In this article

What is Google Vault?
Use cases for Google Vault
Use cases for backup
Understanding the difference between backup and archive
Who needs Google Vault and who does not?
Why shouldn’t you use Google Vault as a backup solution?
Frequently Asked Questions about Google Vault

What Is Google Vault? How Is It Different from Backup?

19 Sept 2024

4 min read

Athi Karthick

Blog Articles

Article at a glance

Google Vault is an archiving and eDiscovery tool, not a backup solution, and lacks essential features like automated restores and point-in-time recovery.

Vault is designed for retaining data for compliance and legal purposes but cannot restore deleted data or recover files with their original permissions and structure.

Businesses should not rely on Vault as a backup alternative; a dedicated solution like SysCloud is required for comprehensive data protection and fast recovery.

SysCloud offers automated backups and quick restores, and ensures data recovery with sharing permissions and folder structure intact, making it more suitable for data protection compared to Google Vault.

Contrary to popular belief, Google Vault is not designed to be a backup solution. IT administrators considering using Google Vault for business backup will likely face challenges in the long run, as Vault lacks essential backup features such as automated restores and point-in-time recovery.

1. What is Google Vault?

Google Vault is an archiving and eDiscovery tool designed for large organizations to search, hold, and retain data for litigation and compliance purposes. Vault helps businesses meet regulatory requirements but does not offer the same functionality as a dedicated backup solution.

Data backup and archives are often perceived to be analogous. In reality, they serve different purposes.

2. Use cases for Google Vault

Google Vault enables Google Workspace admins to:

Retain organizational data across Google Workspace apps
Perform searches for specific records or communications
Export search results for legal or compliance needs

2.1. How to retain data using Google Vault?

Let’s say a disgruntled employee deletes critical data from Google Drive and then removes it from the trash.

You don’t have to worry about the employee’s actions if you have Google Vault in place.

Google Vault allows you to create custom retention rules across Google Workspace apps. This means that even if a user permanently deletes files or emails, Vault will retain the data based on the rules you’ve set.

Here is an example of a retention rule for Google Vault to retain the deleted emails of all employees for 1 year and the Drive files of all employees indefinitely.

set a retention rule for Gmail and Drive

2.2. How to search for data in Google Vault?

In case of legal inquiries and requests for records, Google Vault could save you a lot of time with its advanced search module.

Google Vault allows you to search for Gmail messages, messages in Chats and Groups, and files in a user’s Drive.

Here is a simple example of searching for emails that contain the word “Confidential.”

Below are the search results.

Note: Advanced search options include searching within specific account(s), searching for emails sent in a particular date range, and searching for emails with attachments, to name a few.

Similarly, you can search in other Google Workspace apps that Vault supports.

2.3. How to export the search results from Google Vault?

Once data is located using Google Vault’s search feature, administrators can export the search results for external review. These exports can be downloaded in either PST or MBOX formats, which are compatible with email clients like Outlook. Vault’s export feature is particularly useful for providing legal teams or compliance officers with historical data, though it cannot restore data back into the Google Workspace environment.

The screenshots below demonstrate how you can export and download Google Vault search results.

Note: Emails will be downloaded in either PST format or MBOX format. You will need an email client like Outlook to view them.

To learn more about creating holds and matters, setting retention rules, and generating reports in Google Vault along with detailed steps and screenshots, check out our article Google Vault: The Ultimate Guide for IT Administrators

3. Use cases for backup

A backup solution like SysCloud lets you do two major things:

Back up your organizational data.
Restore/export the backed-up data.

This is what the application’s homepage looks like.

3.1. Viewing your backed-up data in SysCloud

With SysCloud, you can monitor data backup progress for all users.

Admins can view the backed-up data of individual users in the backup archives.

3.2. Restoring Google Workspace data using SysCloud backup solution

Restore all your emails

Let’s assume one of your employee’s entire Gmail data was accidentally deleted.

Here is how to restore all the deleted emails with SysCloud.

All your emails – inbox, sent items, trash, and custom labels – will be restored to their original destination.

4. Understanding the difference between backup and archive

Backup	Archive
Protects data that’s currently in use	Retains historical data for future reference
Creates second copies of your data	Retains data for specified duration
Restore critical business data in case of unforeseen data loss	Meant for data retention and cannot recover or restore data

5. Who needs Google Vault and who does not?

5.1. Small businesses do not need Google Vault

Small businesses, especially those using basic Google Workspace plans, may not require Google Vault’s advanced eDiscovery and compliance functionalities. In these cases, the costs associated with Vault may outweigh its benefits.

Google Vault costs $5 per user per month in addition to the $56 per user per month (for Business Starter, when paid annually) for Google Workspace apps. Even after spending a large sum of money on each employee to store the data, they would still need a backup solution like SysCloud to view, recover, and restore deleted data.

However, regardless of size, all businesses should implement a dedicated backup solution like SysCloud to ensure fast and reliable data recovery.

Note: SysCloud provides basic search functionality that will address the eDiscovery needs of a small business. Learn more about SysCloud's eDiscovery search add-on

5.2. Large organizations need Google Vault and a backup solution

For large organizations, Google Vault plays a crucial role in eDiscovery and regulatory compliance by retaining, searching, and exporting data for legal and audit purposes.

However, relying solely on Vault is not sufficient for comprehensive data protection. Vault cannot quickly recover lost data or restore it with its original structure and sharing permissions.

Large enterprises, with their complex data needs, require both Google Vault for compliance and a robust backup solution like SysCloud to protect against data loss, ransomware, or accidental deletions.

A combined approach ensures that data can be retained long-term for legal purposes while also being easily recoverable to maintain business continuity.

6. Why shouldn’t you use Google Vault as a backup solution?

Google Vault is an archiving and eDiscovery tool designed to meet legal and compliance obligations. It is not a backup solution and cannot replace dedicated backup tools. Vault does not provide automatic recovery options, it does not retain sharing permissions or folder structures, and it cannot recover data from certain Google services like Contacts, Keep, and Tasks.

Here are more reasons why Google Vault should not be used as a backup alternative:

Without a built-in restore feature, organizations will have a hard time restoring data in the event of data loss.
Google Vault does not retain data of deleted accounts; however, Google Vault retains (not backs up) the data of suspended users. Be aware that you will be billed for suspended users as active users.
Even though Google Vault retains data in Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Groups, Chat, and Meet, restoring data from Google services like Contacts, Keep, or tasks is not supported (as of September 2024).
There is no second copy of your organizational data. This can become a problem during Google outages.
Google Vault does not retain sharing permissions and folder structure which makes it difficult for the users to organize their exported data from Google Vault.

As you can see, it is not wise to ditch backup and rely only on archiving solutions such as Google Vault. Businesses should use them together to have an effective data protection and retention process in place.

For detailed steps along with screenshots for backing up and retaining various Google Workpsace apps, refer to the following articles:

7. Frequently asked questions about Google Vault

1) Is Google Vault a backup solution?

No, Google Vault is an archiving and eDiscovery solution designed for legal compliance. It cannot restore deleted data or recover files with their original structure and permissions, which makes it unsuitable as a backup solution.

2) How much does Google Vault cost?

Google Vault is included as part of Google Workspace Business Plus and Enterprise plans.

The Business Plus plan costs $21.60 per user per month (or $18 per user per month with annual billing).

For Enterprise plans, pricing is typically variable based on company needs, with custom rates provided by Google.

For businesses on lower-tier plans like Business Starter ($6 per user per month when billed annually) or Standard ($12 per user per month when billed annually), Vault can be purchased as an add-on for $5 per user per month.

3) Does Google Vault back up Google Drive?

No, Google Vault does not back up Google Drive. It only retains files based on the retention rules set by the administrator, allowing users to search and export data for legal purposes. However, Vault does not automatically create backups or allow for quick file restoration in case of accidental deletion or corruption.

4) Does Google Vault back up Calendar?

No, Google Vault does not back up Google Calendar. However, it can archive Calendar events along with other Google Workspace app data.

While Vault allows retention and archiving of Calendar events, it is not an alternative for a dedicated backup solution for quick data recovery.

5) How long is data kept in Google Vault?

Data is retained in Google Vault according to the retention policies set by the organization. Administrators can set rules to retain data indefinitely or for a specific period.

However, once data is deleted permanently and exceeds the retention period, it cannot be recovered through Vault. Administrators can recover data from deleted accounts within 20 days, after which the data is permanently lost.

6) Can I back up user data to Google Vault before deleting a user from Google Workspace?

No, you cannot back up user data to Google Vault before deleting a user. Once an account is permanently deleted from Google Workspace, all associated data is also deleted and cannot be recovered through Vault.

Administrators should back up important data using a dedicated backup solution before deleting the user.

7) Does Google Vault archive the data of former employees?

Google Vault archives data of suspended users but does not retain data for users whose accounts have been permanently deleted. Admins can suspend a user to retain their data in Vault, but suspended users are still billed as active users.

8) Is Google Vault a backup solution if retention is set for a long period?

No, Google Vault is not a backup solution, even if it is set to retain data for long periods. Vault is designed for archiving and legal holds, not for operational data recovery.

To ensure data can be restored in case of accidental deletion or data loss, a dedicated backup solution is required alongside Vault.

In this article

What is Google Vault?
Use cases for Google Vault
Use cases for backup
Understanding the difference between backup and archive
Who needs Google Vault and who does not?
Why shouldn’t you use Google Vault as a backup solution?
Frequently Asked Questions about Google Vault