In case you were ever interested in the differences between the two most basic Google Workspace tiers - Business Starter and Business Standard - among the first different features that would come to your mind, there would definitely be non-pooled vs. pooled storage and the absence of the Shared Drives in Business Starter.
The differences between Business Starter and Business Standard: which one to choose?
Business Starter and Business Standard are the two most common Google Workspace tariff choices of smaller companies. But how can you decide which one is the right one for your company? What are the main differences between these two tariffs? And what makes Business Standard worth double the price of a Starter? Today, we will help you answer all of these questions, share our experience and give you some useful tips.
5 min. read by
Well, not anymore.
Pooled storage
Starting with May 2023, Google provides the "pooled" storage feature to all of the Google Workspace users, including those on Business Starter. That means, in practice, that there are no longer 30 GB storages dedicated to each of the users separately, but instead, each organization gets one, large shared storage, according to the number of its Workspace users. For example, an organization with 10 users gets 10 times 30 GB of space, which is 300 GB storage for the whole organization for Drives and e-mail. This storage is to be used as the users please. That is to say that if there is Albert in the organization, who only uses 2 GB of space, it means that another user, Vojto, is able to not only use his own 30 GB of space but also Albert's 28 GB remaining free to be used.
Also, it is much easier now for organizations to provide all of their users with enough storage space. Historically, if you needed more space as a user, you could either start using one more separate account with another 30 GB storage, or you had to reduce the data on your Drive to free some space. Now, this problem no longer exists thanks to the pooled type of storage, as it's limiting only the capacity of the whole organization's storage, not the individual's one.
And if the whole organization runs out of the storage space? Well, one of the possibilities, of course, is upgrading your organization to a higher tier, which provides you with larger storage space multipled by the number of users. However, in case you do not want to upgrade at the moment, you can simply create more storage space by adding new user(s) to your Business Starter. Simple as that, the more added users, the more extra 30 GB for your storage.
Shared Drives
What's more, the Shared Drives function should also be enabled for Business Starter until the end of 2023. Organizations on Business Starter will be able to create Shared Drives, add users to them, and create folders and documents. Google though points out that the functions available in the Shared Drives will be limited for Business Starter.
"However, to use admin security, sharing, and user settings for shared drives, your organization needs Business Standard or higher."
Source: Google Workspace Updates
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