Google’s Google Workspace is a modern-day business tool that incorporates all the software-based requirements of a company, organization, or institution. Using the concepts of cloud computing, and being a web-reliant utility, this one can offer varied advantages, like accessibility, state-of-the-art applications, better team communication, etc.
However, because this tool is entirely internet-based, a lot of security risks are involved. Google Workspace handles and stores a massive amount of day-to-day data generated by organizations. Although Google has a safe and secure cloud protection facility, there are still possibilities of violations and breaches.
Hence, here are a few ways that you can incorporate into your Google Workspace account to ensure the maximum safety of your data.
Disabling IMAP and POP protocols where they are unimportant:
Google has a lot of security measures embedded in Gmail like anti-phishing tools and Google safe browsing. These measures eliminate threats from any dubious or malicious attachment by stopping them before they reach the user. Features and measures like these make accessing Gmail safe for all the platforms. However, the same cannot be said about other email clients.
Hence, admins can stop users from accessing third-party email clients by disabling POP and IMAP protocols. When disabled at an organizational level all the email clients will cease to work except for Gmail.
Special security keys generated using Titan:
2SV is a log-in procedure developed by Google to keep your account more secure on the internet. The process is courtesy of Google’s Titan Security Key which is an actual physical key that can access your account without the need for your traditional password. This key is responsible for providing encrypted signatures for a particular website, app, or service.
In Google Workspace, the admin using the admin console has the power to set up, administer, and control these special security keys. With 2SV Google has managed to prevent any account takeovers caused by password phishing.
Security checkups provided by Google:
Google offers a security checkup feature that scans your account for any apps or services that can compromise your privacy. Using this feature the user will get a complete list of applications and services with boundless access to all their personal and professional data.
Moreover, after a security checkup, google will help you by providing instructions that will enhance your account’s security. It is extremely important for users to know what information these applications and services are accessing to keep themselves safe on the internet.
Managing Which Third-Party Apps Have Access to Your Data:
Countless non-Google applications try to mimic this world-renowned search engine to gain access to the user’s account. Whitelisting these malicious third-party applications can result in significant security problems.
Google comes with numerous built-in features for securing your Google Workspace account. One of these includes protection from these less secure apps. If an application is not following modern security standards like OAuth 2.0 and more, then Google will mark it under the list of less secure applications.
Enabling this feature will give users email notifications when such applications try to access your Google Workspace account. Moreover, as an admin, you get account activity records, which helps you to monitor and filter the less secure apps.
Hence, with OAuth whitelisting, you can protect the organization and its users’ data. It allows you to decide which third-party application to enable and which to deny from accessing your data.
Enhanced Pre-Delivery Message Scanning for Protection from Phishing:
Scammers use phishing as a common technique to breach users’ security and steal valuable information. As an admin, you need to make sure your users do not get spammed or fall for phishing emails.
With Google Workspace enhanced pre-delivery message scanning, this can be done automatically. Once enabled, Gmail will provide warnings or mark the email as spam as soon as it comes. Google uses a machine-learning algorithm for deciding whether an email is safe or not.
The applied machine learning algorithm is learning and evolving frequently to determine and eliminate all possible threats. Hence, Gmail can block almost 99.9 percent of incoming spam, BEC threats, and phishing emails.
Warnings Against Unintended External Reply:
Just like Google checks every incoming email, it also makes sure that the outgoing one is going to a legitimate destination. To do this, Google does a thorough examination of all the recipients of a particular email.
This can be triggered by enabling the unintended external reply warning. This will provide the user with a warning about illegitimate recipients to prevent unintended data slips.
Using Google Workspace’s Work Profiles:
You might be accessing the Google apps for personal requirements, while there are people who use them for professional needs and vice versa. Therefore, it is crucial to segregate corporate apps from personal ones.
With Google’s work profiles, you can manage your separate accounts easily. Work profiles provide users with integrated device management, whitelist applications, and block installation from unknown sources.
Hence, using this feature gives you absolute authority over applications that can access your corporate account and personal account.
Security for your mobile devices:
Google manages over 20 million devices that come under Google Workspace’s enterprise-grade mobile management solution. With Google Workspace’s admin console, one can manage its user’s security controls and add basic security settings to their devices.
Hence, the security and protection of all the devices under your organization can be managed and monitored easily by the admin. Moreover, the admins can go to set-up advanced mobile management once they have deployed the basic security measures.
Using Google Workspace’s Security Center:
In Google Workspace’s enterprise edition, the users get access to the Security Center. This helps you with transparent access and an outlook of the company’s overall security. Along with that, it also provides you with powerful tools like a security dashboard and security health checkups.
With the security center, Google provides security recommendations, analytics, and complete monitoring of the Google Workspace; hence, ensuring adequate security.
Takeaway:
The Internet is full of examples of security breaches, leaks, and data theft. However, taking proper security measures will help your organization increase its efficiency and ease on the job. So, if you are working in Google Workspace, make sure you implement the above-mentioned tips to keep your data protected.