Choosing who sets up Google Workspace for your studio is a bigger decision than it first looks. Architecture and design firms carry unusual workloads: huge drawing sets, heavy model files, external consultants on every project and clients who expect fast, professional communication. This guide explains how to choose a Google Workspace setup partner for architecture firms, with a vendor evaluation checklist and a comparison table you can use in your own shortlisting. If you want to see how a structured engagement works, our Google Workspace setup service page outlines the scope we typically cover.
Nothing here replaces a conversation about your own studio. Use it to frame questions, then ask every candidate for an itemised written proposal.
Why architecture firms need a different kind of setup
A generic setup that suits a ten-person sales team can quietly fail in a design practice. The differences are practical.
- Large, heavy files: drawing sets, rendered images, point-cloud exports and model files behave very differently from spreadsheets and documents. Sync behaviour and folder structure matter.
- Project-based access: people join and leave projects constantly. Staff, freelancers, structural engineers, quantity surveyors and clients each need different levels of visibility.
- Confidential client work: unreleased designs, tender documents and site information should not be exposed through a loosely shared link.
- Long project lifecycles: a building may be documented for years, so archives, naming conventions and retention rules need to survive staff turnover.
- Mixed software: most studios run desktop CAD and BIM tools alongside Google apps, so the setup must coexist with them instead of forcing a change in how designers work.
What a good Workspace setup should cover
Before comparing vendors, agree on the scope. A competent partner should be able to explain each of the areas below in plain language and tell you what is included.
Email migration
Most studios arrive with years of project correspondence in an older mail system. Migration should preserve folders, labels, calendars and contacts, and it should be planned around project deadlines so nobody loses a mailbox during a submission week. Ask how the partner handles very large mailboxes, shared mailboxes for project teams and the period when old and new systems run side by side.
Shared drives for drawings and large files
This is the area where architecture firms feel the most pain. A good design separates shared drives by project or by discipline, applies a clear folder template, and defines who can add, edit, comment or only view. The partner should talk honestly about how large drawing files are handled, how desktop sync is configured and where specialist document-control or CAD data-management tools still make sense alongside Workspace.
Access control and offboarding
Role-based groups are far easier to maintain than individual permissions. Look for a partner who sets up groups for roles such as directors, project leads, technical staff, freelancers and external consultants, and who documents what happens when someone leaves, including how their files and mail are handed to a successor.
Multi-factor authentication and security basics
Design files are valuable, and compromised mailboxes are a common route for invoice fraud. A sound setup enforces multi-factor authentication, sensible password and recovery policies, controls on external sharing and device management where needed. The partner should explain these choices so your directors understand what is switched on and why.
Domain and DNS configuration
Correct domain verification, MX records and email authentication records (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) protect your studio name from being spoofed and help your messages reach clients instead of spam folders. Ask who controls the domain registrar account after handover. It should be you.
Training and adoption
Software nobody uses properly delivers little value. Training should be tailored to how a studio works: how to share a drawing package with a consultant, how to request client sign-off in comments, how to use shared calendars for site visits and reviews.
Ongoing support
Workspace changes regularly, staff change constantly and new projects need new drives. Clarify whether support is included for a period, available on request or sold as a monthly arrangement, and what response expectations are written down.
Vendor evaluation checklist
Use the list below when you speak to each candidate. Score each item as clearly yes, partly or no, and ask for evidence rather than assurances.
- Relevant experience: have they set up Workspace for design, engineering or other file-heavy project businesses, and can they describe how those needs were met without naming confidential clients?
- Discovery first: do they begin with a review of your current mail, storage, users and projects instead of jumping straight to a package?
- Written migration plan: is there a schedule, a rollback approach and a plan for out-of-hours cutover?
- Shared drive design: will they propose a folder and permissions template for projects, and explain how large drawing files will behave?
- Security by default: are multi-factor authentication, external sharing limits and admin role separation part of the standard build?
- DNS and email authentication: can they explain SPF, DKIM and DMARC and confirm that you keep ownership of domain accounts?
- Documentation: will you receive an admin handbook describing every setting, group and policy they configured?
- Training included or itemised: is user training in the quote, and is it adapted to studio workflows?
- Support terms: are post-launch support, response expectations and escalation paths written down?
- Licensing transparency: do you hold the Workspace account as the owner, with the partner as an admin, so you are never locked in?
- Itemised quote: does the proposal separate licences, migration, configuration, training and support?
- Exit and handover: if you later change provider, will they hand over admin access and documentation cleanly?
A partner who answers these confidently and in writing is usually one who has done the work before. Our Google Workspace setup team works through this same list with clients during scoping.
Comparison table: types of setup partner
Studios typically weigh four routes. The table compares them on the factors that matter most to an architecture practice.
| Factor | Do it yourself | Freelancer or one-person consultant | Specialist setup partner | Generic IT reseller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Migration planning | Depends on whoever has spare time, often squeezed between projects | Can be good, but limited by one person's availability | Planned in stages with a schedule and fallback | Usually a standard process, less tailored to deadlines |
| Large drawing file handling | Trial and error | Varies with their experience of design firms | Should include shared drive design and sync guidance | Often treated like any other file storage |
| Access control design | Usually ad hoc, built up over time | Good if they take the time to document it | Role-based groups and offboarding steps documented | Often default settings only |
| Security setup | Easily overlooked | Depends on individual knowledge | Multi-factor authentication and sharing controls as standard | Varies by package |
| Training | Self-taught | Possible but usually extra | Can be tailored to studio workflows | Often generic videos or documents |
| Support after go-live | Internal only | Risk if the person is unavailable | Written support terms and a team behind them | Ticket-based, response varies |
| Cost shape | Lowest cash cost, highest hidden time cost | Often lower upfront, with continuity risk | Project-based and itemised, mid-range | Licence-led pricing, extras added separately |
| Lock-in risk | None | Depends on who holds the admin account | Low when you own the account and documentation | Can be higher if licences are billed through the reseller |
No column wins on every row. A very small studio with a technically confident director may manage a do-it-yourself setup. Most practices that depend on email and shared files to deliver projects are better served by a partner who documents everything and stays reachable.
What drives the cost of a setup
We will not quote figures in an article, because they depend on your studio. These are the factors that move a quote up or down, so you can compare proposals fairly.
- The number of users and shared mailboxes to migrate.
- The size and condition of existing mail archives and file stores.
- How many active projects need shared drives built and populated.
- The depth of security policy, including device management and external sharing rules.
- Whether training is for a few administrators or for the whole studio.
- The level of ongoing support you want after go-live.
Ask every vendor for an itemised quote and compare line by line. A low headline price that excludes migration, training or support often costs more once those are added.
Red flags to watch for
- The partner wants to own the Workspace account or registrar login.
- No written plan for cutover, only a promise that it will be fine.
- Permissions described as "everyone can access everything for now".
- No mention of multi-factor authentication or email authentication records.
- Vague answers on what happens when a staff member leaves.
- A quote with a single lump sum and no breakdown.
Questions to ask in your first call
- How would you organise our drives so that a new project can be set up quickly and consistently?
- How will you handle consultants and clients who are outside our domain?
- What will our team be able to do themselves after handover?
- Who do we contact when something breaks on a deadline day, and how quickly is a response expected?
- Can we see a sample of your admin documentation?
A sensible way to run the selection
Keep the process short. Shortlist two or three partners, share the same brief with each and ask for proposals in the same format. Include your user count, current email platform, approximate storage and the main project tools you use. Compare their answers against the checklist, then hold a short call with the person who will actually run your project. If a partner offers a small first phase, such as an audit and plan, it can be a low-risk way to judge their approach before committing to the whole migration.
Why Companies Choose CloudHouse for Google Workspace Setup
Clients come to CloudHouse because we plan delivery in stages, stay available for support after launch and provide transparent, itemised quotes so you can see what each part of the setup costs. You remain the owner of your accounts and documentation throughout. You can read more about our approach on the Google Workspace setup page.
Conclusion
The right Google Workspace partner for an architecture firm is one who understands large project files, designs access around real project teams, secures accounts properly and documents everything so you are never dependent on one person. Use the checklist and the comparison table above, insist on an itemised quote and keep ownership of your domain and admin accounts. To discuss your studio and receive a written proposal, visit our Google Workspace setup service for architecture firms page and request a quote.
