Short answer
Google Workspace for Business Continuity is a standby Google Workspace environment for organizations that use Microsoft 365 or other non-Google tools. You set it up before an outage, so people can sign in to Gmail, Meet, Drive, and the rest of Workspace when their primary system is down.
Key takeaways
- It's for companies that don't already run on Workspace. Google's product page says Workspace has 99.99% uptime, so this isn't aimed at current Workspace customers.
- Two editions: Business Continuity is a "cold" standby (usernames and passwords only, no other data synced). Business Continuity Plus is a "hot" standby that can sync email, calendar events, chat messages, and more.
- You buy it through Google Sales, and you have to deploy it before a disruption. Google says it is not a reactive recovery option.
- Yearly use is capped: 7 consecutive days and 21 days total on the base edition, or 30 and 60 on Plus, plus four failover tests. If you go past those limits, Google can convert you to an Enterprise Plus subscription.
- When an outage hits, people sign in. If you used a subdomain, as Google recommends, you don't have to change MX records in the middle of a crisis.
New to Workspace itself? Here's how to start the 14-day free trial. That's a different path: Business Continuity is a backup, not a full switch.
I've run my own businesses on Google Workspace since 2008. Outages on our side have been rare enough that I don't keep a second productivity suite sitting idle. This product is for the other situation: your primary tools aren't Google's, and you want a place to work when those tools stop.
That's the case Google describes. In October 2025, it launched Business Continuity as a plan that "runs Google Workspace in parallel with Microsoft 365" and is "designed for Microsoft customers that want to ensure continuity of operations." The Help Center puts it in plainer terms: it's a backup that works with your primary, non-Google collaboration platform, and you turn it on when you need it.
This week's Microsoft 365 outage
On Thursday, November 12, 2026, Microsoft 365 customers around the world started having trouble with Outlook, Teams, and other apps. The disruption ran into Friday, November 13. The Guardian reported that it lasted about 18 hours before services started to recover just before midday GMT on Friday, and that Microsoft said it had "addressed the underlying issue" and was "deeply sorry." Microsoft also said the outage was a technical issue, not a cyberattack.
According to The Guardian, Downdetector showed a jump in Microsoft 365 problem reports at about 6 p.m. GMT on Thursday, with nearly 130,000 reports across 74 countries. The reports covered Outlook and Teams, as well as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Copilot. The problems were patchy: some users were affected and some were not. Government offices, including the U.S. House of Representatives, UK healthcare and police, and city governments, reported trouble.
Ookla, which runs Downdetector, later described this as the largest outage on Downdetector in the past 12 months, with reports staying high for about 20 hours. It said Microsoft attributed the problem to email servers where a process that sets up secure connections became overwhelmed, and that Microsoft had begun reversing a recent change to its network settings.
I don't bring this up to score points. I bring it up because this is the situation Business Continuity is built for. If your company runs on Microsoft 365 and email or meetings go dark for most of a day, you need a second set of tools that is already set up and familiar enough to use, and that runs on different infrastructure.
What it is, and who it's for
Google Workspace for Business Continuity is a full Workspace environment that sits next to your primary tools. People get Gmail, Calendar, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Sites, Tasks, Keep, Vault, and Vids. Google says both editions include the same premium features its largest customers use, including the Enterprise Plus security and compliance controls. For the detailed feature list, Google points you to the Enterprise Plus columns in its comparison tables.
The important limit is who it's for. Google's Help Center is direct:
Google Workspace for Business Continuity is intended for organizations that use non-Google productivity and collaboration tools. Google Workspace has 99.99% uptime, so outages aren't a common problem for Workspace customers.
A second point matters just as much: you have to set this up before something breaks. Google calls it a proactive solution. It is not something you buy and turn on after an outage has already started.
You purchase it through Google Sales. It isn't a self-serve plan on the regular pricing page.
On uptime, two numbers show up in Google's own materials, and they're easy to mix up. The Google Workspace Service Level Agreement (last modified August 31, 2026) promises a monthly uptime percentage of at least 99.9%. The 99.99% figure on the Business Continuity page is Google describing actual uptime, not the contractual SLA. Google's October 2025 announcement used both: a 99.9% SLA, and 99.99% uptime "so far in 2025." I mention this so you can take the claim at the right weight.
Business Continuity vs. Business Continuity Plus
Google offers two editions.
Business Continuity is what Google calls a "cold" standby. Leadership and critical teams can sign in during a crisis and use Gmail, Drive, Meet, and the other Workspace apps. Aside from usernames and passwords, none of your data is synchronized with Google. People won't have their existing email or files in Workspace, which is fine for coordinating a response and less fine if they need last week's email.
Business Continuity Plus is the "hot" standby. People still sign in to Gmail, Calendar, Meet, and the rest, and their accounts can include synchronized data: email messages, calendar events, chat messages, and more. Google notes that directory and data synchronization needs customer setup and ongoing maintenance, and it recommends working with a partner or a third-party service.
| Business Continuity | Business Continuity Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Standby type | Cold: a secure, isolated Workspace environment | Hot: more of your business data is available during a crisis |
| What's synced | Usernames and passwords only | Email, calendar events, chat messages, and more (after you set up sync) |
| Who it's for | Leadership and critical teams who need to communicate during a crisis | Organizations that need core functions to keep running with less disruption |
| Consecutive use per year | 7 days | 30 days |
| Cumulative use per year | 21 days | 60 days |
How much can you use it?
This is a backup, not a second daily suite. Google limits end-user access to core Workspace services, using the two rows in the table above. Admin console work (configuration, data syncing, and usage monitoring) does not count against those limits. You can also run up to four failover tests a year so people practice before a real outage.
If you exceed the limits, Google reserves the right to convert you from Business Continuity to an Enterprise Plus subscription. That's the regular paid suite, so the cost would change. Plan for the caps, and use the tests.
How you set it up
After you buy it, the main decisions are about your domain, passwords, and how user accounts get into Workspace. Google's setup guide walks through each one.
Domain
Google recommends a subdomain of your main domain, such as workspace.your-company.com. The advantage is that this subdomain can have its own MX records pointed at Google ahead of time, so incoming mail to the backup environment already works during an outage, and the addresses still look like they belong to your company. The tradeoff is that people have to remember the subdomain when they sign in.
You can use the same domain as your primary provider instead. Then email sent from Workspace looks identical. The catch: if an outage hits, incoming mail won't reach Workspace until you change MX records and those changes propagate, which can take time you may not have. Google warns that if you use the same domain, you should not update MX records unless you're already in an outage, and you can ignore Google's usual "activate Gmail" reminders during the first two weeks.
A third option is a completely separate domain. Incoming mail to Workspace wouldn't depend on the primary provider, but recipients may not recognize the addresses.
Passwords
Google recommends syncing passwords with your primary provider so people aren't trying to recall a password they never use. The risk is that a compromised password on the primary side is also compromised on Workspace. Google's mitigation is to require pre-enrolled hardware security keys and to force a password change at first login.
User accounts and DNS
Google offers two directory sync tools: Google Cloud Directory Sync (on-premises software, works with LDAP directories including Active Directory) and Directory Sync (cloud-based, works with Active Directory and Azure AD). You pick one and set it up after the domain is verified.
You also verify domain ownership with a TXT record, and, if you're on a subdomain or a unique domain, you add Google's MX record (smtp.google.com) during the initial setup. Those DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to be recognized.
Data after you fail back
Work created in Workspace during an outage stays in Workspace after you return to your primary provider. You can export it. Google recommends a Google Vault retention rule that deletes the data after a set period, which lowers the chance the backup environment becomes a source of legal exposure. If you don't delete it, you need to treat that environment as a system of record and keep its security settings in good shape.
What you do when an outage starts
Google's advice starts before anything fails: people should already know how to sign in, and you should have simple training for getting work done in Workspace. Google points to its own switch guides from Microsoft, Slack, Zoom, and Box or Dropbox.
When the outage happens:
If you used the same domain for both providers, switch your MX records to
smtp.google.com. If you used a subdomain, this step is already done.Tell people to switch to Workspace.
They sign in with their username and password. Google recommends a security key, and a password change on first login.
They get immediate access to Workspace services. On Business Continuity Plus, they may also have their synchronized email, calendar, and chats.
They keep working in Workspace until the primary provider is back.
Afterward, switch MX records back if you changed them, export your data, and check the Vault retention rules so the exported data will be deleted on the schedule you set.
None of this is a single button that fails over the company. It's a plan your team already knows, a set of accounts that already exist, and, if you chose Plus, data that is already sitting in Workspace.
Is this a full move to Google Workspace?
No. It's a backup with a usage cap. If you're ready to leave Microsoft 365 as your primary suite, that's a different decision. We compare the two in Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365 and walk through whether Workspace is worth it for a small business. Google Meet vs. Microsoft Teams is a narrower cut of the same question. And if you just want to try the regular product, the 14-day free trial is the starting point.
Business Continuity can still be a useful first step: your team learns the apps without a full migration, and you already have the domain and directory work done if you later decide to switch.
If you run on Microsoft 365, this week's outage is a practical reminder to ask a simple question: where do we work if Outlook and Teams are down for most of a day? Business Continuity is Google's answer to that question, and it only works if you set it up while everything is still fine.
Sources checked November 13, 2026: Google Workspace for Business Continuity, the overview, the setup guide, how to respond to a disruption, the Google Workspace SLA, Google's October 2025 announcement, The Guardian's report on the November 2026 Microsoft outage, and Ookla's Downdetector analysis.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Google Workspace for Business Continuity for?
Organizations that use non-Google productivity and collaboration tools, such as Microsoft 365, and want a standby Workspace environment for an outage. Google says it is not aimed at existing Workspace customers, because outages there aren't a common problem.
What's the difference between Business Continuity and Business Continuity Plus?
The base edition is a cold standby: people can sign in and use Workspace, but aside from usernames and passwords, no data is synced. Plus is a hot standby. Accounts can include synchronized email, calendar events, chat messages, and more. Plus also allows more days of use each year.
How much does Google Workspace for Business Continuity cost?
Google doesn't publish a price on the Help Center. You buy it through Google Sales.
Can I start it after an outage has already begun?
Google says no. It's a proactive solution you deploy before a disruption, not a reactive recovery option. Domain verification and MX changes can take up to 72 hours, so starting from scratch during an outage is too late.
Do I have to change MX records during an outage?
Only if you used the same domain for both your primary provider and Workspace. Google recommends a subdomain instead, with MX records already pointed at Google.
What happens if we use it for more days than the limit?
Google reserves the right to convert you to an Enterprise Plus subscription, which is a regular paid Workspace plan.
Does Google Workspace really have 99.99% uptime?
That's the figure Google uses on the Business Continuity page. The contractual SLA is 99.9% monthly uptime. Google's October 2025 announcement cited both: the 99.9% SLA, and 99.99% uptime for 2025 as of that post.