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Google Workspace: Vault Former Employee Licensing & Cost

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Google VaultCoinciding with the announcement of the move to Google Workspace, Google also announced that Vault Former Employee, or VFE, licensing will deprecate and no longer be available.  While Google is offering Archive User, or AU, licensing, the licenses will no longer be free. In this article we go into more detail on what VFE license are, Google workspace archive user license prices, and what options you have moving forward.

What are VFE licenses from Google?

VFEIn G Suite, in order to preserve data in Vault for former employees, you needed to keep the user’s account active. As this could be expensive for many businesses, Google provided relief with free VFE licenses that maintain the archive without having to pay for the user account.

For customers that came to G Suite as former Postini customers, Google VFE licenses are a separate, free subscription.  For other customers, VFE licenses were provided as additional, free G Suite Basic, Business, or Standard Licenses. Vault Former Employee, or VFE, licensing will deprecate and no longer be available. Below is the information and dates you need to know.

Note that the vast majority of customers with VFE licensing, particularly small and midsize businesses, are former Postini customers.

What are AU licenses and How Much Do They Cost?

In Google Workspace, Archive User licenses allow you to maintain your vault archive for past users without paying for a full Google Workspace license.  Depending on your subscription, AU licenses will cost between $4 and $7 per user per month ($48-$84 per year).  This is significantly less than the $18 to $30 per user per year to keep an active license.

As of this blog post AU licenses are only available with the Google Workspace Enterprise Plus subscription. We expect AU licensing to be added to Enterprise Standard and Business Plus subscriptions some time in 2020 Q1.

When do VFE licenses go away?

For Former Postini Customers:

The end date for VFE licensing for former Postini Customers has not been set.  Google will provide these customers with at least 60 days notice before the licenses expire.  By default these VFE licenses will automatically transition to paid AU licenses.

At this time, we do not expect these VFE licenses to end prior the addition of AU licenses to other Enterprise and Business subscriptions. As such, our best estimate is that this change will happen no earlier than 2020 Q3.

For non-Postini Customers:

The end date for non-Postini customers is December 31, 2020.  At this time, VFE licenses will convert to paid AU licenses. Customers will need to move to the Google Workspace Enterprise Plus subscription for this to occur.

What Your Options Are for Google Workspace Archive User Licenses:

Non-Postini Customers

Non-Postini customers have until the end of the year to migrate data out of the VFE accounts to another location or service, or to prepare for the transition to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and AU licensing.  Both options involve cost, either labor and tools to move the data or new subscription fees.  If you want to migrate your data out of VFEs, you have multiple options. The best option will depend on the number of users and amount of data.

Former Postini Customers

We recommend former Postini customers with VFE licensing begin their planning process now.

Since VFE licenses are a separate “product”, you can take advantage of our incentive discounts for moving from G Suite to Google Workspace before the end of the year.

Looking forward, you want to decide what VFE data you need or want to keep, and whether it is worthwhile to move the data or pay for the AU licensing when the transition happens.

Your Next Step:

The best way to move forward with Google Workspace archived user license cost decisions is to contact us and speak with one of our Cloud Advisors. We can help you assess your situation, discuss options and pricing, and pick the solution that best meets your requirements and budget.

 

 

G Suite Security: Advanced Security for Modern Threats

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G Suite Security In multiple blog posts over the past 2+ years, we have covered the changing and growing nature of threats to your organization, systems, and people. G Suite security offers advanced measures to protect user data, including encryption, 2-step verification, phishing protection, and admin controls.  For us the answer is CPR …

Communicate and Educate;

Prevent & Protect;

Recover & Review. 

Once you have these basics in place, the challenge becomes keeping up with the times.  As the nature of threats change, the protective capabilities of our key systems should evolve as well. This includes thinking about managed cloud services, which are being driven by modern security needs.

For those of us running G Suite, we may understand that Google has expanded the security footprint and capabilities, but have we altered our configuration to properly protect ourselves?

G Suite Security Best Practices

The first step in assessing your data protections and security is to understand the risks.

  • 91% of attacks start with a phishing email
  • 66% of malware was installed via malicious emails or attachments
  • 90% of all reported breaches caused by employee negligence, extortion, and external threats

These statistics, while not unfamiliar, point to the change in risk from physical devices to data and human interactions.

As people can be your greatest risk, the best protections compensate for human behavior.

Versions of G Suite Security to Protect Your Business

Step two is mapping your security needs to the right version of G Suite. Each version adds additional protections, allowing you to move up to the version that best meets your needs and priorities. Understand what each version offers and map them back to your regulatory and business requirements.

G Suite Basic Security Features

  • Encryption in transit and at rest, including policy-based TLS enforcement
  • 2-Step Verification via prompt, SMS, Security Key, or Authenticator app
  • Single Sign-on (SAML 2.0)
  • OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect
  • Restrict emails to authorized recipients
  • Drive audit logs

G Suite Business Security Features

  • Vault for compliant archiving and e-discovery for Gmail, Drive, and Hangouts Chat
  • Team Drives for centralized access controls and permissions management
  • Domain white-listing for Drive with alerts
  • Basic Information Rights Management (IRM) to manage scope of sharing by Organizational Units

G Suite Enterprise Security Features

  • G Suite Security Center with a unified security dashboard
  • Advanced Data Loss Prevention for Gmail and Drive files
  • Email content compliance and objectional content filters, with OCR
  • Security key enforcement
  • User S/MIME Certificates for Gmail encryption
  • App white-listing to control 3rd party data access
  • Sandboxing (pre-delivery deep scanning) or email attachments

Moving to the right version of G Suite security has never been easier

While no one product or service will meet all of your security, privacy, and data management needs, moving to the right version of G Suite improves your security footprint and can mitigate the need for 3rd party solutions. To help you move, we are partnering with Google to offer pricing incentives.

Your next step is to contact us to schedule a complimentary Cloud Advisory Session to assess your needs, priorities, and options.

FAQs

How secure is G Suite?

G Suite is a highly secure platform that offers a range of advanced security measures to protect user data. It uses encryption to protect data in transit and at rest, and offers features such as 2-step verification, phishing protection, and admin controls. Google also undergoes regular security audits and certifications, and has a dedicated team of experts to monitor and respond to any security threats. While no system can be 100% foolproof, G Suite’s security measures are among the most advanced and robust in the industry, making it a trusted choice for businesses of all sizes.

How do I make my G Suite more secure?

There are several steps you can take to make your G Suite more secure:

  1. Enable 2-step verification: This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of authentication, such as a code sent to your phone, when signing in.
  2. Use strong passwords: Use unique and complex passwords for each account and change them regularly.
  3. Enable mobile device management: This allows you to monitor and manage access to G Suite on mobile devices.
  4. Enable security key enforcement: This adds another layer of protection to your account by requiring a physical security key to access it.
  5. Use data loss prevention (DLP) rules: DLP rules can help prevent sensitive data from being shared outside of your organization.
  6. Regularly review your security settings: Make sure your settings are up-to-date and in line with best practices.
  7. Educate your users: Train your employees on security best practices and provide them with regular updates and reminders to help keep your organization safe.

Is G Suite more secure than Gmail?

G Suite and Gmail both offer advanced security measures to protect user data, but G Suite is generally considered to be more secure than Gmail. This is because G Suite is designed for business use and offers additional security features such as mobile device management, data loss prevention, and advanced administrator controls. Additionally, G Suite undergoes regular security audits and certifications to ensure the highest levels of security. While Gmail also offers strong security measures, it is primarily a personal email service and may not provide the same level of security features required for business use.

 

 

 

Google+ Hangouts and Google Apps: OFF for a Reason

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As Google prepares to replace Google Talk with Google+ Hangouts, customers expect to benefit from the improved audio/video quality and features that Hangouts offer over Talk.

There are very good reasons why Google+ Hangouts are OFF by default in Google Apps for Business (Gov and Edu, too).  Before you turn on Google+ Hangouts, understand the current ramifications.

  • Preview Mode:  Google+ Hangouts are not yet officially released and, as such, get “best effort” support as opposed the technical support under the Terms of Service.
  • Incompatibility:  Google+ Hangouts are not compatible with Google Apps Vault.  Any organization that plan on using Vault, or that may need to use Vault, should not opt-in to Google+ Hangouts.
  • Data Location:  Google Apps customers under data location restrictions cannot opt-in to Vault.
  • No Enterprise Controls:  These controls are not yet available for Google+ Hangouts at this time.  As such, there are no warnings for users when chatting outside the domain and there is no way to block users’ chat status outside of the domain.

Google advises enterprise environments to continue using Google Talk for instant messaging, voice, and video conferencing.

Cumulus Global shares this recommendation, as the implications of adding Google+ Hangouts is not fully understood.  Organizations interested in a test domain may contact us for assistance.