At Virtru, we've always championed a world where individuals and organizations maintain complete control over their sensitive data. It's with this spirit that I'm sharing some thoughts on Google's recent announcement of a new end-to-end encryption (E2EE) feature for Gmail, powered by Google’s Client-Side Encryption.
Google has launched a beta of this new E2EE feature, enabling organizations to send encrypted emails to other Gmail users. Later this year, they plan to expand the capability to allow sending encrypted emails to any email users, including those from non-Google Workspace domains.
The E2EE announcement raises important considerations about data sovereignty, privacy, and control within the Google Workspace environment — which is especially timely given the subsequent news of a Gmail privacy update, which may limit Google’s “Smart Features” (such as AI-driven productivity tools) for those who choose stronger privacy settings in Gmail. While we don’t have many details about the update at the time of writing, it is a stark reminder that we must actively guard and protect the sensitive information that our organizations store and share in Google Workspace.
As security leaders evaluate their options, one thing is clear: More choice is a great thing when it comes to encryption. At Virtru, we’re glad to see that Google E2EE for Gmail is adding another option for security leaders to choose from. While the details of the Gmail privacy update are still forthcoming at the time of writing, this is a great time to examine the important topics of trust, privacy, and data protection within the Google ecosystem.
More Accessible Email Encryption Is a Win
As longtime advocates for data protection and privacy, we welcome any technology that helps people protect their sensitive information. Google's move to bring native E2EE capabilities to Gmail represents a significant step forward in making encrypted communication more mainstream.
At Virtru, we've spent over a decade working closely with Google, including as an early participant in their Client-Side Encryption (CSE) beta program and serving as one of its first CSE key management partners. We're pleased to see Google expanding these encryption capabilities directly within Gmail.
More Choice Is a Good Thing for Data Security
The addition of Google's native E2EE feature in Gmail provides organizations with another valuable option in their security toolkit. Having choice is essential to a healthy encryption ecosystem: Different organizations have different needs, compliance requirements, and technical capabilities.
While Google's new offering adds to the encryption landscape, Virtru will continue to deliver our proven Google Workspace encryption solutions, from Gmail to Google Drive and beyond. For more than a decade, Virtru’s solutions have continued providing flexible, adaptable value to the Google ecosystem, meeting customers where they are. This includes providing simple yet powerful key management for Google CSE (including Google’s upcoming E2EE for Gmail).
Here are a few reasons why more than 5,000 customers choose Virtru for Google Workspace:
- Fast, Lightweight Implementation: Virtru's Chrome extension provides a simple encryption solution that integrates seamlessly with Gmail, without requiring complex setup or certificate management.
- Elegant User Experience: We've always prioritized creating a frictionless experience for both senders and recipients, eliminating barriers that often discourage the use of secure communication.
- Simplified IT Management: Our solution reduces the burden on IT teams across their entire Virtru journey — from simple deployment to minimal support and maintenance from day to day.
Achieving Right-Sized Security Across Workflows
With Virtru, you can “choose your own adventure,” with a suite of products that support Google Workspace. This includes:
- End-to-End, Client-Side Encryption for Gmail, which meets strict compliance requirements like CMMC, ITAR, and CJIS while maintaining the effortless user experience Virtru is known for. Virtru’s granular access controls also travel with the data, allowing you to revoke access, change permissions, add watermarks, and set expiration dates — with the ability to make adjustments at any time, even after data has left your organization.
- Automated, Server-Side Encryption with the Virtru Gateway. Encryption doesn’t always have to happen client-side; sometimes server-side encryption is sufficient, and it doesn’t require any action by the user. Furthermore, email workflows might not even be initiated by a person at all: They might be set up as automated responses within a complex workflow. Think of the Virtru Gateway as your encryption Swiss Army Knife for these kinds of workflows. Use it for encryption or decryption workflows, or daisy-chain them for specific data archiving needs. Use it as a safety net for Gmail that runs invisibly in the background to combat user error and give you peace of mind. Use it for a hybrid Google + Microsoft environment where you can cover every endpoint with one solution. Use it to cover your email communications as well as other business apps like Salesforce and Zendesk.
- Securely Share Large Files from Google Drive. Enabling external data sharing with Google Drive can create headaches for IT teams, who can lack visibility into what’s being shared externally, when, and with whom. With Virtru Secure Share, you can disable external Drive sharing and, instead, allow your users to share encrypted files right from Google Drive.
- Manage Encryption Keys for All Things Google: Whether you’re using Virtru products or Google CSE, use the Virtru Private Keystore for simplified key management that separates your content from the encryption keys that unlock it. This gives you complete privacy and sovereignty over the protected data you store and share with Google.
To Use Google CSE (Including Gmail E2EE), You’ll Need a Key Management Partner. Virtru Can Help.
For organizations looking to adopt Google's Client-Side Encryption (CSE) for Gmail, you’ll need to choose an encryption key management partner. Virtru stands ready to assist with the Virtru Private Keystore for Google CSE. As an approved key management provider for Google Workspace CSE, Virtru offers a proven, industry-leading solution for managing the encryption keys that are a necessary component of any CSE deployment.
Virtru Private Keystore makes it remarkably easy for organizations to:
- Store and manage encryption keys securely
- Maintain full sovereignty over sensitive data stored and shared via Google Workspace
- Ensure that not even Google can access information stored in Google Workspace
With our established expertise in key management, organizations can confidently implement Google's CSE solution knowing they have a trusted partner to handle this critical component..
Google and Virtru: A Shared Vision for Secure Email
As Google expands its encryption offerings, we're reminded that our shared goal has always been the same: Empowering users to protect what matters most, their data. Whether through Google's new E2EE capabilities, Virtru's suite of security solutions for Google Workspace, or a combination of both with Google CSE and the Virtru Private Keystore, the end result is a win: Greater security and privacy for sensitive information.
The journey toward universal information sovereignty continues, and each advancement brings us closer to that vision. We welcome Google's latest contribution to this important cause and stand ready to help organizations leverage both new and established encryption technologies to protect their most valuable asset — their data.
