The transition from Postini to Google Vault

Using Google Apps Vault: Google Vault tutorial​

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Google Vault is a powerful tool for data retention and eDiscovery in Google Workspace. 

• Google Vault allows setting retention policies and holds on emails and files for compliance and legal purposes. 

• It offers search and export capabilities but is limited to specific Google Workspace licenses. 

•Google Vault should not be used as a backup alternative.

What is the solution?

• SysCloud complements Google Vault with automated, continuous backups and advanced recovery options, ensuring comprehensive data protection and easy access to all Google Workspace data.

As an IT administrator, have you ever wondered about how to use Google Apps Vault application?

What if you need a deleted email as evidence against a former employee?

Or, you wanted to dig through an ex-employee’s Drive for some critical information?

This is exactly why you need Google Vault!

Google Apps Vault is a web-based archiving tool available for G Suite users.

Google Vault is the eDiscovery and compliance application for G Suite that allows IT administrators to retain, hold, search, and export data.

Google Apps Vault can archive the cloud data of an organization stored in:

Note: The data stored in services like Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Sites will not be archived.

Since Vault is entirely web-based, it eliminates the requirement of installing or maintaining any software.

However, most people mistake Vault for a backup solution!

With Vault, while emails can be archived for litigation and compliance purposes, they cannot be restored back to an email account that easily.

To understand the differences between a backup solution and Google Vault, check out our article Google Vault vs Backup: What Google Does Not Tell You! 

Google acquired Postini in 2007 and merged it into their services as part of Google Web security.

Postini was an e-mail, web security, and archiving application used widely by companies for their security needs.

In 2011, Google officially shut down all of Postini’s services and shifted the users to Google Apps.

It retained most of Postini’s features and offered it on Google Vault.

Google Vault is available for all the G Suite users. It is charged separately only for the Basic plan users.

Archive: Set retention rules for storing data on user accounts and Google systems.

Legal hold: Place indefinite holds on users’ data for legal or other retention obligations.

Search: Search your domain’s data by user account, organizational unit, date, or keyword. Vault supports Boolean and wildcard operator searches.

Note: To know more about Google Vault Search operators, click here.

Export: Export data from any account for additional processing and review.

Audit reports: Use Vault’s audit reports to check the actions Vault users have taken during a specified period of time.

Note: You can access Google Apps Vault only if you have subscribed to either the Business plan or the Enterprise plan of G Suite. If you are a small business using the basic plan of G Suite, you should probably consider using SysCloud.

1. To retain organizational data as long as necessary before they’re deleted from Google systems

2. To hold an employee’s data forever for litigation purposes or to meet state regulations – even if the employee deletes them permanently

3. To search an organization’s data by user account, organizational unit, date range, or keyword

4. To export data from an account for additional review

5. To audit the usage of Vault by account users

Note: The advanced search in Vault can even search in the text in email attachments.

Next, let us see how to use Google Vault.

If you are a G Suite Admin, you can log in to Google Apps Vault by using this URL.

You can also access it directly from Google Apps icon on the top right-hand side of the Google homepage.

After entering the admin credentials, you can log in to see your Google Apps Vault home page.

The Retention module can be used to create retention policies. Retention policies help:

1. To retain the organizational data – stored in Gmail, Hangouts, Drive, and Groups – for as long as necessary, even if a user permanently deletes them

2. To delete sensitive information from a user’s account after a period of time 

Note: Organizations need to be very careful while configuring retention rules. Otherwise, it could cause accidental deletions of data that cannot be recovered!

Default Retention Rules: These rules can be used to retain the data of all user accounts in the entire organization for a specific period of time or forever.

Custom Retention Rules: These rules can be used to retain a specific set of data.

Note: Custom rules take precedence over a default retention rule.

In the example below, the admin has set up default retention rules to keep all the users’ emails for one year and all the Drive files indefinitely.

By this rule, the Vault will have all the emails for one year, even if the user deletes them permanently from the trash.

Note: This retention period of 1 year applies only to deleted items. The emails in other labels like inbox and sent items will be retained.

The admin has also created a retention rule to retain all the Drive files forever.

As per this rule, all Drive files will be kept in Vault even if the user permanently deletes them.

Note: If there is a custom retention rule to delete specific Drive files, they will be deleted as custom retention rules overrule default retention rules.

The below custom retention rule retains all the emails of students created between Jan 2017 and June 2018 for 365 days.

Here is another custom retention rule to keep all the Drive files of staff for 365 days from the date of modification.

Note: When you create a custom retention rule, it is recommended to preview the files that will be affected by that rule. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally let Vault delete important files

For instance, clicking on the preview of the retention rule we created for drive shows the below results.

A matter is a container for storing data related to a specific issue, such as a litigation case or investigation.

1. The list of users with their data on hold,

You can create a matter by clicking on the “CREATE” button.

Given below is a matter which is associated with the litigation case id “15-1-80304-7” and the employee “Bruce.”

An organization can use holds to keep the data of a user or an organizational unit indefinitely.

Once a user is on hold, even if s/he deletes data, it is removed from the account folder but retained in the Vault.

Vault users can search and export data as long as the user is on hold.

Note: If a user account is deleted, the data associated with the user is permanently removed from the Google system including Vault, irrespective of hold or retention rule. In order to retain data, companies will have to pay for both Vault and G Suite licenses of users for storing the account data.

To create a hold, a user should create a matter containing that hold.

Open an existing matter – or create a new one – for storing the hold after creation.

You can click on the “CREATE HOLD” option.

For instance, here you can hold Bruce’s emails by selecting the type of service “Gmail” and entering his email address.

Note: You can also hold specific emails of Bruce based on criteria: sent date, terms, etc.

Similarly, you can also hold the Drive files and the chat messages of a user.

Here is an example of a Hold which retains Bruce’s Drive files.

If your business has deployed Vault, you can search data related to an inquiry, investigation, or requests for records.

Google Apps Vault allows you to search for the following:

All information related to a particular inquiry or investigation is stored in a matter.

You can click on the matter – if you’ve already created one – to start searching for data.

In this example, we are going to select the matter “Highly confidential information.”

Enter the word “confidential” in the “Terms” section.

You would get the search results as below.

You can save the query by clicking on the “Save query” button for future reference.

The search can also be refined to include user accounts, sent date, and advanced terms using operators.

After searching, you can also export the results by clicking on the “Export results” button.

You can also give a name for the file to be exported and the type of file format to be exported in the next pop-up window.

Note: There are two formats available – MBOX and PST. MBOX is the standard format for emails, but PST files are easier to view using common email clients like Outlook. You can also export Hangout conversations in one of these formats.

The exported files can be viewed and downloaded from the export module.

 Note: The exported data is available to download only for 15 days, counted from the date of export. Clicking on “download” option will download all of the search results as zip files, which can be extracted and imported into an email client.

To explore other methods of backing up your email, read Gmail Backup – Step-By-Step Guide to Save You from Crippling Data Loss.

You can also search for files in a user’s Drive or Hangout conversations by changing the type of service to “Drive.”

Note: The Drive files will be exported in the same format as they’re present   in a user’s account

To know about other methods of backing up your drive, check out this article.

When someone has access to Vault, they have access to your organization’s critical data. So, it’s important to monitor those who have access to Vault. Vault audits let you view the actions of Vault users during a specific time period. The access for Vault users is based on their privileges. Read about Vault privileges here.

To view the audit of Vault users, you can navigate to “Reports”→“Audits.”

Once you select the Vault users, their action types and the time period – date range, you can download and view all of their actions in a CSV file.

To understand the parameters used in this spreadsheet, click here.

Actionable insights, best practices and tips for IT admins to protect SaaS data.

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Is Google Apps Vault a backup solution? If your answer is yes, you should definitely read this article! Learn about Vault, its uses, and limitations.

Google Vault: The Ultimate Guide for IT Administrators 2019 (Updated)

An in-depth guide on Google Vault, its uses and limitations, and why it should not be used as a backup alternative.

Google Vault: The Ultimate Guide for IT Administrators (Updated)

What is Google Vault?

The transition from Postini to Google Vault

Google Vault pricing

Uses of Google Apps Vault

Why would a company need Vault

Using Google Apps Vault: Google Vault tutorial

How to access Google Apps Vault: Google Vault login

Google Vault retention

Creating a default retention rule

Creating a custom retention rule

Google Vault matter

Creating a matter

Google Vault hold

Creating a hold

Searching data on Google Vault

Searching emails

Downloading the exported files

Searching Google Drive

Google Vault audit reports

Using audit

How to restore data from the Vault

Restore using Vault

Restoring critical emails: the hard way

Restore using G Suite Migration tool

Caution

Advantages of using a backup solution

Google Vault: The Ultimate Guide for IT Administrators (Updated)

What is Google Vault?​

The transition from Postini to Google Vault

Google Vault pricing

Uses of Google Apps Vault

Why would a company need Vault

Using Google Apps Vault: Google Vault tutorial​

How to access Google Apps Vault: Google Vault login

Google Vault retention

Creating a default retention rule

Creating a custom retention rule

Google Vault matter

Creating a matter

Google Vault hold

Creating a hold

Searching data on Google Vault

Searching emails

Downloading the exported files

Searching Google Drive

Google Vault audit reports

Using audit

How to restore data from the Vault

Restore using Vault

Restoring critical emails: the hard way

Restore using G Suite Migration tool

Caution

Advantages of using a backup solution

What is Google Vault?

Using Google Apps Vault: Google Vault tutorial