5 Tips for Workspace Admin

Setting up your workspace account like a pro

1- Two-factor Authentication – the absolute must

2- Get a backup – for data protection

3- Device Management – control it with the right intent

5- Google Chrome – must be set up correctly!

Are you an IT Consultant or entitled as an IT administrator of a medium size company? Or maybe a business owner who wants to make sure your workspace account is running smoothly?

In this article, GSwift will give you 5 best tips to get you started like a pro.

1 Two-factor Authentication - the absolute must!

Switching on and enforcing two-factor authentication for everyone in the business is the most important way to prevent your accounts from being compromised. You would not want to risk you and the company’s reputation from having spam emails sent out on your behalf or on your domain, right? Or maybe hackers taking over your business or downloading your customer’s data? Worst having all your company data cryptolocked or losing access to your workspace account !!

So how does it work? When you switch on your two-factor authentication, it will ask for a mobile number or another email account. So that each time you would like to access your Google account it will send a six-digit code to verify.

It’s another layer of security so just in case your username or password gets to the wrong hands. They won’t be able to access your account without the six-digit code. More than that, 2FA will send you a notification on your mobile (SMS) or email for suspicious login. There are many other way to do this such as :

Backup code (admin generated)
Physical Security Key (Yuikey)
Google Authenticator (Google Android Apps)
Prompt (Android setting)

2 Get a backup - for data protection

Has it ever happened when all your files suddenly disappeared from Google Drive? Or your staff had clicked the wrong button and wiped out the company data? Do you know that there are also viruses or ransomware that can encrypt all of your files and hackers will demand payment to decrypt them? Such a nightmare, right!

You will probably think, well, everything is in Google Drive which stores data in multiple locations, then I’m safe. And Google Support can restore it. Wrong!! As soon as your computer is infected with any virus, it synchronizes all changes across to Google, on to the cloud and to your devices.

All the files of the company can be corrupted within a night !! If you want this protection, we, at GSwift, recommend a backup solution for active users. This tool would work as a time machine and be able to restore all your data with a click. You can as well use this tool to archive your user after they leave your company. The solution is 10 times cheaper than Google Archive licenses. Do not hesitate to contact us as contact@gswift.fr for a demo or quotation.

3 Device Management - control it with the right intent

Let’s say your staff member lost his mobile phone. And his work account is connected to that lost phone. Your company data will then be exposed to whoever picks it up.

With Device Management, you can wipe out all the data (or called corporate wipe) with one button remotely. Because with device management you can oversee the installation of input/output devices in your organization which allows you to securely and remotely configure enrolled devices.

It also enforces policies on mobile phones, laptops, USB ports, printers or other accessories. Like making sure your staff actually have a decent passcode on their phone. Or a passcode enabled every time they access company data. You can as well set a Workprofil which enables your collaborators to have 2 phones in one. On space securely controlled by the company and the other free. In case of problem the admin would be able to wipe all Workprofil access without leaving the personal profile untouched. This is perfect for all companies having a Bring Your Own Device Policy which is user friendly and money wise for the company. Enabling device management inside Google workspace is pretty straightforward. Go to your Google Workspace Admin Console to configure the settings of each device and endpoints.

4 DNS - Domain Name System

Emails landing in spam or not receiving all of your emails? Well, this might be an issue with your DNS. Setting up DNS, SPF, DKIM, or DMARC is a bit tricky. If you don’t have a technical background and have configured your Google Workspace yourself. You most likely do not have it optimized for security and email best delivery. Let’s say you are emailing your customers via MailChimp and you’re getting really poor open rates. Check your domain name via this website. Run a report to find if there are any issues with your domain and DNS setup.

5 Google Chrome - must be set up correctly!

Did you know that inside your workspace account, you can enforce your team to use certain plugins and add-ons in Google Chrome? And that you can do all this automatically? All you have to do is configure your Google Workspace Admin Console. It’s as easy as Admin panel > Devices > Chrome device. Chrome devices include all of the settings for managing Google Chrome. So when your new staff log into Chrome or open the Chrome browser, they need to sign in with their business account. All of the business policies apply automatically, and anything that you set inside Chrome will be pushed down to each person’s machine. Voila! Your whole team has access to all the correct plugins available inside Google Chrome! Also as you can push chrome extensions, you can blacklist other apps that could be a threat for scrapping your data, contact, etc..

I really hope all these tips help to get started correctly. It’s the most basic one, yet the most important! As IT experts or business owners, we want to help you to maximize the potential of technology. As it is the make or break of your business growth and getting you to the scale that you dream of. I mean, the more efficient your process is, the faster your business will grow, right? If there’s something else that is missing or not working right in your business, we have a team of experts who can help and solve these gaps for you. Connect with us in GSwift and ask for a 30mn discovery Meet 😉 We will be happy to help.