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Google Workspace Best Practices for Creative Teams

HELPING CREATIVE TEAMS MAKE SMARTER IT DECISIONS

Google Workspace is core to many creative agencies. This is due to it’s flexibility and how well it works across Macs, PCs and remote teams.

 

But without the right setup, it can also become messy, with common issues such as slow file access, unclear permissions, security gaps and expensive storage costs.

Start With a Clear Structure

One of the biggest issues we see among our creative clients are messy folder structures and inconsistent naming. You can often get away with it when your team is small, but as more people join, things become much harder to manage.
 

A good setup should include:

  • A clear shared drive structure by client or department

  • Consistent naming conventions

  • Defined ownership of shared drives

  • Archived projects stored separately

  • Limits on personal “My Drive” usage for company files
     

Shared Drives (rather than individual user drives) are usually the best option for creative businesses, as files stay with the business rather than individuals.

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Get Permissions Right Early

Permissions can become chaotic over time, especially in agencies working with freelancers, clients and external partners.

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Some of the best practices we would recommend you trying to stick to right from the start includes:

  • Grant access via groups rather than individuals

  • Review permissions regularly

  • Remove access quickly when staff leave

  • Limit admin rights to a small number of people

  • Use view-only access where possible
     

This keeps files secure and avoids accidental deletions or oversharing.

Get Permissions Right Early

Google Groups are one of the simplest ways to keep access organised.


Instead of manually adding people to folders or drives, create groups like:

design@

production@

accounts@

freelancers@
 

You can then manage access centrally and avoid constantly updating permissions when staff change.

Secure the Environment Properly

Creative businesses consistency need to meet client security requirements. Google Workspace has strong security features, but they need to be configured properly.

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Key steps include:

  • Enforcing multi-factor authentication

  • Managing device access

  • Setting password policies

  • Restricting external sharing where needed

  • Monitoring suspicious logins

  • Ensuring backups are in place
     

Security often becomes a priority after a scare, but putting structure in place early is far healthier for your business. 

Think About Storage Strategy

Many creative teams work with large files on a regular basis, and with these kinds of files storage can quickly become expensive or disorganised.

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Good practice includes:

  • Using Shared Drives for active projects

  • Archiving completed work

  • Setting storage policies

  • Avoiding duplication across drives

  • Reviewing storage usage regularly
     

Without a strategy, costs can creep up and file access can slow down.

Keep an Eye on Admin Settings

Google Workspace comes with a wide range of admin controls, but many of them are left on default settings, which can lead to gaps in your security gaps, as well as inefficiencies that are highlighted as your team grows.
 

Areas worth reviewing:

  • Sharing policies

  • External access

  • App permissions

  • Backup solutions

  • Login alerts

  • Admin roles
     

We recommend a periodic review to ensure everything keeps aligned with how your team is actually working, or if you outsource you IT support, then make sure this is being done regularly by them.

Plan for Onboarding and Offboarding

When new starters join, they need access quickly so they can begin contributing from day one. That means having their email, shared drives, folders, and key apps ready before (or at least on) their first morning. Equally, when someone leaves, access needs to be removed just as fast. Prompt off-boarding protects client data, while also ensuring files and inboxes are handed over cleanly. 

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Having a simple, repeatable joiner–mover–leaver process in place helps ensure:

A simple onboarding checklist helps:

  • Create user accounts

  • Assign group memberships

  • Set up email and calendar

  • Provide drive access

  • Configure devices

Offboarding should include:

  • Removing access

  • Transferring file ownership

  • Archiving emails

  • Checking shared drive permissions

Extending Google Workspace into a Hybrid Studio Environment

For many creative teams, Google Cloud is excellent for parts of the job. But when it comes to large media files or archives, Drive alone can start to show how it's not designed for the job
 

Having witnessed this frustration, we decided to developed Hybrid Studio, a high‑performance hybrid storage solution that combines cloud collaboration with fast local storage. This setup gives your team the ability to work in Google Workspace while accessing large files quickly and reliably, even across studios and remote working teams/freelancers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Workspace suitable for creative agencies?

It definitely does. Google Workspace works well for a variety of creative teams because of it's ability to make collaboration simple.
 

However, most creative businesses still need to think carefully about how files are organised and who has access. When it's set up properly, Google Workspace is a great tool to support both your teams collaboration and your businesses day-to-day operations. 

Is Google Workspace secure enough for agencies?

The security tools within Google Workspace are pretty strong, but they do nee to be fully configured. Things like sharing settings, login alerts, admin roles and device controls often get left on their default settings.
 

Reviewing these regularly helps make sure your environment matches ensures they are actually helping to protect your business.

How can my creative team organise Google Drive better?

Having a clear folder structure makes a big difference. Without one, your files will likely end up in a mess and quickly become hard to find.
 

We have found most agencies benefit from setting up a consistent structure. Permissions should also be carefully managed so the right people can access what they need without everything becoming completely open.
 

It's worth taking a bit of time to design this properly at the start, to save yourself a lot of confusion down the line. 

When do creative teams outgrow Google Drive alone?

The when comes whenever the team starts to work with larger, complex files and when a range of people are collaborating on the same projects.

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At that point businesses often need faster access to working files and better syncing between locations. Many agencies solve this by extending their Google Workspace setup with more structured storage designed for creative work.

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