Cloud & Office Glossary (Google Workspace)

This Cloud & Office glossary defines, in a single sentence, the key terms of the three areas of our training: Microsoft 365 for end users, the Excel Universe and Google Workspace.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace is Google’s online collaborative suite: email, storage, documents, spreadsheets and video conferencing all in one. See the Google Workspace course.

Gmail

Gmail is the email service in Google Workspace, integrated with the calendar, chat and video conferencing.

Google Drive

Google Drive is the online storage space in Workspace: it hosts and shares your files, accessible from any device.

Google Docs

Google Docs is Google’s online word processor, designed for real-time collaborative editing. See the Google Docs course.

Google Sheets

Google Sheets is Google’s online spreadsheet: formulas, tables and data analysis, with several people at once. See the Google Sheets course.

Google Slides

Google Slides is the presentation tool in Workspace, for creating and delivering slideshows online.

Google Meet

Google Meet is the video conferencing service in Workspace, integrated with Gmail and the calendar.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar manages appointments and availability, and syncs with Gmail and Meet.

Cloud / SaaS

The cloud refers to services delivered over the Internet; in the SaaS (Software as a Service) model, the software is ready to use, with no installation, like Google Workspace.

Real-time collaboration

Real-time collaboration lets several people edit the same document simultaneously, with tracking of contributions.

Sharing & permissions

Sharing defines who can access a file and with what rights (view, comment, edit); it is the foundation of collaborative security.

Google Admin console

The admin console (Google Admin) is used to manage accounts, security and Workspace settings for an organisation. See the Google Workspace Administration course.

Organisational unit

An organisational unit groups users in the admin console in order to apply common rules and settings to them.

Two-factor authentication (2FA)

2FA (or MFA) adds a second proof of identity (code, app, key) to the password, to secure access to accounts.

SSO (single sign-on)

SSO (Single Sign-On) lets you log in to several services with a single authentication, simplifying access and strengthening security.

Office suite

An office suite brings together productivity tools (word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, email); Google Workspace is the cloud-based, collaborative version of it.

Migration to Workspace

Migration involves transferring emails, contacts and files from an old system to Google Workspace, with no data loss.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s cloud-based office and collaboration suite: email (Exchange), Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive.

Microsoft Teams

Teams is the collaboration platform in Microsoft 365: chat, meetings, calls and file sharing. See Administering Teams.

SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online hosts the organisation’s collaborative sites, intranets and document libraries. See SharePoint Online.

OneDrive

OneDrive is the personal cloud storage in Microsoft 365, synced with your devices and integrated with Teams. See OneDrive & Teams.

Exchange / Outlook

Exchange Online is the email service in Microsoft 365; Outlook is its client (email, calendar, contacts).

Co-editing

Co-editing lets several people edit the same document in real time, in both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.