Google has announced some new security features that it plans to bring to G Suite for Education. It has also introduced G Suite Enterprise for Education for large educational institutions, which should launch later this year. G Suite Enterprise for Education will be a paid product while G Suite for Education will remain free.
Let’s start with the new security features coming to the free G Suite for Education. The first addition is Data Loss Prevention (DLP); it’s available for Drive and Gmail and allows admins to better handle sensitive school data and ensures that confidential information can’t accidentally be shared externally.
The second feature Google has added is security key management and enforcement; this will allow admins to set up accounts to require a physical key to login. This functionality, Google says, will help organisations protect against phishing attacks. Security Keys plug directly into the laptop or pair with a mobile device using Bluetooth or NFC, instead of receiving a code via SMS. Admins can manage the deployment of Security Keys and view usage reports.
Lastly, support for hosted Gmail S/MIME has been added, which allows educational institutions working with sensitive information to sign and encrypt emails. The function is easy to manage for admins and seamless for end users. The encrypted emails still benefit from Gmail’s protections against spam, phishing, and malware.
Next up, is the new G Suite Enterprise for Education tier. It’s only going to be available in the U.S. initially and will cost $4 per user per month, whether faculty, staff, or students. For a limited time only, licenses will cost $2 per user per month for faculty and staff, while student licenses will be free. This promotion is only available for institutions buying for all faculty and staff.
So, what extra benefits does this paid tier provide? Users will have dial-in access on Hangouts Meet, users will be able to host larger meetings with up to 50 users, and they'll also have the ability to record sessions and save them to Google Drive.
End users will also benefit from Cloud Search, which unifies the entirety of G Suite helping users find their data more quickly. Cloud Search uses machine intelligence to show personalised information helping users keep on to of important work, prepare for meetings, and even suggest files which need attention.
Admins get several new features including advanced mobile device management which allows organisations more efficiently manage mobile BYOD devices with review audits, activity reports, and secure management of work applications. Another beneficial feature for admins is security center, this tool brings together security analytics, actionable insights, and best practice recommendations. The unified security dashboard will help admins reduce risks by adopting “security health recommendations” from Google.
The last feature to come with the premium tier is BigQuery, in a blog post, Google says:
“Gmail logs analysis in BigQuery contain information that can help education administrators diagnose issues or unlock insights. Admins will be able to run sophisticated, high-performing custom queries and build custom dashboards. With Admin reports in BigQuery, they can also analyze their domains’ data to understand product adoption and usage.”
Google’s premium offering has been piloted in Clay County, Florida, to test the features in a real-world environment. Google says that the product will be available in the U.S. in the coming months.
Source: Google | Image via Azusa Pacific University
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