What Grade Would Your Google Workspace Get? 3 Ways You Might Be Losing Marks!
The summer holidays are over. For students, it's a time for new beginnings, fresh timetables, and the all-important report card. This annual ritual of assessment and feedback made us wonder: when was the last time your business graded its own digital classroom? When did you last take a step back and assess whether your Google Workspace is fit for purpose for your business?
Your Workspace is the classroom of your organisation. It’s where your team collaborates on big ideas, communicates with clients, and stores your most critical information.
But like any busy school, when the number of pupils (drives & data) grows and gets out of hand, the teacher can lose control of them, doors can be left unlocked, and sensitive information can be left unattended.
Are you confident your organisation's Workspace would get top marks? Let's explore a few subjects where many businesses are unknowingly falling short:
The Unseen Risk of Data Sprawl
In today's fast-paced world, collaboration is everything.
A key strength of Google Workspace is how effortlessly it allows users to share files. But this strength can quickly become a significant weakness. The "anyone with the link" setting is a powerful tool, but it's also a ticking time bomb if not managed correctly. Over time, documents containing sensitive client information, confidential financial projections, or strategic plans can be shared with this setting for a brief moment of convenience.
The link gets forwarded, the project ends, but the share setting remains. The result?
Your most valuable data could be sitting on the public web, discoverable by anyone who stumbles across the link. Without full visibility into your data-sharing landscape, you are essentially hoping that no one finds the key you've left under the doormat.
The Ghosts in the Machine: Outdated User Access
The lifecycle of an employee is a constant cycle of joining, moving departments, and eventually leaving. Your onboarding process is likely a well-oiled machine, but how robust is your offboarding? All too often, former employees or external contractors retain access to company data long after their departure.
These "ghost accounts" represent a serious security vulnerability. Each one is a potential backdoor into your environment, an entry point for a malicious actor. Beyond the security risk, these accounts are a silent drain on your budget, as you continue to pay for licenses that are no longer in use. It's a fundamental aspect of digital hygiene that is surprisingly easy to overlook amidst the daily pressures of running a business.
The Uninvited Guest: Third-Party App Integrations
To boost productivity, your team is likely using a variety of applications. While many of these tools are invaluable, they can also introduce significant risk. This is the world of "Shadow IT", where applications are installed without official oversight, often by employees who are simply trying to be more effective at their jobs.
The danger lies in the permissions they grant. A seemingly harmless PDF converter or diagramming tool might request—and be granted—sweeping access to every file in your Google Drive, every contact in your directory, and every email in your Gmail. Your team isn't being malicious; they're just clicking "accept" to get their work done. But in doing so, they could be handing over the keys to your entire digital kingdom.
Time for Your Report Card
If these scenarios sound uncomfortably familiar, you are not alone. Many organisations would receive a few Cs and Ds if they were graded honestly.
Seeing these potential gaps isn't a failure—it's an opportunity. It's the first step towards building a more secure, efficient, and compliant digital environment. But while identifying these pitfalls is a start, navigating the complexities of remediation requires deep expertise.
Our Google Workspace Audit is your cheat sheet to a safer Workspace. We act as the expert examiner, providing a comprehensive analysis of your entire environment. We don't just show you the problems; we deliver a clear, actionable roadmap to fix them.
Ready to turn your grades around and graduate with an A* Workspace?
Book your Google Workspace Audit with Netpremacy today!
