Google Workspace Renewal Guide: How to Save Money, Strengthen Security, and Optimize Licenses

Renewing your Google Workspace subscription isn’t just an administrative task—it’s a strategic opportunity to optimize costs, strengthen security, and align your licenses with your long-term business goals. With the right preparation, your renewal can deliver significant savings and improved productivity across the organization.

Here are the key best practices for a successful, cost-effective Google Workspace renewal.

1. Optimize Your Licenses for Cost Efficiency

• Conduct a Thorough User Audit: The first step is to identify and deactivate inactive or suspended user accounts that are consuming licenses. Use tools within the Google Admin console to pinpoint users who haven't logged in recently. Paying for "ghost users" is the fastest way to waste budget.
• Give Yourself Time:  A license audit or a user clean-up usually cannot be completed a day or even a week in advance.  This exercise should begin at least (30) days in advance of your renewal to leave time for removing users and migrating data out of their accounts.  This process can sometimes take days to even weeks depending on the size of the data.  You also want to leave time for a new contract to make its way through the proper channels.  Leaving these tasks to the last minute will likely cost time and money.
• Right-Size Your Licenses: Analyze the usage patterns of your team to determine if everyone is on the appropriate subscription tier.
• Reclaim and Reassign Licenses: Implement a standardized off-boarding process for reclaiming and reassigning licenses promptly when employees leave the organization. This prevents paying for idle licenses.
• Consider Flexible vs. Annual Plans: Google Workspace offers both flexible (month-to-month) and annual plans. The annual plan typically offers a lower per-user cost, making it ideal for a stable workforce. The flexible plan comes with a higher price tag but provides more agility to quickly add and remove users, which might be better suited for organizations with fluctuating headcount or seasonal teams.

2. Bolster Your Security and Compliance Posture

• Conduct a Security Health Check: Take advantage of the dedicated Security Health page in the Google Admin console to get tailored recommendations for improving your security stance immediately.  Suitebriar also offers a comprehensive Security Audit that can identify any and all areas of vulnerability.
• Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): This is non-negotiable. Ensure that MFA (also known as 2FA) is enabled for all users to add a critical layer of defense against unauthorized access and credential theft.
• Review Third-Party App Access: Audit the third-party applications that have access to your organization's Google Workspace data. Revoke permissions for any unnecessary or untrusted apps, as these can be significant security liabilities.
• Implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policies:  This tool becomes available in the Enterprise Standard edition and allows you to configure rules to prevent the accidental or malicious sharing of sensitive information, whether through emails or file sharing.
• Stay Informed About Updates: Regularly check the Google Workspace Updates blog to stay informed about new security features and best practices that Google releases throughout the year:  Google Workspace Updates

• Consider a Multi-Year Commitment: If you have a stable or growing user base, committing to a multi-year contract (e.g., two or three years) can sometimes secure discounts from Google or your preferred partner.  Additionally, a longer term equals price protection in a world where the prices keep rising.
• Engage with a Google Workspace Reseller: Resellers often have more flexibility in pricing and can sometimes offer more competitive deals and personalized support than renewing directly with Google. They may also be able to facilitate more complex licensing structures.
• Leverage Your User Count: If you have had significant growth since your previous renewal,  leverage in negotiations. Be prepared to discuss your long-term commitment and growth projections to secure the best rates.
• Consolidate Your Stack:  Bringing all of your Google products under one roof can also give you some leverage for better pricing.  For example, moving your Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to your Workspace Partner can help to uncover further savings.
• Explore Split Licensing: For businesses with diverse needs, some resellers can offer "split licensing," allowing you to manage different groups of users on different license tiers (e.g., a mix of Business Standard and Enterprise licenses) to perfectly match feature requirements with budget.

4. Develop a Long-Term Strategic Roadmap

• Create a Feature Roadmap: Develop a roadmap for adopting new Google Workspace features and applications. Consider how powerful upcoming features, such as those powered by AI in tools like Docs and Sheets, can be integrated into your existing workflows to maximize employee efficiency.
• Plan for Change Management: When introducing new features or making significant changes to user access, have a clear change management plan in place. This should include targeted communication, training, and robust support to ensure smooth user adoption and prevent friction.
• Align with Business Goals: Ensure your Google Workspace strategy directly aligns with your overall organizational objectives. If your company is planning rapid international expansion, your licensing plan should account for a growing number of users and the potential need for different regional requirements.
• Lastly, Connect with your Workspace Account Manager throughout the year for an Account Review and/or Feature RoadMap Session.  This will allow you to stay on top of any changes to Pricing, Features Sets so you can be best prepared for a renewal discussion.