The Google Workspace collaboration suite is famous for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a platform that enterprises are increasingly adopting. In a time when talent is in high demand, enterprises are also finding that a Google ecosystem carries a lot of brand weight, signaling a culture of accelerated collaboration and ease of communication.
When you free up collaboration, as many do when they choose Google Workspace, it’s critical to ensure that your employees have the ability to secure the information they’re creating and sharing, in real time.
But enterprises can maximize the benefits of the cloud with an added layer of confidence that comes from data-centric security. Virtru is a firm believer that security shouldn’t slow down collaboration — rather, it should enable more confident collaboration, because your data can stay under your control, even after it’s shared.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself about how your teams are using Google Workspace and how your data might be impacted.
How do your teams share data in Google Workspace?
It’s important to gain a clear understanding of the types of sensitive data that your organization manages, and where that data lives. Our Cross-Department Data Protection Checklist contains a list of departments you’ll want to assess, including the C Suite, HR, legal team, marketing and sales teams, and others.
In the process of auditing organizational data sharing, enterprise IT teams are often surprised by the amount of sensitive data they uncover across the organization: Customer lists in sales and marketing that may be subject to regulations like CCPA or GDPR; staff medical information managed by the HR department; and even things like event rosters and forms containing personally identifiable information (PII).
How are you protecting data shared in Google’s collaboration tools?
Once you have a good understanding of the scope of your data, it’s important to evaluate how this information will be shared and exchanged in Google Workspace.
- Are team members sharing potentially sensitive information via Gmail?
- Are confidential matters being discussed via Google Meet?
- Is client data present in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides?
- Is sensitive information or intellectual property (e.g., Spreadsheets, CAD files, Adobe files, or PDFs) being uploaded to Google Drive?
Is Google Workspace data encrypted?
Google has some data protection capabilities within its tools (such as TLS security for Gmail), but they don’t protect your data across its entire lifecycle, from end to end. They also may not be enough to support certain compliance requirements.
But, by leveraging Virtru, a Google encryption key partner, you can safeguard data across Workspace and even beyond Google — for data shared through apps like Salesforce, Zendesk, and Looker.
How do you keep Google Workspace data private?
In 2021, Google announced Client-side encryption for Workspace. This means that organizations can leverage encryption, and manage their own keys, to shield their data from Google. This can be a game-changer for privacy — particularly for global organizations that need to maintain data residency and data sovereignty. Check out our blog post for more information on why Google’s Client-side encryption is such a transformative milestone for privacy.
Are you making it easy to collaborate securely?
If you’ve chosen Google, you probably want to make the most of that investment by leveraging its collaboration suite. The last thing you want to do is introduce additional hurdles to end users. You want them to be able to unleash their creativity and productivity.
At Virtru, we believe that sharing information should be simple and user-friendly, and that you shouldn’t have to sacrifice ease of use for better security. It’s why many recognize Virtru from the simple blue toggle button that appears right within the Google interface.
With Virtru’s encryption and key management capabilities, you can add a seamless layer of Google Workspace security, directly within the Google interface. With the click of a button (and without leaving the Google interface), users can easily protect the information they share via Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as Google Meet.
Want to learn more about how you can layer security into your Google Workspace experience for end users? Contact us to book a demo.
