Ostratto - Blog | Ostratto , Guides

What's BIMI - and should your business be using it?

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:14:50 +0000

Email security has come a long way in recent years. Most businesses are now familiar with SPF, DKIM and DMARC as the foundations of protecting their domain from spoofing and phishing. But there’s a newer standard gaining attention: BIMI.

BIMI promises better brand recognition, improved trust, and a visual stamp of authenticity in your customers’ inboxes. Sounds great… but is it actually realistic for small businesses right now?

Let’s break it down.

What is BIMI?

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) allows your organisation’s logo to appear next to emails you send in supported inboxes (such as Gmail and Yahoo).

Instead of just seeing a sender name or generic initial, recipients can see your verified brand logo alongside your email. This helps users quickly recognise legitimate messages and reduces the risk of phishing.

In short:

Stronger brand visibility
Increased trust with recipients
Clearer separation from spoofed or fraudulent emails

But BIMI isn’t just a logo upload. It’s tightly linked to email authentication and security standards.

Without BIMI

With BIMI

The Prerequisites for BIMI

Before BIMI is even an option, your email domain must meet strict security requirements:

So far, all reasonable… until we get to the biggest barrier.

1. DMARC enforcement

Your domain must have DMARC set to p="quarantine" or p="reject.

This means:

SPF and DKIM must be correctly configured
You must be confident that legitimate mail won’t be blocked
Any unauthorised senders are actively rejected or quarantined

You can read more about DMARC here.

2. A compliant BIMI logo

Your logo must be:

In SVG Tiny 1.2 format
Square and properly optimised
Hosted securely and publicly accessible

This isn’t a standard SVG export and often requires specialist design or conversion work.

3. A BIMI DNS record

A DNS record is added to your domain that:

Points to your logo
References your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)

So far, all reasonable… until we get to the biggest barrier.

The Blocker: Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs)

To display a BIMI logo in major inboxes like Gmail, you need a Verified Mark Certificate.

A VMC:

Proves you own the logo
Confirms you have the legal right to use it
Is issued by a recognised Certificate Authority (such as DigiCert)

Why this is a problem for small businesses

VMCs come with two major costs:

Trademark registration - Your logo must be a registered trademark. This alone can cost hundreds to thousands of pounds and take months to complete.
Annual certificate fees - VMCs typically cost £800–£1,500+ per year, depending on the provider.

For large brands, this is a reasonable investment.

For most small businesses, it simply isn’t.

Is BIMI worth it right now?

For enterprise organisations and well-known brands, BIMI makes sense:

They already have trademarks
The cost is marginal relative to marketing budgets
Brand impersonation is a serious risk

For small and growing businesses, the reality is different.

While BIMI is technically impressive, it’s currently:

Expensive to implement
Dependent on trademark ownership
Limited in inbox support
Hard to justify compared to other security improvements

Right now, BIMI is more of a “nice to have” than a necessity for most SMEs.

What should small businesses focus on instead?

If your goal is email trust and security, your effort is usually better spent on:

Properly configured SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Gradually moving DMARC to enforcement (quarantine → reject)
Monitoring DMARC reports to prevent legitimate mail issues
Reducing spoofing and phishing risks at the domain level

These steps deliver real security benefits without the high costs attached to BIMI.

Our View

BIMI is a great idea, but it’s not yet accessible for most small businesses.

As the ecosystem matures and costs come down, we expect BIMI to become far more achievable. Until then, getting your email authentication right is the most effective way to protect your brand and your customers.

If you’re unsure where your domain stands - or want help tightening up your email security - we can help you get there, without unnecessary complexity or expense.

Contact

Get in touch with the team to discuss how we support your business with practical, people-first technology and long-term solutions.

About

Learn who we are, what we stand for, and how Ostratto helps businesses make their work, less work through practical technology solutions.

Learn More

Our Approach

Discover how we partner with you - focusing on strategy, simplicity and long-term value to deliver technology that truly supports your business.

Learn More

What Is ZTNA? A Simple Guide for Small and Medium Businesses

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 12:33:00 +0000

Cybersecurity used to be simple: if you were inside the office network, you were trusted. If you were outside, you weren’t. That approach no longer works. Staff now work from home, use personal devices, and rely on cloud apps rather than office servers. Hackers have also grown more sophisticated, often exploiting stolen passwords or unsecured endpoints.

This shift has led to the rise of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) - a modern security model that assumes no user or device should be trusted by default, whether they’re inside or outside the company network.

What Exactly Is ZTNA?

ZTNA replaces the old “castle-and-moat” idea of cybersecurity with identity-based access. Instead of giving users broad access to your network once they log in (like with a traditional VPN), ZTNA applies strict, dynamic rules:

Never trust, always verify – Every login attempt and every device is continuously checked.
Least privilege access – Users only get access to the specific apps or resources they need, nothing more.
Context-aware decisions – Access can depend on factors like device security, location, or time of day.

In short, ZTNA makes sure the right person, on the right device, gets the right level of access - and nothing slips through the cracks.

How ZTNA Works in Practice

Unlike VPNs, which give users access to the whole network, ZTNA is more precise, reducing the risk of attackers moving around if they do break in.

A staff member tries to log into a company system (say, Zoho CRM).

ZTNA verifies their identity (username, MFA) and checks the device they’re using.

If everything matches company policy, ZTNA grants access to just that application.

If something looks unusual - such as logging in from an unknown device or country - access may be denied or additional checks required.

	ZTNA	VPN
Security Approach	Follows “zero trust” - no one is trusted by default.	Creates a secure tunnel for the entire network. Trusted once inside.
Access Control	Limits access to only the specific resources required.	Grants full access to the network once connected.
User Experience	Web-based, easier setup, and usually provides smoother access.	Requires software installation; may slow down internet speeds.
Scalability	Easier to scale, especially in cloud environments.	Can face performance issues with more users.
Location of Access	Focuses on granting access to specific apps/services.	Provides access to the entire internal network remotely.

Benefits of ZTNA for SME's

Adopting Zero Trust Network Access doesn’t just modernise your security - it brings practical advantages for smaller organisations. By moving away from broad, “all-or-nothing” network access, ZTNA helps SMEs work more securely, efficiently, and flexibly, especially in today’s cloud-driven and remote-working environments.

Stronger Security

Reduces the risk of stolen credentials being used to gain broad network access. Limits “lateral movement” - attackers can’t roam freely once inside.

Better Remote Experience

Staff connect directly to the apps they need, without slow VPN tunnels back to the office.

Simpler IT Management

Centralised control means you can enforce consistent policies for office staff, remote workers, and contractors.

Supports Compliance

Helps demonstrate strong access controls, which is key for GDPR and industry audits.

Scales Easily

Adding new users, apps, or locations doesn’t require new hardware - it’s cloud-delivered.

How SMEs Can Get Started with ZTNA

Audit your current access model – Who is accessing what systems, from where, and on which devices?
Start small – Pilot ZTNA on one cloud app or a subset of users first.
Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) – This is a foundation for ZTNA.
Choose the right vendor – Look for solutions with UK/EU data centres, simple integrations with your tools (Zoho, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), and SME-friendly pricing.
Work with a trusted partner – If you don’t have in-house expertise, a consultancy can help you design policies and roll out ZTNA smoothly.

ZTNA represents a major shift in cybersecurity - from trusting by default to verifying everything. For SMEs, it offers a practical way to protect remote workers, secure cloud apps, and stay ahead of modern threats without adding huge complexity.

In short: ZTNA helps ensure only the right people, using the right devices, can access your business systems. And in a world where breaches often start with a single stolen password, that’s a huge step forward.

What's SASE? The Future of Secure Networking for SMEs

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:23:27 +0000

The way businesses work has changed. With more staff working remotely, cloud apps replacing on-premise servers, and cyber threats growing more complex, traditional IT security models are struggling to keep up. This is where SASE (pronounced “sassy”) comes in.

SASE stands for Secure Access Service Edge, and it’s being called the future of networking and security. But what exactly is it - and what does it mean for small and medium-sized businesses?

Breaking Down SASE: The Basics

At its core, SASE is about combining network security and connectivity into one cloud-delivered service. Traditionally, businesses would:

Connect users to a central office network (via VPNs or firewalls).
Route internet and app traffic back through that office for security checks.

This worked when everyone sat in the same office. But with cloud apps (like Zoho, Microsoft 365, or Google Workspace) and hybrid work, this model slows everything down and leaves gaps in protection.

SASE flips the model:

Security is delivered from the cloud edge, not your office.
Users connect securely to the nearest SASE “point of presence” (POP), wherever they are.
The service combines network performance and security features in one.

The Core Components of SASE

A true SASE platform usually bundles together:

SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) - Improves connectivity by routing traffic intelligently over multiple internet paths (rather than relying on a single VPN tunnel).
Secure Web Gateway (SWG) - Filters web traffic, blocking malicious sites and enforcing browsing policies.
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) - Provides visibility and control over cloud apps (e.g. who’s accessing Zoho CRM from where, and what they’re doing).
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) - Replaces old VPNs with identity-based access. Users only get access to what they need, and nothing more.
Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) - Cloud-based firewalls to protect against unauthorised access and threats.

Why SASE Matters for SMEs

Large enterprises were the first adopters, but SMEs stand to benefit greatly because:

Simplified IT - Instead of juggling separate VPNs, firewalls, and security tools, SASE consolidates them into one cloud service.
Scalable - Adding new staff, locations, or devices is easier. No need to buy more hardware firewalls for every site.
Better experience for remote workers - Staff connect directly to the nearest SASE node for faster, safer access to apps.
Cost control - A single subscription model can replace multiple expensive IT systems and maintenance costs.
Future-proofing - Cybersecurity regulations and customer expectations are rising; SASE helps SMEs show they take data protection seriously.

Real-World Example

Imagine your business has:

An office in Bristol
A handful of remote staff around the UK
Teams using Zoho, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Teams daily

With SASE

Everyone connects to the nearest secure cloud edge.
All traffic is encrypted, scanned, and routed optimally.
Security policies are applied consistently, whether someone is at home, in the office, or on the road.

Without SASE

Remote users connect to the office via VPN, slowing everything down.
Security tools may be inconsistent across devices.

Challenges to Consider

While SASE offers a modern approach to networking and security, it’s not entirely a “switch it on and forget it” solution. For SMEs, the promise of simplified management, cost savings, and stronger protection is attractive - but it comes with practical hurdles. SMEs should be aware of:

Vendor Choice

Different providers bundle features differently. Some focus more on SD-WAN, others on security.

Migration Planning

Moving from traditional firewalls/VPNs to SASE takes careful rollout.

Connectivity Reliance

As SASE is cloud-delivered, you need reliable internet to benefit fully.

SASE is still maturing, but adoption is accelerating. Gartner predicts that by 2028, the majority of businesses will have a SASE strategy in place. For SMEs, the decision often comes down to timing:

If you’re planning a network refresh, moving to more remote/hybrid working, or want to simplify your IT stack, now is a good time to evaluate SASE.
If your current security tools are working and budgets are tight, start by exploring Zero Trust and cloud-delivered firewalls - key stepping stones toward SASE.

SASE is more than another tech acronym. It’s a shift in how businesses connect and protect their people, apps, and data in a cloud-first world. For SMEs, it offers a way to get enterprise-grade security and performance without the enterprise-grade cost or complexity.

In short: SASE brings together networking and security in the cloud, making your business more secure, more flexible, and better prepared for the future of work.

Exploring SASE as an option for your environment? We'd love to help!

DMARC: What's going on?

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 10:54:36 +0000

Email security is a critical component of any organisation's cybersecurity strategy. Yet, despite its importance, many businesses have been slow to adopt DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). DMARC helps prevent email spoofing, phishing, and other cyber threats, but its implementation has lagged behind.

In this article, we'll explore why DMARC adoption has been slow and provide a step-by-step guide on how to set it up for your domain.

What is DMARC?

DMARC is an email authentication protocol designed to protect domains from being used for email spoofing and phishing attacks. It works by ensuring that emails sent from your domain are properly authenticated using SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail).

A DMARC policy tells receiving mail servers what to do when an email fails authentication—whether to monitor (no action), quarantine (send to spam), or reject (block outright) unauthorised emails.

How DMARC Works

SPF and DKIM Check: The recipient's mail server checks if the email passes SPF and DKIM authentication.
DMARC Policy Evaluation: Based on the configured DMARC policy (none, quarantine, or reject), the server determines what to do with the email.
Reports Sent: The recipient’s mail server sends DMARC reports back to the domain owner, providing insights into email activity and unauthorised email attempts.

Why Has DMARC Adoption Been Slow?

Despite its benefits, DMARC adoption has been sluggish. Here’s why:

Complexity of Implementation - Setting up DMARC requires proper configuration of SPF and DKIM records, which can be confusing for businesses without dedicated IT teams.
Risk of Email Deliverability Issues - If DMARC is misconfigured, legitimate emails could be rejected or marked as spam, disrupting communication. This risk makes many hesitant to enforce strict policies.
Lack of Awareness - Many businesses don’t realise that their domains can be exploited for email spoofing. Without awareness of the risks, there’s little urgency to adopt DMARC.
Perceived as a ‘Big Business’ Solution - Some SMEs believe DMARC is only necessary for large enterprises, not realising that any domain can be targeted by email fraud.
The "Set It and Forget It" Mindset - Some companies implement DMARC at the none policy level for reporting purposes but never move to stricter enforcement (quarantine or reject).

How to Set Up DMARC for Your Domain

To implement DMARC, you need access to your domain’s DNS settings. Here’s how to do it step by step.

Step 1: Set Up SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF helps verify that emails sent from your domain come from authorised mail servers.

1. Log into your DNS provider (e.g., Ostratto Hosting, GoDaddy, 123Reg.
2. Locate the DNS settings for your domain.
3. Add a TXT record with the following format:

v=spf1 include:mailprovider.com -all

Replace mailprovider.com with your email service provider (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365).
The "-all" means that emails not listed in SPF should be rejected.

4. Save the record and allow time for propagation.

Step 2: Set Up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to emails, verifying their authenticity.

1. In your email provider’s admin panel, look for DKIM settings.

2. Enable DKIM and generate a public key.

3. Add a TXT record in your DNS settings using the provided values.

4. Save the record and enable DKIM signing.

Step 3: Configure DMARC

Once SPF and DKIM are in place, set up DMARC to define how unauthorised emails should be handled.

1. In your DNS settings, add a new TXT record for _dmarc.yourdomain.com.

2. Use the following format:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failures@yourdomain.com; pct=100;

p=none: This starts DMARC in monitoring mode (change to quarantine or reject later).
rua: Email address to receive aggregate reports.
ruf: Email address to receive forensic reports.
pct=100: Applies the policy to 100% of emails.

3. Save the record and wait for propagation.

Step 4: Monitor Reports & Adjust Policy

1. Use DMARC report analysis tools like DMARC Analyzer, Agari, or Postmark to interpret reports.

2. If all legitimate email sources pass DMARC, update the policy:

p=quarantine or p=reject

3. Continue monitoring to ensure no critical emails are affected.

Final Thoughts

DMARC is a crucial tool for preventing email spoofing and phishing attacks, yet its adoption remains slow due to its perceived complexity and risk of email deliverability issues. However, with careful setup and monitoring, businesses can implement DMARC effectively without disrupting legitimate email flow.

If you're still unsure about setting up DMARC for your domain, or would like this to be taken care of - we're just a message away.

Cybersecurity Essentials for Small Businesses: What You Need to Know in 2025

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 09:57:40 +0000

Cyber threats are evolving faster than ever, and small businesses are no exception. With cybercriminals targeting vulnerabilities in businesses of all sizes, a solid cybersecurity strategy is no longer a 'nice-to-have'—it’s a necessity.

From ransomware to phishing scams, the risks are real. But with the right approach, you can protect your data, your customers, and your business. Let’s break down what you need to know.

Cyber Threats to Watch in 2025

Small businesses often assume hackers only go after large corporations, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, smaller businesses can be even more vulnerable due to weaker security measures. Here are some of the biggest threats this year:

Ransomware Attacks – Cybercriminals lock you out of your files and demand payment to restore them.
Phishing & Social Engineering – Deceptive emails and messages trick employees into sharing sensitive information.
Zero-Day Exploits – Hackers take advantage of software vulnerabilities before they’re patched.
Supply Chain Attacks – Weak security in third-party vendors can expose your business to breaches.
AI-Powered Cybercrime – Hackers are using AI to automate attacks, making them harder to detect.

How to Strengthen Your Cyber Defenses

The good news? You don’t need an enterprise-sized budget to boost your cybersecurity. A few key measures can go a long way in keeping your business secure.

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Passwords alone aren’t enough. Enabling MFA on all critical accounts adds an extra layer of protection, making it much harder for attackers to gain access.

2. Train Your Team

Your employees are your first line of defense. Regular cybersecurity training helps them recognize threats like phishing emails and suspicious activity before damage is done.

3. Secure Your Devices

From laptops to mobile phones, every device connected to your network is a potential entry point. Use Sophos Intercept X for advanced endpoint protection and mobile device management (MDM) to control data access.

4. Backup Everything

Cyberattacks can be devastating, but if you have regular, automated cloud backups, you can recover quickly. Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: three copies of data, two different storage mediums, and one offsite backup.

5. Adopt a Zero Trust Approach

Never assume trust. Implement Zero Trust security by verifying every access request and applying the principle of least privilege—only giving employees access to what they absolutely need.

6. Keep Your Software Up to Date

Hackers exploit outdated software. Enable automatic updates to keep your systems patched and secure.

7. Secure Your Cloud Applications

Cloud-based tools are convenient, but they need to be secured. Enable encryption, use a password manager like Zoho Vault, and restrict unnecessary access.

Smart Cybersecurity Tools for Small Businesses

You don’t need a dedicated IT team to stay secure. The right tools can do a lot of the heavy lifting:

Sophos Intercept X

The #1 endpoint protection using advanced forms of machine learning to protect against both known and unknown malware.

View Product

Sophos Central

Single cloud management solution for all your Sophos technologies: endpoint, server, mobile, firewall, ZTNA, and much more.

View Product

Sophos Mobile

The leading next-gen secure Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution for traditional and mobile endpoints.

View Product

NordLayer

Easily transition your business connectivity to SASE, implement Zero Trust, and leave outdated legacy security solutions behind.

View Product

What to Do If You’re Hacked

Even with precautions, breaches can still happen. If you suspect an attack:

Isolate the affected systems to prevent further spread.
Assess the damage and determine what data was compromised.
Restore from your latest backup to get back online quickly.
Report the incident to the necessary authorities and notify affected customers.
Strengthen your defenses to prevent it from happening again.

Cybersecurity isn’t just for big corporations—it’s a crucial investment for businesses of all sizes. By implementing these best practices, you’ll be in a much stronger position to protect your business in 2025 and beyond.

Google Workspace's Latest AI Features and Pricing Updates

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:54:32 +0000

Google Workspace continues to evolve, offering new tools to streamline collaboration and enhance productivity for businesses of all sizes. Google has announced these updates in detail on their blog, showcasing significant advancements in AI-powered features and adjustments to pricing. Here's a breakdown of what these changes mean for you and your business.

AI Features to Boost Productivity

Google Workspace is embracing AI to make everyday tasks simpler and smarter. Here are some of the standout enhancements:

Help Me Write in Gmail and Docs: Drafting emails or documents is now quicker than ever. With "Help Me Write," users can generate, refine, or even rephrase content, saving time and ensuring clarity.
Smart Summaries in Google Meet: Missed a meeting? AI-powered summaries provide concise overviews of key points, so you can catch up without reviewing the entire session.
AI Insights in Sheets: Leveraging machine learning, Google Sheets now offers advanced data analysis, identifying trends and generating insights automatically.
Enhanced Security Tools: AI-driven detection mechanisms help identify and mitigate security threats, such as phishing attempts and suspicious account activity.
Gemini Advanced: Chat with Google’s next-gen AI to research information, brainstorm ideas, and streamline your most demanding projects.
NotebookLM Plus: Accelerate team knowledge sharing by uploading your sources to get instant insights and podcast-like Audio Overviews. This enhanced version offers notebook customisation, advanced sharing and 5x more Audio Overviews, queries, notebooks, and sources.

These features align with Google’s goal of enabling teams to work smarter, not harder.

Learn more

How These Changes Impact Your Business

Cost Considerations

While pricing has increased, the added functionality could reduce the need for additional third-party tools, potentially balancing costs.

Streamlined Collaboration

Enhanced features like Smart Summaries and AI in Sheets make it easier for teams to stay aligned, even across time zones.

Improved Efficiency

With AI taking care of routine tasks, your team can focus on high-impact projects.

Pricing Updates

With these powerful new tools comes a revision to pricing. Google has introduced a new pricing structure to reflect the value of these enhancements. While price changes are never ideal, Google’s continued investment in innovation ensures that your subscription offers more value than ever.

As an example, a customer using the Workspace Business Standard plan with a Gemini Business add-on previously paid $32 per user, per month. Now, that same business would pay just $14 per user, per month — only $2 more than they were paying for Workspace without Gemini.

Here are the new standard prices in GBP, per user/per month.

	Business Starter	Business Standard	Business Plus	Enterprise Standard	Enterprise Plus
Flexible	£7.00	£ 14.00	£ 22.00	£ 27.10	£ 35.30
Annual/Commit	£ 5.90	£ 11.80	£ 18.40	£ 22.60	£ 29.50

These prices exclude applicable taxes. For alternative currencies, please contact your contact at Ostratto or the pricing can be found on Google's pricing pages.

Your Next Steps

As a Google Workspace partner, we’re committed to helping you maximize the benefits of these updates. Whether it’s navigating the new AI tools or understanding cost implications, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Google Workspace’s commitment to innovation is evident in its recent AI features, which promise to transform how businesses operate. While the pricing adjustments may require some budgeting considerations, the enhanced functionality and productivity gains are well worth it in our opinion.

If you have any questions or need assistance navigating these updates, we're here to help.

What will happen to my Gemini add-on subscription?

You will continue to have access to the add-on and its included features until these services are available in the Google Workspace Business and Enterprise editions. You will no longer be charged for the add-on subscription after January 31, 2025.

As a result of these updates, we are making changes to your existing Gemini order starting January 31, 2025. These changes include:

You will no longer be charged for the add-on after January 31, 2025. You may receive a £0 invoice depending on your billing setup.
Prepaid contracts credited and prorated. If you have prepaid for your Gemini for Workspace subscription, we will ensure you are credited and will prorate the credit as of February 1, 2025. Credits will be automatically applied to future subscription invoices.
No longer renewing paid Gemini for Workspace add-on orders. As Gemini for Workspace add-on features are being introduced to Google Workspace Business and Enterprise plans, the Gemini for Workspace add-ons are no longer available for purchase or renewal.
Converting Gemini for Workspace add-on online annual plans to flexible plans. In order to ensure you will no longer be charged for the Gemini for Workspace add-on, We'll be switching your subscription to a £0 monthly flexible plan subscription or cancelling the Gemini add-on subscription entirely after January 31, 2025.

When will we get the new features?

These features were previously available only to users with a Gemini for Google Workspace Add-on, but will now be included with Google Workspace Business and Enterprise plans. You will see these features added to your subscription in the coming days/weeks - many of you will already be able to access the new features.

Can we opt to not have the new features?

At this time the features are being added to all accounts as standard, core features and so organisations cannot opt out of the new features, or the associated price increase.

There are currently methods to control access to them for your users.

Timing of subscription price changes

Starting January 16, 2025, any new subscriptions - including subscription downgrades, upgrades, and plan type changes - are subject to the updated prices.

Price changes for existing Google Workspace subscriptions will begin no sooner than March 1st, 2025.

Customers with an applicable Workspace Business or Enterprise edition are subject to the price change, but the timing of your price change will depend on your payment plan, number of user licenses, and other factors. For example, pricing for existing Google Workspace subscriptions with 10 or fewer user licenses will change at a later date.

For existing customers, pricing adjustments are applicable to Workspace Business and Enterprise plans after any applicable discount period ends. If you have an Annual/Fixed-term plan, your subscription price will not change until the end of your current commitment term.

Switch from Flexible to Annual Plan

If you have a subscription on the Flexible Plan, you may want to consider switching your subscription to the Annual/Fixed-Term plan for the lowest monthly per user price. You can switch from the Flexible Plan to the Annual Plan by contacting us.

How will I be notified of the changes to my subscription?

Primary admins that are affected by an upcoming pricing change will receive an email notification at least 30 days before the change goes into effect.

Is Google Workspace still good value?

Google Workspace continues to offer strong value, especially with the inclusion of AI-powered features such as “Help Me Write” and Smart Summaries at minimal additional cost.

Microsoft has also recently announced price increases for its personal product offerings to accommodate their AI enhancements, with business editions likely to follow suit.

AI is here to stay - we see this is a positive addition to the Google Workspace package which will introduce AI to many businesses whom may have been unsure how to utilise AI and where to begin.

Streamline Your Workflow with the 10 Best Zoho Apps

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:32:13 +0000

A useful guide that you can use to learn about Zoho, understand what software they have on offer, and find out how these products can be used to add value and streamline your workflow. We've made things simple for you with access to a free trial for each product in the list.

What is Zoho?

Zoho Corporation is a software company that offers a unique and powerful suite of tools that can help you transform the way you work. It was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas in Pleasanton, California, and now operates across the world with offices in London, Austin, Beijing, Tokyo, and Chennai. They have developed a wide range of tools to make an impact on every aspect of your business, with products designed to be user-friendly and applicable for all.

Here at Ostratto, we love to use Zoho One, as it encompasses all of the cloud software available with Zoho on one platform. It helps us to manage business operations across the company, and streamline the way that we work. I’m writing this blog to offer you some more information about different Zoho products and outline the ten best apps that we use every day at Ostratto, to help you understand how they can be a helpful addition to your software suite.

Featured Products

#1: Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is an industry-leading tool, and has been for many years, with an extensive feature set offered at competitive pricing. It’s highly customisable, uses omnichannel communications, offers sales and marketing automations, uses artificial intelligence, and even has its own mobile app.

Learn More About Zoho CRM

#2: Zoho Books

Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting platform that is designed for growing businesses, and it’s recognised by HMRC for its VAT integration. It has an extensive feature set that allows you to create quotes, invoices, sales orders, and bills with ease, and an advanced set of reporting measures to help you make the most of your finances.

Learn More About Zoho Books

#3: Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense streamlines the expense management process with a mobile-first approach, understanding that most of its users will upload their information on-the-go. It’s fully customisable with many controls for administrators, which helps you to keep track of everyone’s expenses and ensure that they comply with company policy.

Learn More About Zoho Expense

#4: Zoho Inventory

Zoho Inventory helps you to track inventory across multiple warehouses, synchronise stock to sell across multiple channels, and manage order fulfilment with extensive shipping functions. It has many integrations to help you connect both sales and shipping platforms, and reporting functions that help you to stay on top of your operations.

Learn More About Zoho Inventory

#5: Zoho People

Zoho People is a Human Resource Management (HRM) software that has been designed to make managing your employees simple and efficient. It can help you to track the attendance, performance, and development of all your employees, with accessible enterprise-level functionality at an affordable price.

Learn More About Zoho People

#6: Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects has an extensive feature set, helping you to manage and coordinate complex projects with ease. You can view timescales on Gantt charts, track hours with timesheets, and automate tasks to streamline your workflow. You can even manage projects on the go with its mobile app!

Learn More About Zoho Projects

#7: Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is a completely customisable service desk that will help you manage customer queries across your portfolio. It has many comprehensive integrations with communications platforms, including social media, and uses artificial intelligence to help you create responses quickly.

Learn More About Zoho Desk

#8: Zoho Forms

Zoho Forms can help you to create visually appealing forms with custom branding to efficiently collect and manage information. You can automate forms to send notifications once they're completed, and automatically link info with contacts in your CRM, saving you time.

Learn More About Zoho Forms

#9: Zoho Voice

Zoho Voice is an easy-to-use business telephony and call centre solution that integrates easily with CRM and Desk. You can use it to make and receive business calls on customisable phone numbers with excellent line quality and great mobile capabilities.

Learn More About Zoho Voice

#10: Zoho Sign

Zoho Sign can transform your paperwork with its digital signature solution, helping you to save time and money. You can create reusable templates with custom branding, bulk send documents and track their progress, and create workflows to automate document flow.

Learn More About Zoho Sign

#1: Zoho CRM

What does Zoho CRM do?

Zoho CRM is an industry-leading tool, and has been for many years, with an extensive feature set offered at competitive pricing. It’s highly customisable, uses omnichannel communications, offers sales and marketing automations, uses artificial intelligence, and a mobile app.

Why do we like Zoho CRM?

Zoho CRM is an ideal solution for small-to-medium businesses looking to get their hands on enterprise-level software at an affordable price. It’s highly customisable with an extensive feature set, meaning that you can choose from a wide range of features and make it work for you.

Why it's Great for Marketing

Why it's Great for Sales

Why it's Great for Managers

Why it's Great for Marketing

As with most Zoho products, its CRM integrates well with other software and this can be very advantageous. If you connect your mailbox to Zoho CRM it will collect all the information you have on each lead and add it to their profile. You can send emails directly from the CRM, and their data will be tracked for you to review. It makes it easy to see how effective your marketing is, and track which leads are engaging with your content.

Why it's Great for Sales

Streamlining your sales process has never been easier, with the ability to create workflow automations that start with lead creation and end with you closing the deal. You can set these up in any way you like, to ensure that you never leave a lead behind. It’s simple to import new leads, with a straightforward process and many integrations. You can also customise the way you view your sales process, with both list view and kanban options.

Why it's Great for Managers

Zoho’s enterprise-level data security can help you to stay compliant with data regulation without any extra work. You can create departments and set rules to configure the view for each team member, ensuring that they remain focused on their work and only access to relevant information. Zoho CRM also has extensive analytics and reporting to help you track the performance of your team, and see where you need to improve.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Highly Customisable Interface

✔ Omnichannel Communications In-App

✔ Comprehensive Workflow Automations

✔ Simple Lead Importing

✔ Enhanced Privacy Protections

How to get started with Zoho CRM

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho CRM Free Trial

#2: Zoho Books

What does Zoho Books do?

Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting platform that has been designed for growing businesses, with extensive features and advanced reporting capabilities. It is a HMRC recognised accounting software that can help you be compliant with the MTD (Making Tax Digital) initiative and save time with the ability to pay your VAT directly through Zoho Books. Its features include workflow automation, time tracking for projects, and inventory management. You can report on anything to do with your company’s finances, with an extensive set of preset reports and the ability to make your own custom ones too.

Why do we like Zoho Books?

Zoho Books is an excellent platform for making new sales, with simple access to all the forms that you need throughout the customer journey. You can share access to these directly with customers through Zoho Books, saving time and simplifying the process. We love the amount of currencies available, offering support for international transactions, and the expansive number of languages supported too. It has an expansive set of integrations, with the ability to work with over 50 external applications, meaning that Zoho Books can work around you, and communicate with most software.

What are its Key Features?

✔ HMRC Recognised Software

✔ Comprehensive Feature Set

✔ Customizable Records and Forms

✔ Multi-Currency and Multi-Language

✔ Expansive Integrations (50+)

✔ Access via Mobile App

✔ Customer Portal Included

How to get started with Zoho Books

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Books Free Trial

#3: Zoho Expense

What does Zoho Expense do?

Zoho Expense streamlines the expense management process with a mobile-first approach, understanding that most of its users will upload their information on-the-go from iOS, Android, and Windows devices. It’s fully customisable with many controls for administrators, which will help you to keep track of everyone’s expenses and ensure that they are compliant with your organisation's policies.

Why do we like Zoho Expense?

Zoho anticipated that most employees looking to be reimbursed for expenses will be looking to do so on their mobile devices, recording their expense receipts on the go. We love the ability to capture receipts using the Zoho Expense app. It also has a useful Chrome Extension that allows you to capture receipts on your webpage with a couple of clicks, streamlining the process for when you make new bookings.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Extensive Integrations

✔ Modern Mobile Application

✔ Company Card Integration

✔ Great Customisation

✔ Advanced Reporting

How to get started with Zoho Expense

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Expense Free Trial

#4: Zoho Inventory

What does Zoho Inventory do?

Zoho Inventory helps you track inventory across multiple warehouses, synchronise stock to sell across multiple channels, and manage order fulfilment with extensive shipping functions. It has integrations that help you to connect both sales and shipping platforms, and reporting functions that help you to stay on top of your operations.

Why do we like Zoho Inventory?

We like Zoho Inventory as it enables you to manage your stock across multiple websites, easily transfer stock between those warehouses, and ship orders from multiple warehouses in the same order. It supports multiple currencies and dropshipping, making it an asset for any organisation looking for a better way to manage their inventory.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Extensive Shipping Functions

✔ Supports e-Commerce

✔ Tracks Across Multiple Warehouses

✔ Manage Sales & Purchase Orders In-App

✔ Great Reporting Options

How to get started with Zoho Inventory

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Inventory Free Trial

#5: Zoho People

What does Zoho People do?

Zoho People is a Human Resource Management (HRM) software that has been designed to make managing your employees more simple and efficient. It can help you to track the attendance, performance, and development of all employees, with accessible enterprise-level functionality to streamline your management processes.

Why do we like Zoho People?

We love Zoho People for its expansive feature set and easy user interface. Its functions cover every possible use-case for HRMs, with efficient time tracking and management systems. It’s ideal for small businesses looking to streamline their expansion, and medium businesses who want a more complete picture of their workforce.

Why it's Great for Managers

Why it's Great for Employees

Why it's Great for Managers

Managers who use Zoho People are able to set up the software to company specifications and then take a backseat on the HRM process, with easy-to-use self-service portals for employees doing most of the work for you. You can track attendance, time spent across projects, and annual leave seamlessly, allowing you to focus on reaching your business goals through the comprehensive performance management functions. You can schedule appraisals, create goals, and receive feedback easily.

Why it's Great for Employees

Employees have complete control over their attendance, leave, and time tracking with Zoho People. They can change any personal information with its self-service functions, manage their calendar and workload across multiple Zoho apps, and view everything they need to know about their employment in a handy branded portal. Most of these functions can be done in the Zoho People mobile app too, allowing employees to update their information on-the-go with ease.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Employee Self-Service Portal

✔ Timesheets & Time Tracking

✔ Efficient Performance Management

✔ HR Process Automation

✔ Extensive Reporting & Analytics

✔ Mobile App for Employees

How to get started with Zoho People

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho People Free Trial

#6: Zoho Projects

What does Zoho Projects do?

Zoho Projects has an extensive feature set for an affordable price, helping you to manage and coordinate projects across your company with ease. You can view timescales on Gantt charts, track hours worked with timesheets, and automate tasks to streamline your workflow.

Why do we like Zoho Projects?

We love Zoho Projects for its excellent feature set, such as Gantt charts, tasks, reporting, documents, and milestones. You’re able to track time against each task within a project, which can be attributed to your Zoho People & Books for time management and accurate project costing.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Gantt Chart / Kanban / Task List Views

✔ Task Allocation & Time Tracking

✔ Mobile Application (iOS & Android)

✔ Collaboration Functions

✔ Reporting & Analytics

How to get started with Zoho Projects

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Projects Free Trial

#7: Zoho Desk

What does Zoho Desk do?

Zoho Desk is a completely customisable service desk that will help you manage customer queries across your organisation’s portfolio. It has comprehensive integrations with communications platforms, and uses artificial intelligence to help you create responses quickly.

Why do we like Zoho Desk?

We love Zoho Desk as it helps us to manage customer service tickets with ease, through convenient contextual support, AI assistance, and detailed analytics. It’s ideal for small businesses looking for enterprise-level customer service capabilities at an affordable price.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Customisable Performance Dashboards

✔ Self-Service Portal for Customers

✔ Knowledge Base for Customers

✔ Automatic Ticket Routing

✔ Mobile App Support

How to get started with Zoho Desk

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Desk Free Trial

#8: Zoho Forms

What does Zoho Forms do?

Zoho Forms can help you to create visually appealing forms with custom branding to efficiently collect and manage information. You can automate these forms to send notifications once completed, and automatically link information with contacts in your CRM.

Why do we like Zoho Forms?

We like Zoho Forms because it allows us to create highly functional branded forms with its easy to use no-code creator, with an array of fields to choose from, field validation to ensure accurate data is recorded, and full customizability to meet most business requirements.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Full Customisation & Branding

✔ No-Code Form Creation

✔ Secure Data Collection

✔ Comprehensive Integrations

✔ Reporting & Analytics

How to get started with Zoho Forms

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Forms Free Trial

#9: Zoho Voice

What does Zoho Voice do?

Zoho Voice is an easy-to-use business telephony and call centre solution that integrates seamlessly with CRM and Desk. You can use it to make and receive business calls on customisable phone numbers with excellent line quality and mobile capabilities.

Why do we like Zoho Voice?

We love Zoho Voice for its integration with other Zoho products. It can communicate with Zoho CRM to identify and recognise phone numbers, record voicemail messages and important conversations, and create notifications to bring your attention to new inbound leads.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Inbound & Outbound Calls

✔ Call Queueing, Forwarding, Transfers

✔ Personal & Departmental Extensions

✔ Customizable Phone Numbers

✔ Call Centre Capabilities

✔ Simple Dialling System

How to get started with Zoho Voice

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho CRM Free Trial

#10: Zoho Sign

What does Zoho Sign do?

Zoho Sign can transform your company’s paperwork with its digital signature solution, helping you to save time and money. You can create reusable templates with custom branding, bulk send documents and track their progress, and create workflows to automate document flow. It's highly secure too, with comprehensive encryption technology.

Why do we like Zoho Sign?

We like Zoho Sign because it helps to streamline signature collection and document processing in a secure and reliable way. It helps you save time through template creation and workflow configuration, and you can track the progress for each document sent easily. It’s compliant with many e-signature laws across the world.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Leading Data Security

✔ Completely Custom Branding

✔ e-Signature Capabilities

✔ Bulk Document Sending

✔ Reusable Templates

✔ Tracking & Reporting

How to get started with Zoho Sign

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Sign Free Trial

Why Zoho?

Zoho is one of the most affordable software developers for small-to-medium sized businesses, with comprehensive features across all of their applications for a price that doesn’t break the bank. You won’t find another software suite that has the integrations, the features, and the price points that Zoho has to offer, and the great thing is that their pricing is flexible so you can start small and scale up to enterprise level with ease.

We use most Zoho applications for our daily tasks, and they have helped to streamline our business processes and workflow immensely. They integrate well with Google Workspace, communicate data across the company to improve efficiency, and keep our company data secure at all times. If you’re looking for any of the above products, we recommend that you take a look at starting a free trial and have a go! We’re here to help answer any questions if you have them.

Why Ostratto?

Ostratto is a team of technical professionals that are here to assist you and your business on a truly personal basis. We have the skills and expertise to deliver comprehensive, cost-effective solutions, and will work to integrate Zoho software into your business in a way that meets all of your needs. We’re here to help you to find the most suitable products, and provide you with ongoing support throughout your time with us.

We've been partnered with Zoho for over five years, and have worked with their teams to develop their products for the UK market. We work with businesses from a wide range of sectors from leisure through to manufacturing. We are proud to be a part of all of our customers' businesses, integrating ourselves as trusted advisors and measuring our success on theirs. Wherever your organisation is right now, and wherever it wants to be in the future, we can help you to streamline your workflows and make your work less work with the right software solution.

4 old practices that won’t work after COVID

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 13:15:10 +0000

It’s not news that COVID-19 suddenly, unexpectedly, and dramatically turned the business world on its head. Business-as-usual changed all at once, without the benefit of robust planning we’re (hopefully) accustomed to in business. Those changes happened to keep employees safe while making sure work continued.

What’s also clear is that when the pandemic is under control and we find our “new normal,” it won’t look like what we had before. Businesses have adapted, employees have changed, and attitudes about working are different. We’ve found new ways to do business successfully, and in many areas, there’ll be no turning back.

Here are four old business practices that won’t work anymore post-COVID-19.

1. Employees working onsite only

Before COVID, the vast majority of businesses were uncomfortable with employees working remotely. In fact, 80% of US companies had no remote work program at all.

Employers pretty much suffered from inertia—after all, workers always came into the office to work. Without ever trying remote work, most leaders lacked the imagination to understand the potential of working from home. They worried that employees working away from the office wouldn’t be as productive. They claimed many jobs were “impossible to do remotely.”

Then COVID-19 came around, however, and jobs that were previously “impossible to do remotely” suddenly found their remote possibilities. What’s more, they achieved good results too. A study by Harvard Business School and New York University found that people who work remotely spend 48.5 more minutes per day than they did pre-virus. And this makes sense - when a long commute is off the table employees don't mind staying on to get jobs finished.

Other surveys found that:

44% of executives today feel employees have become more productive working remotely
41% of employees feel the same way

While many jobs require employees to work onsite, many others can support a remote workforce. Businesses will still need those work-from-home employees post-COVID-19, and they will be forced to continue supporting remote work.

2. Micromanaging as a management style

With many employees working remotely, management styles need to adjust. Monitoring employees that work in another location requires shifting your methods as well as your expectations.

It's not realistic to assume an employee is working based on how much time they spend at their desk. Even when you’re at the same location and can see an employee sitting across the room, you don’t know how productive they’re being.

Evaluate their performance, instead, based on the outcome. How is their work? Are they meeting their goals? What’s the quality of their work? These are the real measurements of productivity output that remote working highlights perfectly.

3. Using too many collaboration apps

It’s easy to see how it happened. CV-19 struck and companies quickly sent their employees home to safety. They hurriedly adopted remote work solutions for messaging, video, and calling—all the tools they needed to keep communication open so that work would continue to get done.

In rushing to choose new solutions, many businesses ended up with multiple overlapping apps. Having two or more apps that provide video calling, for instance, is not sustainable long term and can become confusing for the average user. App overload causes employee fatigue and wastes a significant amount of time.

Seventy percent of workers say having disparate work apps makes it challenging to get their work done. More than two-thirds report wasting up to an hour of work time per day just navigating between various apps. Sixty-eight percent of workers find themselves toggling between different apps up to 10 times in a single hour.

Too many apps can also mean running the risk of employees switching to other unauthorized tools that can pose a security risk. We've written about the risks of 'shadow IT' before.

Employees will only willingly utilise technology that’s easy to use, it’s more efficient to provide them with one platform they understand well and are comfortable with.

4. Keeping employees in the dark

It's key to remember that teams appreciate transparency, especially during uncertain times. They want to understand what’s going on with the business, management expectations, and their position. They want to be confident that the strong company culture they know isn’t changing.

No longer are employees in the office to hear news around the water cooler, chat casually with the boss, or celebrate wins in real time. But these are still valid communications needs, and employers must make sure they still happen in some form.

Communication and transparency are critical—even more so now with COVID-19.

Post-COVID tools to support remote work

When we (eventually) shift into a post-pandemic period, businesses will face a new work-life paradigm that looks nothing like before. From remote and hybrid work arrangements to new forms of communication, leaders will need to rethink those practices to stay competitive.

Having the right tools to support remote work will be one of the key differentiators. As work moves beyond the walls of the traditional office, employees everywhere will need technology that facilitates collaboration and drives teamwork. Tools like unified communications make collaboration effortless by combining team messaging, video conferencing, and cloud phone into a single platform, allowing employees to choose how they want to collaborate and when.

By supporting tomorrow’s work-from-anywhere workplace—and shedding old, archaic practices that no longer make business sense—businesses will be ready to drive success far beyond the pandemic.

Chat with us today

5 Reasons Everyone Should Have the RingCentral G Suite Add-on

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 11:19:39 +0000

When it comes to tech companies that have had a large impact on how we work smart, it’s hard to dispute that Google has been a strong contender. In the 22 years since the company was founded, Google has changed how people (and businesses) use the Internet in countless ways.

A suite of powerful tools that includes Gmail (email), shared calendars, documents, and other functions, Google’s offerings for business, collectively called G Suite, have had a massive upward trajectory. In the 4.5 years since November 2015 (back when G Suite was still called Google Apps for Work), paid user base has tripled to 6 million paid accounts. There’s a good chance you and other businesses your company does business with are among them.

But as with any tool you’re using to support collaboration and productivity, you may wonder if there are ways you can use it better in order to make communications more efficient.

Installing RingCentral’s G Suite Add-on is one way to accelerate the collaborative benefits you’re already gaining from using G Suite. Here are five ways the RingCentral G Suite Add-on will make your life easier.

The ultimate power couple.

1. Message or call colleagues directly from Gmail

Email has long been a primary communication tool within workplaces for many good reasons. To name a few, email creates a lasting record of what has been said, and can be sent from any connected device at any time. But email is not without limitation. In fact, email can be a source of hassle among businesses.

Emails are easily ignored. O ne survey found 60.8% of workers to be guilty of not responding to emails occasionally, often or always—and they’re rife with the potential for miscommunication due to lack of tone and context.

That’s why it's good practice to switch to a different medium of talking if you're not making progress after a bit of back and forth.

The RingCentral G Suite Add-on allows you to message or call colleagues directly from Gmail, making it easy to hop on a call or video chat without added coordination for those times when email conversation just isn’t cutting it.

2. Schedule meetings directly in Calendar

Scheduling meetings can be an absolute farce over email. First, you have to find an agreeable time, then create a calendar entry, and then figure out how to correctly export your meeting call-in details from your conferencing app to your invite. Get that last part wrong and you’ll also waste a ton of time when the meeting begins and everyone has trouble accessing it.

Installing the RingCentral G Suite Add-on eliminates this complexity altogether by allowing you to create a meeting, and fully populate your invite with details such as meeting ID and password, directly from Google Calendar with just a click. Sweet!

3. See your colleagues’ current status

In an office scenario, it’s easy to swing by someone’s desk for an impromptu chat when the need arises. When everyone’s working from home, it’s harder to gauge availability.

When your collaboration efforts require a deeper conversation—for example, an audio call or face-to-face video chat—you can lose powerful momentum simply trying to coordinate a time for that remote conversation to happen.

Though it may not be possible to use a closed door or other visual cues to determine the right time for on-the-fly chats in remote work scenarios, the RingCentral G Suite Add-on provides the next best thing: it allows you to instantly see when all of your RingCentral contacts are available, away, offline or in 'do not disturb' mode.

4. Start an email from a RingCentral contact card

The seamlessness of RingCentral and G Suite flows in two directions—and connecting the two also helps you to extend the usefulness of RingCentral. For example, sometimes email makes the most sense for communicating, such when you need to follow up with materials after a meeting. RingCentral’s G Suite Add-on simplifies this too by allowing you to send an email directly from a user’s RingCentral contact card.

5. View call history

While the number of options for communicating online is undoubtedly a boon for collaboration, it’s a nightmare for staying organised. Communicating across email, video, phone and SMS makes it difficult to remember what conversation occurred when, which can have impact on accountability (and efficiency!) RingCentral’s G Suite Add-on automatically creates a log of all your calls, making it easy to determine when that important conversation occurred.

Work Efficiently with RingCentral + G Suite

Collaboration tools are essential in the workplace—especially as more people work from home. But they also add complexity, as employees are forced to turn to multiple apps to meet their communication needs. RingCentral helps G Suite users get more out of their existing tools, and do so more efficiently, by connecting key functionalities so that users don’t have to change apps to communicate.

With the RingCentral app, the G Suite add-on creates a single record of information, combining team messaging, video conferencing, and cloud phone into a single platform for all workplace collaboration. As with all RingCentral apps and integrations, the G Suite add-on is free for all users.

You just need RingCentral and Google's G Suite to get started - both of which we can help you get started with today.

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Datasheet

Why you should Purchase G Suite from a Google Partner

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 18:01:16 +0000

These days, talk about digitalisation and ‘the cloud’ is constant and urgent. In our ever-globalising and ever-innovating world, the opportunities to harness cloud technology and use it to fuel growth are endless (just check out some of our previous blogs posts on cloud); but the idea of cloud technology in a business can also be daunting to manage.

Ostratto wants to help companies not only keep their heads above water during such a time of digitalisation, but unlock their maximum potential (and sail?). As a proud Google Cloud Partner and official reseller of Google Cloud services, we supply G Suite licenses at the same price as Google, but with additional services. Here are a few of the many reasons why taking advantage of a Google Partner can be a massive advantage for any business.

1. Same buck, more bang

By partnering with a Google Cloud Partner, you pay the same price for your licenses as you would buying directly from Google, but you get additional benefits, for free (yes free). The services are customisable for your business’s specific needs but they can include:

A security audit
A training workshop for your IT team
Implementation – existing business or new
User data migrations from existing systems
A combination package

Google Cloud Partners exist to act as a bridge between what can seem like a 'big scary Google' and a small business. We know our clients' businesses better than Google would ever be able to and that's a huge advantage for both the small business and Google. We identify the best support package that will not only improve how you utilise Google G Suite, but enhance all aspects of your business operations, keeping you efficient and ahead of your competition.

2. A friendly face

A businesses internal IT team may be able to blunder their way through a G Suite setup but what happens when things go wrong?

With a GCP Partner in your corner, the days of navigating the complexities of the cloud alone are over. In order to become a certified reseller, businesses must hold a rigorous set of prerequisites; these include passing a series of Google Cloud certifications and also having real-world proven experience with the products. To maintain our status we have to resit the certifications regularly and we're also expected to keep up-to-date with everything Google. When you partner with a qualified reseller like Ostratto, you really do gain access to years of experience with Google Cloud technologies and processes.

Having passed all the stringent prerequisites we then gain access to an advanced, prioritised level of support because it's expected we won't be asking the 'simple' questions. We can then use this level of support to get answers to the questions we haven't been asked before - all whilst the end customer only deals with one person whom they can trust to help.

Included in any basic resale of Google G Suite is a basic support package - perfect for the 'how do I do this' sorts of questions. Pair this with our support package and expect a truly empowered Google experience.

3. Put it on my tab please barman

One of the many benefits we offer to our clients is a single monthly bill. As we offer a range of various services and products we really focus on simplifying the recurring costs by billing one bill a month instead of a separate bill for each charge. It might seem a simple benefit but with the average medium-sized business spending $20,000 per month on SaaS tools, being able to consolidate multiple vendor bills into one predictable, itemised payment makes cashflow just a tad more manageable.

When you purchase GCP services through Ostratto, you can enjoy simple automatic card payments with pro-rata'd user costs automatically applied for you. You can then view your previous and current payments on our billing portal for your Google services along with any other services you receive from us. I can already see your billing department thanking you.

4. Value, maximised

Nobody likes to waste time or money. When businesses use the expertise of a GCP reselling partner like Ostratto, they can be confident that they’re getting the most value out of Google Cloud products. We help businesses identify and eliminate inefficiencies in their workloads, giving them more time to focus on using Google Cloud tech to drive direct value for their business.

There’s also no need to allocate extra time and staffing to train a new team member on the ins and outs of the cloud - most of your team have probably already used Google's services and anyway, that’s what we’re here for.

Passing comments

These are the most obvious reasons to purchase via a GCP partner like us but there are many more. If you’re interested in learning more about how Ostratto can make your cloud journey easier, we’d be happy to talk.

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What's BIMI - and should your business be using it?

What is BIMI?

The Prerequisites for BIMI

1. DMARC enforcement

2. A compliant BIMI logo

3. A BIMI DNS record

The Blocker: Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs)

Is BIMI worth it right now?

What should small businesses focus on instead?

Our View

Contact

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What Is ZTNA? A Simple Guide for Small and Medium Businesses

What Exactly Is ZTNA?

How ZTNA Works in Practice

Benefits of ZTNA for SME's

Stronger Security

Better Remote Experience

Simpler IT Management

Supports Compliance

Scales Easily

How SMEs Can Get Started with ZTNA

What's SASE? The Future of Secure Networking for SMEs

Breaking Down SASE: The Basics

The Core Components of SASE

Why SASE Matters for SMEs

Real-World Example

With SASE

Without SASE

Challenges to Consider

Vendor Choice

Migration Planning

Connectivity Reliance

DMARC: What's going on?

What is DMARC?

How DMARC Works

Why Has DMARC Adoption Been Slow?

How to Set Up DMARC for Your Domain

Step 1: Set Up SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

Step 2: Set Up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

Step 3: Configure DMARC

Step 4: Monitor Reports & Adjust Policy

Final Thoughts

Cybersecurity Essentials for Small Businesses: What You Need to Know in 2025

Cyber Threats to Watch in 2025

How to Strengthen Your Cyber Defenses

Smart Cybersecurity Tools for Small Businesses

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NordLayer

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What is Zoho?

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#6: Zoho Projects

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#8: Zoho Forms

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Why Zoho?

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