | Basic compliance and archiving functionality, without Google Vault. |
| Customized retention rules: Define retention rules for e-mails and chats. | Not available. |
| Detailed reports: Track user usage and activities to facilitate auditing and compliance. | Basic usage reports. |
3. Increased support and reliability
| Enterprise Edition | Business Edition |
| 24/7 Priority Technical Support: Faster response times and priority technical assistance. | Standard support with longer response times and no guarantee of specific availability. |
| 99.9% availability rate: Guaranteed high availability for critical services. | Standard availability rate. |
4. Advanced collaboration and analysis features
| Enterprise Edition | Business Edition |
| Google Meet meetings: up to 250 participants, with the option of recording meetings and broadcasting them live. | Google Meet with limited functionality (fewer participants and no meeting recording). |
| Advanced analysis: Access to BigQuery and data connectors for external sources in Google Sheets. | Basic analysis functions in Google Sheets. |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI): Use of predictive models to analyze and interpret data. | Not available. |
5. Flexibility and scalability
| Enterprise Edition | Business Edition |
| Larger storage quotas: Ability to add additional storage capacity. | Limited storage options. |
| Advanced Customization: Greater control over security and privacy settings, with options for developing customized applications. | Less customization. |
| Dedicated support: Assistance with implementation, training and ongoing management of Google Workspace. | Standard support without dedicated assistance for implementation and training. |
Summary
In summary, the Enterprise edition of Google Workspace offers significant advantages over the Business edition, particularly in terms of security, compliance, support, collaboration and analysis, as well as flexibility and scalability.
Choosing the Enterprise edition can be particularly beneficial for growing businesses, organizations subject to stringent regulations, or those with complex collaboration and analysis needs.
However, it's crucial to weigh these benefits against the additional costs, and determine which features are essential for your organization.
For example, if your company is in the healthcare sector and needs to comply with HIPAA, the Enterprise Edition's advanced security and compliance features would be crucial.
On the other hand, if you're a small business with basic collaboration needs, the Business edition might be sufficient.
