Google Workspace
(G Suite)
AMBS has been using Gmail and Google Calendar since 2010. AMBS has been using Google Drive for file storage since 2015. Together, these and other products constitute Google Workspace.
The Big Six
Click an image to view more detail about how to use that feature. (Google has a ton of resources about using their products. This page does not recreate all that material, but tries to pull out some highlights for AMBS purposes.)
Gmail. I'm tempted not to describe this at all, but there's more to it than you may realize.
Google Calendar. Where course schedules, meeting schedules, and individual appointments are kept. If everyone at AMBS uses Google Calendar reliably, scheduling meetings will be much easier--no need for third party services like Doodle. Bonus: you can reserve rooms on campus through Google Calendar.
Google Drive. AMBS has used Google Drive as our primary file storage since 2015. By policy, all AMBS-related work should be in Google Drive. If you find yourself confused by Google Drive, click this icon for more information about how to use it. (See also, Google Drive for desktop, listed below only to reduce clutter here.)
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides. AMBS has never formally adopted these products, but they are commonly used. Use Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms for collaborative work with colleagues--multiple people can work on a single document simultaneously. Docs, Sheets, and Slides are Google's answer to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Google Meet is Google's video conferencing tool. Every employee and student at AMBS can host video conference meetings in Google Meet--no software download or special license required.
Google Chat is Google's instant messaging tool for business. Most of the time it lives in easy reach within Gmail. Use it for quick one-to-one conversations with colleagues. If you decide you'd rather see each other? You can launch a Meet from within Chat.
(Some of) The Rest
COMING! Google Drive for desktop is an application for Windows and Mac OS X that brings the contents of your Google Drive to your computer so that you can save files of all sorts directly to it without using your web browser. (Note: it does not yet work with the new-as-of-2020 M1 Macs.)
Google Tasks. A very simple task list.
COMING!
Google Keep. A free-form database of random notes, images, lists, links, and other things you want to remember. Google's answer to Microsoft OneNote which was Microsoft's answer to Evernote (remember that?)
COMING!
Google Forms. A handy way to solicit data from several people (like in a survey). Responses can easily be imported into a Google Sheet for more analysis and reporting.
COMING!
Google Groups. Use a metaphor of your choice: email group list, shared Inbox, or bulletin board. AMBS uses Groups for role-based email addresses and committee- and employee and student lists. Individuals can create ad-hoc lists for their own use.
COMING!
Google Rooms. Google's answer to Slack. Group chat for business. Each Room can have different people chatting with easy access to shared files, tasks, and a place to Meet.