Quick round-up and what to expect for the rest of October

Our Google Workspace Community is growing fast, with over 600 members already onboard. This dedicated Google Chat space is an exclusive hub for Workspace Administrators and Google Partners to connect, share best practices, and tackle challenges together.

Members get access to:

• Monthly expert-led webinars

• Real-world tips and advice from peers

• A supportive, vendor-neutral environment

It’s free to join and already being called one of the most valuable networks for Workspace professionals.

Want to join? Visit our community page here

Come and say hi and dive into the latest community discussions about all things Google Workspace.

Our Patronum ‘How To’ webinar series is all about helping you get the absolute most out of the platform. We want to ensure these practical, hands-on walkthroughs continue delivering the exact insights, best practices, and automation tricks you need.

Have you been enjoying the series? We want your feedback!

Tell us what you’ve loved so far and what you’d like us to cover next. Whether there’s a specific feature you’d like a deep dive into or a Google Workspace workflow you're trying to solve, let us know! Just hit reply to this email or drop us a message on our LinkedIn page.

Missed any of our previous live sessions? You can catch up anytime and watch past walkthroughs on demand over on the Patronum YouTube channel.

Did you know you can now archive departing users' emails directly to your own Cloud Storage without buying extra Google Workspace licences or paying third-party storage fees?

With Patronum Archive, you can automatically back up and retain critical user mailboxes, keeping your data secure, compliant, and under your total control. Best of all? It’s included in the base Patronum offering at no extra cost!

Why IT teams are using Patronum Archive:

• Save on Licensing: Reclaim expensive Google Workspace licences instantly during offboarding.

• Your Storage, Your Control: Store archived emails directly in your own cloud infrastructure (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure).

• Zero Extra Cost: Full archiving capabilities built straight into your existing Patronum subscription.

Want to learn how it works and how to set it up?

Discover how Patronum Archive works

Read the step-by-step setup guide

The Google Workspace Community is about bringing like-minded people together to share ideas and offer advice where needed.

If you’re in the community and want to host a session or know someone perfect to host, feel free to reach out.

And if you’re not in the community yet but want to be part of exclusive conversations and a growing network of IT leaders, now’s the time to join.

Here’s the latest from Google Workspace!!!

Label-Based Access Management Policies in Assured Controls Admins can now configure Access Management and Access Approvals policies using drive classification labels and rules within Assured Controls. This allows organisations to apply targeted compliance controls, such as restricting support actions to specifically authorised personnel, based on individual document labels rather than applying broad organisational-unit restrictions.

Automated Post-Meeting Next Steps in Google Meet Powered by Gemini and Workspace Studio, Google Meet now surfaces automated "next steps" directly on the post-meeting screen when "Take notes for me" is enabled. Users can immediately draft follow-up emails in Gmail or export assigned action items directly to Google Tasks without leaving the post-call interface, streamlining post-call administration.

Rollout Update for Custom Skills in Gemini and Workspace Google has begun rolling out custom Skills, reusable prompts that guide Gemini, in the Gemini web app, with full rollout completing by mid-November. However, the rollout of Skills within Workspace apps and Workspace Studio has been temporarily delayed while Google ensures additional safety and performance standards.

Dynamic Live Stream Role Switching in Google Meet for Android Users joining Google Meet live streams from Android devices can now seamlessly switch from being a passive live-stream viewer to an active meeting contributor. Provided the user was invited to both the main meeting and the live stream, they can elevate their role with a single tap to participate using full audio and video capabilities.

Conversational Voice Capabilities via Gmail Live Google is expanding conversational AI voice features to paid Workspace users with Gmail Live. This capability allows mobile users to interact with their inbox using natural speech to summarise priority threads, draft quick responses, and surface urgent action items while on the go.

Proactive governance turns rapid feature updates into controlled compliance! As Google expands AI capabilities across Meet, Gmail, and Gemini, managing data boundaries becomes increasingly complex. Patronum bridges the gap between end-user innovation and administrative control, automating user lifecycles, enforcing sharing policies, and ensuring your Google Drive environment remains fully governed as new features roll out.