How we backup your Google Workspace data.
Recently, a subscriber asked us for details on how we back up our clients' Google Workspace data—it was a great question. It turned out that apart from a couple of clauses in the service agreements with clients, we did not have a simple explanation of how the system works.
Google Workspace does not have a backup service, so you must attach a backup solution. While we have never encountered a situation where Google has lost a team member's data, and they provide robust protocols to prevent data loss, your data is not backed up by Google, and no system to recover lost data is provided.
Google Workspace by Kimbley IT (which all our clients use) is different; this is our customised version of Google Workspace. With this version, we provide an independent backup system called Enhanced Backup by Kimbley IT.
Enhanced Backup by Kimbley IT
Our backup system takes three snapshots of the data contained within an active team member's Google Workspace account every day (the most allowed by Google), and there are no limits on the amount of data a subscriber can back up. It is one of the reasons we insist that users save their files to Google Drive so that these files can be backed up. If files are saved anywhere else, such as your desktop, these are not backed up.
Generally, we manage data backup and recovery. If a subscriber is missing data, we find out why it has gone missing (it is nearly always accidental deletion on their behalf) and guide them on what went wrong. We then access the backups and recover the lost data, returning it to their Google account.
The backup system is provided and maintained by our partners, AFI, who have a detailed compliance document explaining the specific compliance controls to keep backed-up data secure and accessible. We use a dashboard to manage backup, recovery and access. The data backup system is GDPR and SOC 2 Type II compliant.
Does your company use Google Workspace?
If your company uses Google Workspace, you should check that you have independent backups of your data. If you self-deployed Google Workspace, it is doubtful that you are backing up your data. Book a video call below to discuss how Enhanced Backup by Kimbley IT can help you keep your Google Workspace data safe and secure.
