Security Concerns

Is Data Stored in the Cloud Secure?

Although security concerns has significantly reduced compared to the past, the idea of storing important business data in the cloud is unsafe still resides deeply in the minds of many people. In this article, we do not want to abuse the word ‘Security’ by using it as a fancy buzzword. Instead, we will list some of the real threats that exist in real-life and explain how’s Google Workspace resolves these threats. We hope that this will be useful to you.

First Doubt

Losing Data in the Cloud?

Data is the lifeline of today’s businesses. In order to prevent data loss situation, companies have set up a series of backup procedures.
Google Workspace users don’t have to worry about this problem at all. Why? This is due to the data stored in Google Cloud is scattered in Google’s data centers around the world, therefore significantly reduce the risk of data loss. Never put all eggs in one bag, right? In addition, Google has also set up strict policies to minimize the possibility of data loss.
Nevertheless, the risk of data loss cannot be eliminated 100%. However, compared with the large-scale data centers that Google has built around the world, perhaps the on-premise server has a higher probability of losing data due to natural disasters or theft?

Second Doubt

Is It Safe to Store Data Abroad?

As customers’ data is stored separately at Google’s data centers all over the world, the overall security is more stable. However, due to regulatory restrictions and privacy issues, some companies cannot store corporate data in overseas data centers. Google Workspace Business and Google Workspace Enterprise allow users to choose the region where data is stored, but currently only two options are available – United States and Europe. Therefore, if your company does not allow data to be stored abroad due to legal constraints, Google Workspace may not suit your company. (For Office 365, you can specifically choose the country to locate your data)
If your company doesn’t mind saving the data abroad, but in order to comply with the policy requirements, data must be completely stored in the country, some third-party solutions may help. Please feel free to ask our specialists for more information.

Third Doubt

Is There Any Possibility of Data Leakage?

Many companies worry that if the data is stored in the cloud, it may be hacked and cause data leakage. Fortunately, Google place data security as the first priority when managing the data centers. All Google Workspace applications have corresponding security protection measures and all data is encrypted. In addition, people who usually use Google services should know that Google constantly improves its services with the most up-to-date technology. For example, suspicious login activity alerts, 99.9% spam filtering function in Gmail, etc. All these world-class features are incorporated in Google Workspace.

Fourth Doubt

Does Google Use Our Data?

In the past, when we held a conference at Google’s office, there was a participant asked: “What if our information is stolen by you (referring to Google)?”. It seems a bit impolite to raise such a sharp question on the spot. However, Google employees replied calmly: “Are you worried about your money being stolen by the bank clerk when you are saving money at the bank?”
In fact, in the Google Workspace terms of use, it states “The ownership of customer information does not belong to Google, but to the customer. Google does not sell customer information to any third party.” In addition, there is no advertising in Google Workspace (It means Gmail in Google Workspace), and Google will never collect information from Google Workspace users for advertising purposes.

Fifth Doubt

What If Your Employees Are Intentionally Leaking Confidential Information?

Although Google Workspace is secured, there is still a risk that malicious insiders will leak data. Through the Google Workspace Admin Console, the administrator can easily manage users and monitor status of each user at any time. For example, when an employee leaves the company, the admin can suspend his/her account with one click. In addition, the Google Vault function of Google Workspace Business and Google Workspace Enterprise can retain all emails and chat records associated with the business domain, and there is no storage limit. This is particularly important for businesses with the need of internal audits or e-discovery when legal issues occur.

Conclusion

All the above discussions on security and underlying risk come with a conclusion: Whether the service provider that provides data storage is trustworthy. Perhaps for most people, what can be seen with the naked eye is more reassuring, but in fact there are security vulnerabilities that are close to us but have not been noticed, such as the NAS server that is placed in the corner of the office and is not used by employees; employees using personal WhatsApp send files to external personnel; granting too many unnecessary permissions to an IT staff that will not stay long etc. All these examples of underlying security loopholes reside in any organization can cause greater damage to businesses. As for the recent incident regarding password stored in plaintext was publicly disclosed by Google itself. The courage to admit and disclose their mistakes is also a manifestation of making consumers realize that Google is an honest company.

If you still can’t trust Google after reading these, perhaps Google Workspace is not an option for your company.