Maximize Your Business Potential with Microsoft Office 365 - Seamless Deployment by Interlock IT

 

Having the perfect tools can make all the difference for businesses. Imagine this: Microsoft Office 365, the superhero suite that transforms how teams work and collaborate. At Interlock IT, we are not just a face in the crowd; we are part of Microsoft's 5% crew, flaunting our Silver Microsoft Partner Competency badge with our pride. Our mission? To be your guiding star through the incredible world of Microsoft Office 365. We've got the expertise, the experience, and the passion to make your journey to Office 365 as smooth as can be.

Unlocking the Power of Microsoft Office 365

Many businesses face the challenge of navigating the complex world of Office 365 deployment. The wrong implementation can lead to unnecessary recurring support costs or the inefficient "managed services." Interlock IT believes in doing it right for the first time. We ensure that your Office 365 deployment aligns perfectly with your business needs, eliminating ongoing "break and fix" expenses.

Partnering for Success

As a Silver Microsoft Partner, Interlock IT stands out in providing solutions that leverage the full potential of Microsoft Office 365. We understand the intricacies of this suite - Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook - hosted by Microsoft without hefty upfront costs of an on-premise deployment.

Why Choose Interlock IT for Microsoft Office 365?

• Expert Deployment: We deploy Office 365 with precision, ensuring a seamless integration tailored to your business requirements.

• Eliminating Unnecessary Costs: Say goodbye to unnecessary recurring support expenses. Our deployment ensures a cost-efficient setup, eliminating the need for ongoing "break and fix" solutions.

• Empowering Productivity: Harness the power of Office 365's rich desktop-based applications combined with the flexibility of fully hosted Internet services for unparalleled productivity.

• Seamless Collaboration: Enable seamless collaboration and communication across your organization, transforming the way your teams work together.

Your Path to Office 365 Success Starts Here

Don't let the complexities of Office 365 deployment hold your business back. Partner with Interlock IT, where expertise meets experience, ensuring a hassle-free and successful implementation of Microsoft Office 365.

Ready to Transform Your Business?

Get in touch with us today, and let's embark on this journey together. With Interlock IT by your side, embrace the power of Microsoft Office 365, propelling your business towards enhanced productivity, collaboration, and success!

Maxed Out: Understanding Google Workspace's Pooled Storage Exceeded

Are you exhausted by the constant flood of email alerts and notifications, incessantly reminding you that your pooled limit storage has exceeded? Seeking a subscription upgrade but frustrated by the slow and cumbersome response from Google support? Whether you are a seasoned user or just stepping into the world of Google Workspace, these alerts disrupt your workflow, hindering productivity, and causing unnecessary stress. Why not opt for a direct conversation with a human, at no extra cost, to find your best subscription? Interlock IT is your solution. Interlock IT is here, providing personalized guidance to simplify your subscription, minus the hassles.

We all know that Google is always on the move, tweaking how we store and manage data. Recently, Google switched up how storage works in Google Workspace. Previously, everyone had their own storage limit, but now it is all about this shared pool of storage for the whole company. According to Google, "Pooled storage provides a more simple and flexible way to manage storage, as all storage is shared across the organization, removing the need to manage it on a per-user basis."

Here's the scoop: instead of each person having their own storage limit, the company now shares one big pool of storage. Sounds good, right? Well, the tricky part comes when this shared pool hits its limit, and suddenly there's a risk of not being able to create new documents. That's what Google calls "pooled storage exceeded."

What's the fix? Google has 2 suggestions: it is either freeing up your Google storage space or buying more Google storage. Opting for a higher-tier plan in your Google storage is a more favourable option than constantly trying to free up space within your existing storage. Sure, it might cost a bit more, but it also means getting more storage space. This upgrade helps avoid productivity losses that happen when the shared storage pool hits its cap.

This shift to shared storage in Google Workspace means a more collective way of managing space but also calls for a heads-up about possible limits. Getting that higher-tier plan might mean a smoother ride in the long run, ensuring everyone can keep working seamlessly in Workspace.

In the end, Google's storage switch has its upsides and downsides. Sharing storage means a more collective approach, but it also means keeping an eye on those limits. Opting for an upgraded plan can save a lot headaches, ensuring things keep running smoothly within Google Workspace.

Contact Interlock IT, and let us assist you in choosing the most suitable Google Workspace subscription at the best value, all without any additional cost!

Optimizing Google Workspace Operations: The Interlock IT Solution

In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, the way we work has transformed dramatically. Amid this shift, Google Workspace stands tall as a beacon of innovation, redefining the landscape of productivity and collaboration. 

At its core, Google Workspace is a powerhouse of productivity tools. Its integrated suite—from Gmail to Docs, Sheets, Drive, and more—provides a harmonious ecosystem that streamlines workflows. It eliminates the need to juggle between disparate platforms, allowing users to navigate effortlessly through their tasks. This consolidation significantly boosts efficiency, enabling individuals and businesses alike to focus on what truly matters: their work. 

As users navigate the vast potential of Google Workspace, the need for expert guidance becomes paramount. This is where Interlock IT enters. Interlock IT works like a helpful guide for businesses using Google services. They are experts in making Google tools work even better for you and your business. Positioned as proficient specialists, Interlock IT excels in optimizing the functionalities of Google tools to meet specific business needs. Whether it involves setup, issue resolution, or optimizing operations for seamless efficiency, Interlock IT stands as a dedicated partner, committed to empowering businesses to derive maximum value from Google's services. 

With Interlock IT now in focus, let’s delve deeper into the advantages they bring. Businesses often encounter hurdles in managing Google Workspace storage and efficiency. Here's where Interlock IT shines, offering tailored solutions to streamline these challenges. 

Personalized and Dedicated Support 

Interlock IT offers more personalized solutions, catering specifically to the needs of individual businesses or clients, whereas Google might have more standardized responses due to the scale of its operations. Dedicated Account Managers: Interlock IT assigns dedicated account managers who offer more personalized attention compared to the more automated or self-service support models of larger corporations. 

Direct and Immediate Contact 

Google primarily offers support through online forums, help articles, and community boards. Accessing direct one-on-one support can be challenging. Interlock IT provides direct contact with a dedicated support team, ensuring quicker response times and a more direct line of communication compared to Google's more extensive but less direct support system. 

Specialized Expertise and Focus 

Solutions provided in forums or community boards might not always be accurate or reliable, leading to potential misinformation or incomplete resolutions. Interlock IT has a more in-depth understanding of specific technical issues or solutions within its niche, providing more targeted and specialized assistance compared to the broad spectrum of services Google offers. 

Proactive and Relationship-Oriented Support 

During peak periods or for certain issues, getting a timely response can be frustrating. Users might experience delays in getting their queries addressed. Interlock IT takes a proactive approach to client communication, ensuring swift issue resolution and a smoother user experience. It prioritizes proactive engagement with clients, aiming to swiftly address concerns, ultimately fostering a more efficient and seamless interaction. 

Flexibility and Adaptability 

Interlock IT offers greater flexibility in tailoring its services to match the unique preferences of each client. This adaptability extends to payment and subscription plans, setting it apart from the limitations typically seen with Google's payment methods. While Google primarily restricts payment options to credit cards, Interlock IT widens the horizon, allowing subscriptions to be paid via credit cards and bank transactions, offering clients a more diverse and accommodating range of payment choices. 

Google Workspace is Better with Interlock IT 

Interlock IT isn't just a service provider; it’s a transformative partner in the realm of Google Workspace. Its unwavering commitment to personalized support, proactive problem-solving, and tailored solutions sets its expertise apart in the digital landscape. We understand your aspirations—to cultivate a workplace where collaboration knows no boundaries, enabling your team to thrive regardless of location. The acceleration of your company's growth isn't a distant dream but an achievable reality. 

If you haven't partnered with Interlock IT for your Google Workspace needs, we highly recommend joining us to revolutionize your digital experience. With Interlock IT, you're empowered to navigate Google Workspace adeptly, ensuring seamless operations, informed decisions, and expert management of your digital ecosystem. Join us today and unlock a new level of productivity!

Google Workspace transition from G Suite is happening soon!

On October 6, 2020 Google introduced the Google Workspace brand, product experience, and set of offerings to better equip customers for the future of work. Whether you're at home, at work, or in the classroom, Google Workspace is the best way to create, communicate, and collaborate.

Google has notified Google Cloud Partners like us that G Suite customers will be automatically transitioned beginning January 31st, 2022.

But please note that all legacy G Suite customers can choose to transition or upgrade early to receive the new Workspace features, plus take advantage of pricing incentives on annual commitments.

For customers on G Suite Business with Google Vault, the switch to Google Workspace Standard increases the price from $15.60 CAD to $23.40 CAD or $18 USD/user/month:

	G Suite (Old)	Google Workspace (New)
Features	G Suite Business	Business Standard	Business Plus
Storage	Unlimited	2TB	5TB
Google Meet Recording	❌	✅	✅
Maximum Number of Meet participants	100	150	250
Device Audit Log	✅	❌	✅
Google Vault	✅	❌	✅
Price - Monthly	$15.60 CAD	$15.60 CAD	$23.40 CAD

For customers on G Suite Basic the price remains the same at $7.80 CAD or $6 USD/user/month and the only features lost in the switch to Google Workspace Starter are Android and endpoint device management related.

If you have a legacy G Suite subscription and buy direct from Google, transitions to Google Workspace subscriptions and prices will begin as soon as November 2021. We highly recommend contacting a Google Workspace focused partner like us to review incentives available for upgrading. We deeply understand the nuances of the different plans and will ensure you buy only what you need, potentially saving you big money over the long term.

For customers considering dropping Google Vault, we offer less expensive 3rd party backup options that provide superior protection against malicious actions, as well as disaster recovery. Google Vault, however, is still the best option for e-discovery, retention policies, and legal holds.

For expert assistance on transitioning to Google Workspace, email us at info@interlockit.com or call us at (416) 840-6268 !

Helpful links:

Google Workspace FAQ

Google Workspace vs G Suite editions detailed comparison

Compare Google Workspace editions - Business

Google Workspace - Pricing and Features

Cloud Identity Comparison

Google Workspace Services Summary

Google Workspace Technical Support Services Guidelines

Cloud Identity Services Summary

Compare Education Editions

Google Workspace for Education

Interlock IT wins Copper Customer First Partner Award!

We are happy to share this achievement! Interlock IT wins Copper Customer First Partner Award. Whether it's a customization of your company workflow, integration or going live plan, our team is always here to help you get it done. Click here to find out how we can help.

Google Calendar Exporting / Importing

Google to Google Calendar Migration

In some scenarios it is necessary to migrate Google Calendar data manually between two Google accounts.

Usually, this is very simple.

Exporting from Google Calendar

1. Open Google Calendar on the source account
2. Go to Calendar settings > Import & Export
3. Click Export, and a ZIP file with all calendars will download to your computer
4. Extract the ZIP file, noting there is a separate .ics file for each calendar

Importing to Google Calendar

1. Open Google Calendar on the target account
2. If they don't already exist, create an appropriate target calendar for each calendar you will import to this account. Note, often you may not want to bring the primary calendar of the source account into the primary calendar of the target account.
3. Go to Calendar settings > Import & Export
4. Select the .ics file you intend to import
5. Select the appropriate target calendar
6. Click Import

Dealing with large calendars that fail to import

In many cases, a larger calendar will fail to import. This is because of limitations in Google Calendar's import capabilities. The solution is to manually divide the .ics file into several files, importing each separately. Usually, if each file is under 2.5mb it will import without issues, but in some cases you will need to split the files smaller.

Notepad++ is used in the example below.

Open the .ics file in Notepad++ and identify the headers, events, and footers of the .ics file. The headers are every part of the file that come before the first event, and the footers are every part that come after the last event. Everything encapsulated within "BEGIN: VEVENT" and "END:VEVENT" is an individual event. See screenshot below for example of Header, Event, and Footer sections.

The concept of splitting the file is quite simple. We want to create multiple files with the Header and Footer sections intact, while splitting the event content across each of our multiple files, keeping each individual event intact. This is where Notepad++ comes in handy, since it gives you a line reference to the left of each line, so you can keep track of which events you are including in each file.

These example instructions assume you want to split a single .ics file into 2 files:

1. Open the original .ics file and identify the headers.
2. Create two new blank .ics files (name them appropriately to keep track of them) and paste the headers into each file.
3. From the original .ics file, select roughly the first half of events by starting at the first line with "BEGIN:VEVENT" and choosing a line that contains "END:VEVENT" somewhere near the middle of the file. Copy-paste this into the first new .ics file.
   
4. From the original .ics file, select the next half of events after the data you copied, which should be the next event beginning with "BEGIN:VEVENT" all the way to near the end of the file, the last line that contains "END:VEVENT". Copy-paste this into the second new .ics file.
   
5. Open the original .ics file and identify the footers.
6. Copy-paste the footers to the end of each of the new .ics files.
7. Save both of your new files and proceed to import them one-by-one.

If you have questions or if you would like someone from our team to handle this for you, you can fill out this form.

Go paperless with the Google Drive App on your smartphone

Scan with the Google Drive App and go paperless

Is your wallet or purse stuffed with various receipts you need to later organize and expense or post into your accounting software? Have you lost important receipts? Do you put documents or receipts into an envelope or tray for your accountant?. With the Google Drive app, you can create a paperless electronic workflow and gain the peace of mind of never losing receipts or documents again.

After scanning a file, Google Drive will automatically index all text (and images), for easy searching. Google Drive is scary smart at searching your pdf file and image contents using machine learning and Optical character recognition (OCR). Google is a world leader in machine learning technology so Google Drive’s ability to recognize images that contain a dog or a brand of car for instant search results constantly improves.

New pricing for G Suite Basic and Business FAQ for Canada and USA

Google G Suite prices have remained the same for more than a decade despite providing a continuous stream of customer focused innovation and adding over a dozen new services.

If you are buying G suite from Google directly or through another Google Cloud Partner please visit this blog post to learn how to lock in today's pricing for 1 more year for significant savings!

We've created this FAQ to help customers understand the pricing changes and will continue to update it as new information becomes available for Canadian and USA customers in CAD and USD.

On January 16th, 2019 Google Cloud Announced price increases that will take effect April 2nd, 2019.

The new prices in USD and CAD are below:

G Suite Edition	USD (per user/month)	CAD (per user/month)
Basic	$6	$7.80
Business	$12	$15.60
Enterprise	$25	$34.00

Enterprise Edition prices remain the same.

You can find the current USD pricing and an overview of what's contained in each edition here: https://gsuite.google.com/pricing.html

A detailed comparison of the G Suite editions is here: https://gsuite.google.com/compare-editions/

The $50/user/year G Suite Basic Annual plan which was a 20% discount over the $5/user/month ($60/user/year) Flex plan has been eliminated. Annual and Monthly Flex plans now cost the same overall per year. There will no longer be a discount for locking into an Annual plan.

Customers purchasing G Suite in Canadian Dollars (CAD) on either Annual or Monthly Flex plans directly from Google or from a reseller (confirmed January 22nd) will receive a limited time regional discount for the first year below:

G Suite Edition	Ends April 1st, 2020    (per user/month)	Starts April 2nd, 2020    (per user/month)
Basic	$7.02 CAD (10% discount)	$7.80 CAD (regular price)
Business	$13.26 CAD (15% discount)	$15.60 CAD (regular price)

For customers on Annual plans the discount will apply to the full first year of renewals occurring April 2nd, 2019 until December 31st, 2019. Renewals prior to April 2nd, 2019 will not see a price increase until renewal in 2020. Annual plan customers cannot renew early/reset their contract term unless they upgrade to Business or Enterprise. Annual CAD renewals after December 31st, 2019 will not receive the regional discount.

Upgrading from Basic to Business Edition is actually a great option to reset your contract term and lock in the $10/user/month pricing for 1 more year. G Suite Business with Team Drives and Unlimited Storage is giving our customers freedom from traditional Windows file shares and other non-integrated, non-cloud storage solutions.

Canadian and US customers paying in USD will not receive any regional or transition discounts either direct or through partners.

The good news is that our Interlockit.com customers currently on the monthly Flex plans have the additional option to switch to an annual plan before the April 2nd price increase and lock in today's Basic Edition for $50/user/year or Business Edition for $120/user/year for a full year.

Unlike Interlockit.com customers, those buying directly from Google on monthly Flex do not have the option to switch to an annual plan before the price increase and save as much as 62% for 1 year.

If you know of organizations buying G Suite from Google directly please refer them to us at Interlockit.com so we can also save them significant money for 1 more year!

How to save money and delay the G Suite price increase

On January 16th, 2019 Google Cloud Announced price increases that will take effect April 2nd, 2019.

Organizations currently purchasing G Suite Basic for $50 on an annual plan in USD are facing a 44% price increase effective April 2nd, 2019.

The new prices in U.S. Dollars (USD) and Canadian Dollars (CAD) are below:

G Suite Edition	USD (per user/month)	CAD (per user/month)
Basic	$6	$7.80
Business	$12	$15.60
Enterprise	$25	$34.00

If your organization is currently buying G Suite Basic or Business Edition directly from Google on a monthly Flex plan you can switch to an Annual subscription through us at Interlockit.com before the price increase date and keep the old pricing for 1 whole year!

In addition, if your G Suite plan with Google direct is an annual commitment, switching to us at Interlockit.com as your partner will reset the annual contract start date to the date of the transfer letting you keep the old pricing for another year!

The potential savings of resetting your contract date are huge and there is zero interruption to your G Suite service. It's just a back end billing change. You are never locked in and can return to buying direct from Google after the 1 year is up but we expect you'll enjoy our excellent G Suite technical support team and stay on board with us.

Another great way to reset your contract date and lock in the savings is to upgrade to G Suite for Business Edition at the current $10/user/month or $120/user/year price on an annual contract. Your annual Basic contract gets terminated on the day of the upgrade effective resetting your term and locking in the old pricing for 1 year. Click here for the G Suite editions overview and a detailed comparison. G Suite Business with Team Drives and Unlimited Storage is giving our customers freedom from traditional Windows file shares and other non-integrated, non-cloud storage solutions.

Currently G Suite Basic on an annual plan is $50/user/year and G Suite Business is $120/user/year. These prices will increase to $72/user/year and $144/user/year respectively on April 2, 2019

Interlockit.com can save you $22 USD/user on Basic and $24 USD/user on Business Edition for 1 year. The savings on Canadian Dollar (CAD) G Suite plans can be even higher!

Contact us at Interlockit.com to learn more about what your cost savings could be.

Google Introduces Work Insights and the Investigation Tool

Have you ever wondered if your G Suite subscription is actually being put to good use?

Work Insights is a new tool to that lets you see how much impact G Suite is making on your organization. It does this by showing you data on which teams are using G Suite and which apps they use frequently, how they are using the apps to collaborate, how much time the teams are spending in meetings, and much more. Essentially, Work Insights gives you an overview of how G Suite enables your team members to work together.

Photo source: G Suite Updates Blog

Admins can look at adoption charts in Work Insights to analyze trends and track deployment progress. This data is useful for bench-marking and for identifying which team members may need additional training on applications. This can be especially relevant if your organization is shifting from legacy tools to G Suite.

Photo source: G Suite Updates Blog

Currently in beta, Work Insights is available to organizations subscribed to G Suite Enterprise or Enterprise for Education. G Suite admins who want to try it now can fill out the Beta Test Application form.

Are you aware of potential security risks within your G Suite domain?

Google understands every organization's need for simplified security management. The security center, which they introduced earlier this year, brings together security analytics, actionable insights, and best practice recommendations. Recently, they announced the general availability of the new investigation tool which integrates remediation to the prevention and detection features of the security center. G Suite admins can use the new investigation tool to identify suspicious device activity, find out if classified Google Drive documents have been shared to outsiders and hence cut access, remove emails that can compromise account security, and more.

Photo source: G Suite Updates Blog

The investigation tool has a simple user interface. Admins can identify threats and take action with a few clicks--no need to analyze logs or run complex scripts.

The investigation tool is now available to G Suite Enterprise customers.

References

Gain deeper organizational insights and take action with new G Suite features [Web blog post]. (2018, September 18). Retrieved September 23, 2018, from https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2018/09/gain-deeper-organizational-insights-and.html

Sawers, P. (2018, September 18). G Suite’s new Work Insights tool reveals adoption and collaboration rates within your company [Web blog post]. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/18/g-suites-new-work-insights-tool-reveals-adoption-rates-and-collaboration-within-your-company/

The power of cloud integration for business IT systems

Before cloud computing existed, data used to reside in individual stores, on different computers, and sometimes within very different ecosystems. Users would have a record for a client in accounting, another in the order entry system, and another in a database of leads. Even emails were hosted on individual machines with only a local access point. To make matters even more complicated, none of these systems would automatically synchronize or intercommunicate; it was a virtual mess!

Thankfully many business systems today operate in the cloud allowing users to, for example, pull emails from a customer relationship management (CRM) system (like Copper) and with a single click, dial a contact via RingCentral which logs the interaction for productivity reporting and follow ups. Since data now has the ability to flow freely between software, it doesn't make sense for it to live in individual stores any longer. Think of software integration like bridges in a city, allowing traffic to flow freely from one place to another.

Our team at Interlock IT advocates a simplified workflow which eases integration between all of your business systems – phone, email, and software. For instance, allowing calls to be logged in your CRM both in and out of the office, and emails automatically synced to client records in your CRM and accounting software. Our skilled team can perform custom integrations with many other solutions that we may not necessarily resell. Our use of Google App Engine instead of hosted servers and the pervasiveness of modern Open API's with cloud software means integrations are low cost, secure, reliable, and near realtime. Gone are the error prone days of file exports to hard drives and batch import processes that frequently failed due to data structure changes. Modern API's flow through the software business logic layer to prevent issues like posting unbalanced accounting entries. Database or file level integration methods of the past often required duplication of this critical error checking logic and would fall behind as the core software business logic changed.

To illustrate an example of cloud integration, we use Hubdoc to automatically push our monthly phone bill to Xero which codes it to the correct expense account. It attaches the pdf image of the invoice and also saves a copy to our Google Drive where we can take advantage of the world's best search engine to instantly find it again. Enabling auto-pay with our provider allows us to simply let Xero's automatic downloading of bank transactions find the matching payment and mark it as paid. There is zero traditional human data entry required, which in return allows us to use that time towards more important tasks like following up with our customers.

Unfortunately many businesses still use obsolete (non-cloud) IT software that is inherently inefficient and expensive. Even custom integrations of legacy software is generally designed hastily to fill a need but isn't a permanent fix. This usually involves data that is only accessible from one computer and often by only one user at a time, not remotely and collaboratively. In the era of cloud computing, these sort of 'patch-ups' aren't necessary. Cloud computing has opened the doors for powerful software integrations that yield far superior results when it comes to productivity and efficiency. If there's a cloud application that your business needs to integrate, our team is ready to design and deploy it. Contact us today to find out more about how you can unify your workflow and improve your business IT system!

Fluidly Send Mails in Gmail By Mentioning Your Contact With The @ Symbol

If you're used to tagging your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram by typing @ + <your friend's name>, then surely you'll like this new feature in the New Gmail. When writing an email, you can mention your contact by typing the @ symbol and then the name of your correspondent in the body of the email.

Gmail will show a list of contacts as you type the name, and you can use the Up or Down arrow key and hit Enter to select the contact. The name will appear as a hyperlinked text in the body of the message and populate the To: field.

This trick only works with people you've already contacted, and only in the New Gmail interface. It's still a helpful feature nevertheless.

G Suite admins can enable the New Gmail in the Admin Console:

1. Go to Apps > G Suite > Gmail.
2. Under User settings, scroll down to "New Gmail Early Adopter Program" and select "Allow my users access to the new Gmail UI and features".
3. Save.

G Suite users and regular Gmail users can opt in on the feature by clicking on the gear icon in their mailbox and then choosing the option "Try the new [Yourdomainname] Mail" or "Try the new Gmail".

If you spend your time mostly on writing emails, then this cool feature should allow you to be more productive. Go ahead, try it now!