Data security and control is an issue of vital importance for most companies, especially in the post-covid era. New work modalities, such as teleworking or a hybrid model, have made company data subject to more risks. And here tools like Google Vault. If you want to know what Google's vault is, we recommend that you read the following post.
What is Google Vault?
As we have already introduced, Google Vault is a tool designed to improve data security of companies. And it achieves this by allowing control over the information stored in Google Workspace: the company can keep, block, search and export data from its users. Everything is based on the “eDiscovery Google Vault”: Google's advanced electronic discovery.
Therefore, it is a tool included in the Google cloud business platform, Google Workspace. As we will explain later, this application is only included in the more advanced Workspace plans.
What is Google Vault for?
Google Vault app is used to control the data that circulates in the collaborative environment in the company's cloud. In this case, the Google Workspace. In this way, it serves to perform actions of:
- electronic discovery
- Control of information
- Access control and account auditing.
- audit reports
What information can the Google Vault administrator extract?
Access to Google Vault is limited to Google Workspace account administrator. In this way you can obtain information from Google Workspace applications such as Gmail, Drive or Google Chat.
Which Google Workspace (G Suite) apps can the Google Workspace pull information from? administrator?
1.Gmail
One of the main applications that Google Vault can pull information from is Gmail. This way, Google Vault can help you manage data retention, apply locks, and find and export data such as:
- Messages from Gmail or Google Groups
- First 250 text pages of messages.
- Text files with extensions like .pdf, .xslx, and .docx.
2. Drive
On the other hand, you can also manage the conservation, blocking application and search and export of Google Drive data. Specifically, you will be able to manage:
- Both files from Drive users' drives and shared drives from your organization.
- Text files such as pdf or docx, and jpg.
- Google tools, such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Draw, and Sites.
- Google Jamboard files that have been saved to users' drives.
In the case that they are including links to other files in Google Docs, the latter will not be automatically included in the retention, retention and search results rules. Also, if the file has been created by users belonging to an external organizationThey will not be subject to your rules either.
3.Google Chat
If your team is using Google Chat to communicate both internally and externally, Google Vault will be a good option for applying chat rules. retention, retention and search and export of chat data.
In order to extract these data, the Chat history must be turned on. Only then will Vault be able to preserve, search, and export direct, group, and room messages. In order to activate or deactivate the Chat history, you must go to the Google Administrator Panel (Applications > Google Workspace > Google Chat > Chat history).
The data that can be obtained from this application are the following:
- Message attachments: only if these files are attached directly in the chat (these are not links of files or pdf stored in Drive). In this case, the name of the file and its owner are indexed. The supported file types are varied: .pdf, .xlsx and .docx, among many others.
- User messages: In the case of external users, only those data that is subject to your organization's rules. Therefore, any data that comes from messages received or sent in rooms belonging to an external organization will not be stored.
4.GoogleMeet
Google Meet also allows you to preserve, retain, and export in Vault some of your generated data. However, these are subject to Drive retention, retention and export rules. Among them we find:
- Google Meet recordings.
- Interactions recorded in Google Meet, such as chats, questions and answers, or polls.
5.Google Voice
Finally, you can also obtain data from Google Voice, but to be able to do so, the organization must have Voice Standard or Premier licenses. In addition, users must have their own phone number that allows them to send and receive text messages. The data that can be kept, retained, searched and exported in Vault are:
- Text messages
- Voicemails and transcripts
- call logs
What plans is Google Vault included in?
Vault licenses come included in different licenses of Google Workspace
Included in:
- BusinessPlus
- business
- Enterprise Essentials (verified domains only)
- Education Fundamentals and Plus
- G Suite Business
Google Vault Price
In the event that you do not have these Workspace plans, they can be purchased in a complementary way with Frontline and G Suite Basic. Google Vault pricing will appear in your admin console. In addition, you will have a free 30-day demo.
