Google Gemini AI: Why paying for Security in Gemini is worth it

Google continues to push forward in AI innovation with Gemini AI—its generative AI tool, designed to boost productivity and streamline workflows. For IT managers and administrators already using Google Workspace, Gemini AI represents an appealing addition to your existing productivity tools. However, a growing concern for many when integrating AI into a business environment is security. This is where the differences between Gemini and Gemini Advanced become relevant. 

It’s important to note that Gemini Advanced uses a more powerful language model (LLM) called “Gemini Ultra” as opposed to “Gemini Flash” that the free version uses. This means that Gemini Ultra utilises the most advanced responses and will return better results with the prompts your team enters.

In this post, we’ll go through the key features of Gemini AI, comparing Gemini as the “free” version and Gemini Advanced, and providing a particular focus on the enhanced security features of the paid version. The aim is to help you determine which Gemini version will meet your organisation’s needs and if Gemini Advanced offers enough added value (especially in terms of security) to justify the additional investment.

Overview of Gemini AI: Free vs. Paid

Before discussing the differences, we should understand what Gemini AI is all about. As a generative AI tool, it assists users in a wide variety of tasks, from generating text and summarising documents to providing data-driven insights for decision-making.

One key distinction between Gemini and Gemini Advanced is security. While both versions offer impressive capabilities for boosting individual productivity, Gemini Advanced is packed with advanced security and data governance features, making it ideal for organisations with strict data security requirements.

Let’s start with some core features available in both versions before we talk about the significant security differences.

Core Features of Gemini AI in Both Versions

Advanced Natural Language Processing. (NLP) Both Gemini and Gemini Advanced leverage Google’s state-of-the-art language models to assist users in drafting, editing, and summarising text. Whether it’s writing an email, generating reports, or preparing presentations, Gemini AI can handle many of the repetitive tasks associated with content creation.

Gemini AI integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace tools, such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This integration ensures that users can access the AI's capabilities directly within the applications they use every day, enabling them to enhance productivity without needing to switch between different platforms.

Data-Driven Insights 

Gemini AI can analyse data and offer recommendations or insights to support decision-making. This feature is particularly helpful for departments like Marketing or HR, where users can generate insights from datasets and receive data-driven suggestions for next steps.

Task Automation 

Another key feature of both versions is automation. Gemini AI can help users schedule meetings, set reminders, and manage workloads efficiently, all through Google Workspace tools such as Google Calendar.

These core features make Gemini AI a powerful tool for enhancing productivity, but security concerns are what often determine whether an organisation opts for Gemini or Gemini Advanced. Let’s look more closely at the security differences.

Security Features: Free vs. Gemini Advanced

Security is a major factor for IT managers considering Gemini AI. While Gemini provides basic security protections, Gemini Advanced takes this much further, offering enterprise-level security features designed for organisations that need tight control over data access and usage.

Data Handling, Compliance and Encryption

Free Version: Gemini includes standard data encryption at rest and in transit, similar to Google’s other Workspace services. However, organisations may find that they have less control over how the AI interacts with sensitive data. While Gemini is secure, it doesn’t provide the extensive data governance features that large enterprises often require. Compliance with specific industry regulations such as HIPAA or GDPR is not guaranteed. Gemini provides standard encryption, with data being encrypted both at rest and in transit. However, organisations with stricter security requirements may need more comprehensive encryption strategies than this.

Gemini Advanced: Gemini Advanced is designed with compliance in mind, offering IT managers and administrators the ability to enforce data residency and privacy policies. You can control where your data is stored and processed, ensuring compliance with regulations such as for GDPR. Gemini Advanced also provides audit logs and activity tracking, so you can monitor how the AI is being used and ensure that it complies with internal policies and regulatory standards. Gemini Advanced offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring that your data remains encrypted even while being processed by the AI system through its advanced DLP rules. 

This is particularly important for industries like finance or healthcare, where data security is critical, and unauthorised access could lead to serious regulatory breaches and possible legal issues down the line.

Access Control and Authentication

Free Version: Access control in Gemini is handled through Google Workspace’s default settings, which include two-factor authentication (2FA) for users. While this is sufficient for many businesses, it doesn’t offer the level of control that some enterprises may require, especially when managing access across multiple teams or departments.

Gemini Advanced: Gemini Advanced introduces role-based access control (RBAC), allowing IT teams to define who can access which AI features and datasets. You can restrict access based on roles or departments, ensuring sensitive data is only accessible to authorised personnel. Additionally, Gemini Advanced integrates with third-party Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions and supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) for enhanced security.

Data Retention and Deletion Policies

Free Version: In Gemini, data retention and deletion policies follow Google’s default Workspace policies. While this is suitable for small teams, it may not meet the needs of enterprises that have strict data retention requirements or need to enforce particular deletion policies.

Gemini Advanced: Gemini Advanced offers IT staff full control over data retention policies. You can set custom data deletion timelines and enforce retention rules that align with your organisation’s compliance and governance needs. For businesses handling sensitive data, this level of control ensures that information is only kept for as long as necessary, and is automatically purged when no longer needed.

Security Monitoring and Threat Detection

Free Version: Gemini operates within Google’s standard security framework but lacks advanced threat detection features. Security monitoring is limited to what is already provided in Google Workspace, which may not be sufficient for businesses looking for detailed, real-time security analytics.

Gemini Advanced: Gemini Advanced enhances security monitoring with AI-driven threat detection and advanced security analytics. It continuously monitors AI usage to detect unusual activity, potential breaches, or inappropriate access to data. This proactive approach to security ensures that any threats are identified and dealt with before they cause harm.

Additional features in the paid version

In addition to the enhanced security features, Gemini Advanced offers several other applications and capabilities that make it a more attractive option for larger organisations:

• Advanced Collaboration Tools 

Gemini Advanced includes tools that enhance collaboration across teams, such as real-time co-authoring in Google Docs with AI assistance. This is particularly useful for large teams working on shared documents or reports, as Gemini AI can provide instant feedback and suggestions, ensuring a consistent and high-quality output.

• Custom Model Training with Gems 

For organisations with more specific needs, Gemini Advanced allows you to customise the AI model based on your own data using “Gems” that provide context to inputs. This feature enables your team to train Gemini AI to understand your industry-specific language and requirements, making the AI more effective in delivering relevant insights.

• Enhanced Reporting and Analytics 

The premium version offers more in-depth reporting and analytics features, allowing IT managers to monitor AI usage across the organisation. This visibility helps in understanding how AI is being used, whether it’s driving productivity, and where further improvements could be made.

• AI Classification

Gemini Advanced offers the ability to automatically classify your files within Google Drive through AI classification. This is useful for large Google Drive users, who need to automatically apply labels at scale. This allows businesses to do this to both new and existing files within Google Drive.

• API Access and Integration 

Gemini Advanced also includes access to Gemini AI’s API, enabling deeper integration with other business applications. This allows organisations to build custom solutions and workflows around the AI, extending its functionality beyond Google Workspace.

Which Version is Right for Your Organisation?

For businesses looking to boost individual productivity, Gemini offers a solid set of features that will help your users automate tasks, create content, and analyse data with ease.

However, for IT managers with a focus on security and compliance, Gemini Advanced is the better choice. It offers the advanced security features necessary to protect sensitive organisational data, ensures compliance with industry regulations, and provides the control needed to manage AI usage effectively across the organisation.

While Gemini Advanced comes at an additional cost, its enhanced security, collaboration tools, and customisation options make it a worthwhile investment for larger organisations or those with stringent data protection requirements. As AI becomes an integral part of business operations, ensuring that it is deployed securely is key to maintaining trust and protecting your organisation’s most valuable asset—its data.

To find out more about Gemini and its potential within your organisation, get in touch with a member of our team to have a chat about the features that could help you get the most out of AI in your business or to find out more about Gemini, visit our webpage.