Tag Archives: Admin Console

Customize error messages for Google Chat data loss prevention rules, available in open beta

What’s changing 

For new and existing data protection rules for Google Chat, you can now customize the message shown to users when a message is blocked or intercepted. Previously, the message would be a standard warning, shared for all cases. Now, you can provide more context for users, including what they can do to unblock themselves or links to additional resources. 


This feature is available as an open beta, which means admins can use it without enrolling in a specific beta program. Note that this feature is only available on the web, mobile users will continue to see the standard warning. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 



Why it’s important 

Data loss prevention rules are built into the Workspace platform, performing checks in real time to help keep employees and their data safe as they go about their work. Beyond enforcement of these rules, creating user awareness is critical in the overall understanding and adoption of safety best practices. 


Providing a more detailed explanation for why their message has been intercepted or blocked helps users understand how to unblock themselves and more safely accomplish their task. More detailed explanations might include sharing links for more info on safety best practices, how to re-work their messages to be more secure, and more. Additionally, if you’re using data loss prevention rules to warn users against sharing certain information across Chat, you can customize the message to inform your users of the risks before they proceed. 


For more information on data loss prevention for Google Chat, refer to the Help Center, our original announcement, as well as the announcement made at Google Cloud Next 2022.


Getting started 

  • Admins: This feature will be OFF by default and can be customized per rule at the domain, Organizational Unit (OU), or group level. When creating a rule, in Step 4: Actions, under “User Message”, select “customize message”.




Visit the Help Center to learn more about preventing data leaks from Chat messages & attachments.

  • End users: There is no end user action required. Depending on your admin settings, you’ll see more detailed information if you’re trying to send a Google Chat message that meets conditions defined in a data loss prevention rule.


Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade, and Frontline Standard customers. 
  • DLP for Chat is also available to Cloud Identity Premium users who are also licensed for Workspace editions that include Google Chat and Audit and investigation. Visit the Help Center for more information. 

Resources


Pin links to the top of the navigation bar in the Admin console

What’s changing 

The left-hand navigation column in the Admin console gives admins the ability to quickly browse through and navigate to key pages within the admin console. To further improve this experience, admins can now pin up to five links to the top of the left-hand navigation menu. This is particularly helpful if there are areas of the admin console you navigate to more than others, helping to save clicks and navigate to relevant pages faster. 



Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers 

Resources 


Monitor additional Google Meet hardware issues in the Admin console

What’s changing 

You can now use the Admin console to detect and monitor additional Meet hardware issues, including: 
  • Missing display 
  • Missing controller 
  • Missing default camera 
  • Missing default microphone 
  • Missing default speaker 
  • Missing default whiteboard camera

In addition to these new issues appearing in the peripheral status on the Device list page and on the issue timeline, email and SMS alerts will be supported for them as well. 

The updated issue timeline in the Meet hardware Admin console with new rows for Display and Controller





Also included in this update, admins can now clear previously set default peripherals from the peripheral tree on the device detail page. Previously this was only possible by setting a different peripheral as the new default. 


Why it’s important 

Before this update, the Google Meet hardware section of the Admin console provided insight into issues related to devices going offline or missing cameras, microphones, and speakers. With this update, admins can now also get information on other crucial peripheral types that admins need to know to monitor the health of their rooms. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: 
    • To view these new issues, you can monitor the status of your peripherals in the Google Meet hardware Admin console 
    • If you have turned on alerts for any organizational units using the Peripheral alerts setting, you will automatically start receiving alerts for these new issue types. 
    • Note that for most displays with CEC support, a missing display issue should only be opened when the display is actually disconnected from the device (and not just put into standby mode). However, actual behavior could vary from display to display depending on how manufacturers implement CEC. We suggest testing your displays to ensure they work as expected. Missing controller issues will be opened only when a device has no eligible controllers connected to it (including touch controllers or remote controls)

Rollout 

  • Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 21 days for feature visibility) beginning on June 21, 2023 for all listed features except display issues,
    • Display issue support will be rolled out along with the promotion of Chrome M108 to the stable release track. This is expected in the next 6-8 weeks, but check What’s new in Google Meet hardware? for the latest and most accurate timeline. 
    • Note that during rollout to your organization, there may be a short period of time when issue data may appear inaccurate or delayed. This should resolve on its own when feature rollout is complete. 
    • Alert notification support may not be available for up to a week after you first see new issues appear in your organization’s Admin console – this is expected and due to the serialized nature of the feature rollout procedures. 

Availability

  • Available for all Google Meet hardware customers. 

Resources 

View more insights and take quick action via the Chrome Browser Cloud Management home card in the Admin console

What’s changing 

In addition to the existing cards in the Admin console landing page such as “Users” or “Billing”, we’ve added a card for Chrome Browser Cloud Management. Here you can see quick stats, such as the number of enrolled browsers, and directly perform actions such as enrolling new browsers or managing Chrome extensions. 




Prior to this update, you would have needed to navigate directly to Menu > Devices > Chrome > Managed browsers. Now, this information can be accessed faster directly from the Admin console home page. 


Additional details 

Chrome Browser Cloud Management allows you to configure and manage browser policies, settings, apps and extensions across your browsers, and do it all from the Admin console—even if your workforce uses multiple operating systems and devices. And better visibility into the browser and browser versioning means you can better enable and protect your end users. 


Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • This feature is now available.  

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers 

Resources 

Add or remove client-side encryption from Google Sheets and Google Slides files

What’s changing 

You can now simply add or remove client-side encryption to existing spreadsheets in Google Sheets or presentations in Google Slides. This update gives you the flexibility to control encryption as your documents and projects evolve and progress. This feature is already available for Google Docs. 


In Google Sheets or Slides, navigate to File > Make a copy > Add/Remove additional encryption.




Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers 

Resources 

Use Directory Sync to replace the domain name for synced users

What’s changing 

Using Directory Sync, admins can automatically replace the domain name for synced users and groups in their Google cloud directory. This means synced Google users and groups can have a different domain name than the domain used in the external directory following a sync. 


Verified domain names within your Google Workspace account can be used to replace user and group domain names. Admins can specify whether the domain change will occur for: 
  • Newly synced users and groups 
  • New and previously synced users and groups 


Directory Sync is available as an open beta, meaning no sign-up is required. Use our Help Center to learn more about using Directory Sync and FAQs.



Getting started


Updated user interface for the Email Log Search tool

What’s changing

We’ve updated the Email Log Search interface, helping admins find relevant information faster whether their query is simple or dynamic. 

Admins can use the "Predefined search" tab for basic searches, such as: 
  • All messages from today, yesterday, or the last 7 days 
  • Messages sent or received within your primary domain since yesterday 
Email Log Search tool

You can access the “Custom search” tab if you need to expand search parameters. This will allow you to enter information such as a message ID or sender IP into predefined fields for faster searching. 

Email Log Search

By enabling admins to find and troubleshoot missing email messages, see the status of messages after they’re delivered and more, this update helps admins stay on top of the flow of emails in their domain, regardless of the size of their organization. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about finding messages with the Email Search Log. Note: when returning to the Email Log Search tool, you will get to the "Predefined search" or "Custom search" tab based on your previous visit to the tool. 
  • End users: There is no end user action required. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade, Nonprofits, Frontline Starter, and Frontline Standard customers 

Resources 

Simplify and strengthen sign-in by enabling passkeys for your users, available now in open beta

What’s changing

Google Workspace is enabling the use of passkeys as a simpler and safer alternative to passwords to sign-in to Google Accounts. Additionally, Workspace admins can now allow users to use passkeys to skip passwords at sign-in for Workspace apps — this feature gives users the option to skip entering their password and sign-in with passkeys using a fingerprint, face recognition, or other screen-lock mechanism across phones, laptops, or desktop. 

This feature is available as an open beta, which means admins can use it without enrolling in a specific beta program. 
passkeys for your users, available now in open beta

Passkeys have been designed with user privacy in mind. When a user signs in with a passkey to their Workspace apps, such as a Gmail or Google Drive, the passkey can confirm that a user has access to their device and can unlock it with a fingerprint, face recognition, or other screen-lock mechanism. The user’s biometric data is never sent to Google’s servers or other websites and apps. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why you’d use it 

Passkeys are a new, passwordless sign-in method that can offer a more convenient and secure authentication experience across websites and apps. Passkeys are based on an industry standard and available across popular browsers and operating systems that people use every day, including Android, ChromeOS, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Google early data (March - April 2023) shows that passkeys are 2x faster and 4x less error prone than passwords. 

Passkeys are based on the same public key cryptographic protocols that underpin physical security keys, such as Titan Security Key, and therefore can be resistant to phishing and other online attacks. In fact, Google research has shown that security keys provide a stronger protection against automated bots, bulk phishing attacks, and targeted attacks than SMS, app-based one-time passwords, and other forms of traditional two-factor authentication (2FA). For a closer look at how passkeys work under the hood, check out our technical blog post. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: Admins can allow users in their organizations to skip passwords at sign-in using a passkey. By default, this setting is off, which means that users can’t skip passwords during sign-in, but can still create and use passkeys as a 2-Step Verification (2SV) method. To allow users to skip passwords, administrators can follow these simple steps in the Admin console. 
admin: passkeys for your users, available now in open beta
Admins can turn on / off the ability to use passkeys to skip passwords in the Admin console under Security > Passwordless. 
passkeys for your users, available now in open beta
If enabled by your admin, you can opt to skip password entry in your account settings.

Rollout pace

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers and Cloud Identity customers 

Resources


Expanded actions in the Admin console space management tool

What’s changing 

Recently, we announced a dedicated tool in the Admin console for managing spaces in Google Chat. To further enhance the tool’s functionality, we’re giving admins the ability to: 
  • Delete individual spaces
  • Remove individual members from a space 

Deleting individual spaces

Removing individual members from a space




More information regarding the space management tool can be found in our initial announcement. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: 
    • This feature is available for all super admins by default. In the Admin console, navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Google Chat > Manage spaces. Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing spaces in the Admin console. 
    • Delegated admins need to have the “Manage chat and space conversations” role to access space management — visit the Help Center to learn more about administrator roles.
  • End users: There is no end user action required. 

Rollout pace


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers 

Resources 

More call performance data in the Google Voice audit logs

What’s changing 

In addition to the information already captured in Voice audit logs, such as date, call source and call destination, you’ll see specific per-call performance information, including: 
  • Round Trip Time 
  • Packet Loss per 1000 
  • Jitter 

This supplementary data can help you identify and troubleshoot potential network issues impacting call quality across your organization. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: You can view Voice audit logs in the Admin console by going to Reporting > Audit and investigation > Voice log events. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Voice log events and Troubleshoot Google Voice call quality. 
  • End users: There is no end user action required. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers who can use the security investigation tool: 
    • The Security investigation tool is available to Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus. 
    • Admins with Cloud Identity Premium, Enterprise Standard, and Education Standard can also use the investigation tool for a subset of data sources. 

Resources