Getting your Church IT setup - The Google Option

We've put together a series of articles that are hopefully just bullet point lists on exactly how you can begin to get your church IT setup to make things as easy as possible.

There's two main providers that make this easy - Microsoft and Google. Both offer charity rate subscriptions, so if you are a registered charity please do check out our articles here (for Google) or here (for Microsoft) before you spend out un-necessarily. As for why you might want a more professional setup for your church IT, check out our opinion article here.

With all that out the way, this is how to get setup with Google Workspace:

1. Visit the Google Workspace Website:
   • Go to the Google Workspace website (formerly known as G Suite) at https://workspace.google.com/.
2. Choose a Plan:
   • Select the plan that best fits your organization's needs. Google Workspace offers different plans with varying features and pricing options.
3. Provide Organization Information:
   • Enter your organization's name, the number of employees/users, and your current email address.
4. Verify Domain Ownership:
   • Verify that you own the domain associated with your organization. This typically involves adding a specific DNS record provided by Google to your domain's DNS settings.
5. Create Admin Account:
   • Create an administrator account for your organization. This account will have access to the Google Workspace Admin console, where you can manage users, settings, and billing.
6. Set Up Billing:
   • Enter billing information and choose your payment plan. Google Workspace offers monthly or annual billing options.
7. Configure Settings:
   • Customize your Google Workspace settings according to your organization's needs. This includes setting up security preferences, defining user roles and permissions, and configuring email routing and filtering.
8. Add Users:
   • Add users to your Google Workspace account by entering their email addresses. You can also create custom email addresses for users under your organization's domain.
9. Distribute Account Information:
   • Provide users with their login credentials and instructions on how to access their Google Workspace accounts.
10. Install Apps:
    • Install and configure the Google Workspace apps your organization will use, such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and more.
11. Training and Support:
    • Provide training and support to users as needed to familiarize them with the Google Workspace apps and features.
12. Monitor Usage and Security:
    • Regularly monitor usage and security settings within the Google Workspace Admin console to ensure compliance with organizational policies and best practices.
13. Stay Updated:
    • Keep abreast of updates and new features released by Google Workspace to take advantage of the latest tools and enhancements.

By following these steps, you can successfully set up a Google Workspace account for your organization and begin leveraging its powerful suite of productivity tools to streamline communication, collaboration, and workflow management.