A variety of significant updates have been made to Google Workspace (G Suite) recently, especially within Google Meet and the Admin console. Read on to learn about the updates, including some new key security insights for Admins.
Set expiration dates for Cloud Identity Groups
The Workspace team has released a feature allowing Admins to set expiration dates for membership to Cloud Identity Groups. This can help to reduce administrative overhead, and ensure that only members who need access remain members. This feature is available for the following editions:
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Google Workspace Enterprise Standard
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Google Workspace Enterprise Plus
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G Suite Enterprise for Education
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Cloud Identity Premium customers
Security groups now available
Security groups are now generally available! These help admins easily regulate, audit, and monitor groups used for permission and access control. Admins can assign a group as a security group through the Cloud Identity Groups API, and then manage these groups through the Admin SDK Groups API, the Admin console, or the Cloud Identity Groups API.
For information about how to update a Google Group to a Security Group, see this article from Google.
Limit Google Drive sharing to specific groups
Previously in beta, a new feature which allows admins to limit with whom the organization’s users can link-share Google Drive files (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.) is now generally available. Any groups within the organization may be specified, as well as users external to the organization. This can help prevent the sharing of sensitive information to external parties. To use this feature, access the Admin console, select Directory, and select Target audiences.
Mute all Google Meet participants at once
The Workspace team has released a helpful new feature for Meet. Meeting hosts using Education Fundamentals and Education Plus can now mute all attendees at once in the in-meeting settings. This feature will soon be launched for additional Google Workspace editions, and we will let you know when that is complete.
End a meeting for all participants in Google Meet
Educators take note: a feature is currently being released that will allow you to end meetings for all participants while using your Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals and Education Plus account.
Rollout for this feature began on February 22, 2021 and will conclude in mid-March.
Receive more notifications in the alert center
The alert center is a useful monitoring feature of the Google Workspace Admin console. Recently, the Workspace team added a wide variety of new alerts, including reporting rules and 11 other alerts that inform admins of app settings and user accounts.
Have questions about these updates? Want to see what difference a Google Cloud Premier Partner can make for your organization? Feel free to reach out here.
