Run a 5-step pilot

For: A small group testing ​Google Workspace​ within a larger organization

In a larger organization, a pilot team can try out Gmail and other Google Workspace services before everyone switches over. Piloting won't interrupt anyone's current mail service, and users keep using their current email address.

1

Set up pilot users' Gmail

Let pilot users try Gmail without changing your domain's MX records or interrupting anyone's mail service. Do this by setting up dual delivery for those users, so your legacy mail server forwards their mail to Gmail.

Set up dual delivery

After you follow these steps, pilot users can use Gmail to send and receive mail, while everyone else keeps using their legacy inbox.

  1. During sign-up, skip the step to activate Gmail for your domain. Instead, leave your domain's MX records so they continue to direct mail to your legacy mail server.
  2. Add Google Workspace accounts for your pilot users.

    Skip this step if you added the users during signup.

  3. Set up dual delivery for the pilot users, only.

    Follow steps to use your Legacy server as the primary server.
2

Sign in and start sending mail!

Let pilot users know how to sign in to their Google Workspace account and start sending mail.

Sign in to Gmail

Send these instructions to your pilot users:

  1. Open a browser and go to the Google Workspace User Hub.
  2. Enter your Google Workspace email address (such as you@example.com) and password.

    (Replace example.com with your organization's domain name.)

  3. At the top right, click App Launcher and thenGmail .

Sync with Microsoft Outlook (optional)

If anyone would rather access their emails, contacts, and calendars using Microsoft Outlook instead of their browser's web interface, they can use our Outlook plug-in.

  1. Set up Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook
  2. Have pilot users install the plug-in
3

Migrate pilot users' data

Test our migration tools to import your pilot users' old emails, calendar events, and contacts into Google Workspace. You can migrate data directly from your legacy server or let users migrate their own data.
4

Set up mobile devices

During your trial, you can sync your organization's Google Workspace mail, contacts, and calendar data to your users' Android, iOS, BlackBerry, or Windows mobile devices.
5

Explore Google Workspace

Direct your team to training resources so they can organize their mail, hold meetings, collaborate in real-time on documents, and more.

Get training and help

After your pilot

Deploy Google Workspace to the rest of your organization:


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