In short: Google Workspace Enterprise Essentials gives users Drive, shared drives, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet and Chat without Gmail, so you keep your existing email. Essentials includes 1TB pooled storage per user and Vault; Essentials Plus adds 5TB, data loss prevention, context-aware access and Meet for 1,000. Both are licensed per user with no user cap.
What Enterprise Essentials is
The Essentials editions are Google Workspace without Gmail. Users sign in with their existing work email address and get Drive and shared drives, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Keep, Chat and Meet. Google Calendar and Meet work alongside the calendar you already use, so people can join or host Google Meet meetings from existing invitations.
This is useful when a department, a project team or a whole organisation wants Google's real-time co-editing and video meetings, but moving email is off the table: perhaps because the mail platform is tied to other systems, or because a parent organisation runs it.
There are three Essentials editions. Essentials Starter is Google's free version for teams of up to 100 users, with 15GB per user and no Vault or admin-grade controls. We supply the two paid editions, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus, which have no user cap.
Enterprise Essentials vs Essentials Plus
| Feature | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Not included | Not included |
| Storage per user (pooled) | 1TB | 5TB |
| Meet participants | 150 | 1,000 (beyond 500 join view-only) |
| Shared drives | Yes | Yes |
| Google Vault | Yes (domain verification needed) | Yes (domain verification needed) |
| Data loss prevention | No | Yes |
| Context-aware access | No | Yes |
| Data regions | No | Yes |
| User cap | None | None |
Some features, including Vault, DLP, context-aware access and data regions, need you to verify ownership of your domain in the Admin console. We do that as part of set-up.
How Essentials is licensed
Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus are licensed per user, with no maximum. They are available on Google's Flexible Plan (monthly, add and remove users at any time) or the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan (one-year commitment at a lower per-user cost, where the licence count can only fall at renewal).
Because Essentials users already have email elsewhere, there is no mail migration. If you later decide to move email to Google, you can upgrade users to a full Enterprise edition and keep their Drive content. Ask us for a quote on either plan.
Who Essentials suits
- Organisations that want Google's collaboration tools but must keep their existing email platform
- Teams inside a larger group where email is run centrally, such as a subsidiary, a research unit or a school trust office
- Organisations replacing an ageing file server with shared drives and real-time editing
- Businesses that run large external meetings and want Meet without changing email
If you are a smaller organisation happy to move email as well, a Business edition is usually simpler and gives you Gmail in the same licence.
How we help
We set up Enterprise Essentials on your Forever Systems account, verify your domain, connect Google sign-in to your existing identity provider where needed, and migrate file shares into shared drives with sensible permissions. We also check calendar interoperability so Meet links work from the calendar your users already have.
Files in Drive still need independent protection: see Google Workspace backup. Contact us for a quote.
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Does Enterprise Essentials include Gmail?
No. The Essentials editions are designed to work with your existing email and calendar. If you want Gmail too, choose a Business or Enterprise edition.
What is the difference between Enterprise Essentials and Essentials Plus?
Essentials Plus raises storage from 1TB to 5TB per user, allows Meet meetings of up to 1,000 participants, and adds data loss prevention, context-aware access and data region controls.
Is Google Workspace Essentials Starter free?
Yes, Google offers Essentials Starter at no cost for teams of up to 100 users, with 15GB per user. It lacks Vault and the administrative controls of the paid editions.
Can Essentials users join Meet from another calendar?
Yes. Google Meet links work from invitations created in other calendar systems, so people can join or host Meet meetings without moving their existing calendar.