Expanding data regions coverage to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides user indices

What’s changing 

Data regions for Google Workspace allows customers to choose a specific geographic location—in the U.S., in Europe, or globally distributed—for their covered data at rest to help meet organizational or compliance needs. We’re now extending data regions coverage to user indices for Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides for the U.S. data region. 

For more information on this and other Google Workspace Security launches, see our Cloud Blog post and register for our upcoming Google Cloud Security Talk. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins 


Why you’d use it 

Google Workspace’s globally distributed cloud infrastructure reduces latency and protects data with geo redundancy, so most organizations choose not to geo-restrict their data. If, however, your organization has preferences as to where its data is stored at rest, data regions can help you achieve your compliance goals.

Since launching data region controls in 2018, we’ve continued to make improvements, including the addition of new covered apps and data types in 2019 and expanded coverage and group-based admin controls in 2020. By expanding data regions coverage to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides user indices, we hope to better support our customers’ data location preferences and give them great control. 




Getting started 

  • Admins: Data location is OFF by default and can be enabled at the group or OU level. However, when this launch is rolled out to your domain, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides user indices will automatically be migrated to comply with existing U.S. data location policies you’ve set up. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to choose a geographic location for your data. 
  • End users: No end user impact. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and Education Plus customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, or Education Fundamentals, or G Suite Basic, Business, or Nonprofits customers 

Resources