Q: What if I already have a Google account?
A: Great! You have a head start on how to use gmail for the Archdiocese. There will be training on how to properly alternate between your personal account and your Archdiocesan account. While the formats are similar, it will be important to distinguish between your personal information and work information because of increased privacy and security.
Q: I know Google has products that don’t apply to this email transition but function similarly to Microsoft Office products. Is there a mandate that all parish/cluster/school employees use these Google applications instead of Microsoft Office?
A: No. There is no formal directive from the archdiocese about what software a site should use. We suspect that users will appreciate the ability to share some online Google documents with others instead of saving, attaching and opening via an email. As users become more familiar and comfortable in time, some sites might recognize that certain positions can make do with Google’s free word processing, spreadsheet, online video chat and presentation software.
Some positions will always need more-robust Microsoft Office products. For example, most finance staff will need Microsoft Excel and will find that Google Sheets is not a suitable replacement. Staff who do not rely on Excel for complex formulas may find that Google Sheets is, in fact, suitable for their needs.
Q: How much is this costing the archdiocese?
A: We enjoy a Google for Nonprofits account. This means we receive products and features at no cost while for-profit companies must pay for them. Users will also receive benefits, like more storage space, at a fraction of the cost to the archdiocese.