Want to bring all your most-used applications together, working in harmony within your Google Workspace environment? Here’s what you need to do to integrate third-party software solutions.
Third-party software is any software that hasn’t been developed either by your own company, or by your IT support partner. You may be using plenty of different systems, all by different developers, such as HR software, accounting software, and more. Similarly, third-party hardware is any specialist equipment developed by other companies that you need to carry out your business tasks. For example, large-scale printers for banners or big tablets designed for architectural drawings.
While Google Workspace already comes packed with a huge number of useful business applications as standard, sometimes we all need a little more. In some instances, Google’s offerings can achieve most of what you need, with the Google Workspace Marketplace filling in any gaps. The marketplace is a Google-approved directory of third-party apps that enhance the features within Workspace. For example, there are third-party Google Workspace integrations to improve productivity, and more.
Using these third-party solutions alongside Google Workspace is easy. It’s designed that way.
So what happens if you don’t want to enhance existing Workspace apps, but complement them? For example, if you need to use a completely separate, standalone application, but you want to share data more easily between Google Workspace tools and the third-party applications you’re using?
Here are three ways to integrate third-party software into your Google Workspace…
1. Check for pre-integration
Some popular third-party apps are ready to be integrated with Google Workspace, so it’s worth checking for pre-integration before doing anything else. Pre-integration means that Google has already formed a relationship with the provider, allowing for users to access third-party tools via their Google Workspace account. It’s known as ‘single sign-on’, or SSO, and there are more than 200 cloud-based apps that have pre-integration, including Canvas, BambooHR, and SurveyMonkey.
2. Check for Drive API usage
If a third-party app doesn’t have pre-integration, the next step is to look at whether it utilises the Google Drive API. This means that Google Drive files within your Google Workspace, like documents created in Docs, or spreadsheets created in Sheets, can be opened within third-party tools for editing, signing, and more. There are a number of well-known third-party apps that use the Google Drive API, such as AutoCAD for design, Lucidchart for diagramming, and WeVideo for editing.
3. Toggle settings
Most other third-party apps that aren’t in the Marketplace, don’t use the Drive API, and lack pre-integration, are considered ‘unverified’ apps. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be integrated. Google doesn’t impose restrictions on the use of unverified apps with less than 100 global users, or which don’t need access to Gmail data. For all other unverified apps, you can add them to your ‘allowlist’ if you’re confident that the software is safe, secure, and trustworthy.
Taking time to consider your third-party software and hardware usage is a vital part of success. Especially as it’ll have an impact on the level of service you require from your chosen IT support partner. While an IT partner may not be able to support third-party solutions directly, they can act as an intermediary. This can help you get the most value from your investments, and ensure that any third-party hardware and software you use becomes a seamless part of your organisation’s technological infrastructure.
Want to know more about integrating third-party solutions? Get in touch with us. Our Kent-based team are working with businesses across the UK and Ireland to help them thrive in a digital world.
