The Manual Vault Headache
In our last post, we showed you how to handle a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) with Google Vault. You learned that Vault is your primary tool for e-discovery, a non-negotiable part of modern data privacy compliance. But if you’ve ever had to handle a DSAR for a large organization, you know the process can still be time-consuming. From creating matters and holds to manually exporting and managing files, the sheer volume of data can be a headache.
This is where automation becomes your best friend. Google Vault is powerful, but when paired with an intelligent user lifecycle management tool like GAT Flow, it becomes a streamlined, scalable e-discovery solution. GAT Flow allows you to automate repetitive tasks, saving you time and ensuring your compliance process is both efficient and legally defensible.
This guide will walk you through three key ways GAT Flow can enhance your Google Vault workflows. Helping you transition from a manual process to automated efficiency.
1. Automating Legal Holds: The GAT Flow Advantage
A critical step in any DSAR or legal investigation is placing a legal hold on a user’s account to prevent data from being purged. Manually placing these holds, especially for multiple users, can be slow and prone to human error.
How GAT Flow helps: GAT Flow allows you to automate the process of setting a Google Vault hold through its flexible workflow system. This action can be set up in a normal, event-triggered, or recurring workflow, making it perfect for various scenarios, including user offboarding.
To configure it, you simply create a workflow, add the “Set Google Vault hold” action, and fill in the required details like the Matter and Hold name. If the matter or hold doesn’t exist, GAT Flow will create it for you. Once the workflow is approved and executed, the Google Vault hold is automatically applied, ensuring no data is lost.
Learn More: Configuring Google Vault Users in Hold with GAT Flow
2. Streamlining Vault Exports
Once a legal hold is in place, the next step is to export the data. Vault requires you to manually set up exports, specifying the service (Gmail, Drive, etc.), date range, and search terms. This process is functional but can be tedious.
How GAT Flow helps: GAT Flow allows you to create and manage these Vault exports automatically. You can build a workflow that performs all the necessary configurations for you, giving you granular control over the export. You can define the export with specific options, such as:
- ▪️ Matter and Export Name: To keep your Vault organized.
- ▪️ Service: Choose from Drive, Mail, or Hangout chat.
- ▪️ Export Format: For email exports, you can choose between MBOX and PST.
- ▪️ Data Scope: Define the time period, date range, or a specific number of days back.
- ▪️ Specific Terms: Enter a particular term for exporting data.
- ▪️ Advanced Options: Include shared drives, exclude email drafts, and include messages from chat spaces.
This level of precision ensures you only export the necessary data, which is a game-changer for admins who need to perform repeated or similar exports.
Learn More: Streamlining Google Vault Exports with GAT Flow
3. Automating Export Deliverables: A One-Time Setup for Seamless Transfers
Perhaps the biggest pain point of the traditional Vault export process is the download itself. Vault exports expire after approximately 30 days, forcing admins to manually download large files to a local device. This is inconvenient and creates a security risk.
How GAT Flow helps: GAT Flow solves this problem with a one-time authorization process. Once configured, you can set up a workflow that automatically uploads the Google Vault export directly to a Shared Drive.
- ▪️ One-Time Authorization: The first time you use this feature, a quick authorization process in the Google Admin Console is required to grant GAT the necessary scope (https://www.googleapis.com/auth/devstorage.read_only).
- ▪️ Automatic Upload: After that, GAT Flow will automatically upload your exports to a newly created Shared Drive, eliminating the need for manual downloads.
- ▪️ Centralized & Secure: The export is now in a centralized location that can be accessed by your legal or compliance teams. There’s no need to worry about manual downloads, expired links, or insecure transfers.
Learn more: Automatically Uploading Google Vault Exports to a Shared Drive for the First Time
Conclusion: A Proactive Approach to Compliance
DSARs and legal holds are not going away. By leveraging a tool like GAT Flow, you can transform a complex, reactive process into a streamlined, proactive workflow. Automating these steps with GAT Flow not only saves you significant administrative time but also reduces the risk of human error. That helps your organization maintain a strong, legally defensible posture in data privacy and compliance.
Ready to automate your Google Workspace e-discovery? Learn more about how GAT Flow can help you turn your biggest compliance challenges into automated successes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Can I automate the entire DSAR process in Google Workspace?
A: While some manual review is always necessary, you can automate the most time-consuming steps of the DSAR process. Using GAT Flow with Google Vault, you can automatically apply legal holds to user accounts and generate comprehensive data exports, saving you significant time and effort.
Q2: How do I automatically set a legal hold on a user’s account?
A: With GAT Flow, you can create a simple workflow that automatically applies a legal hold to any user’s account. This is particularly useful for offboarding workflows, where the hold can be automatically applied the moment a user leaves the organization, ensuring data is not accidentally purged.
Q3: Can GAT Flow automatically save Google Vault exports?
A: Yes. One of the biggest advantages of using GAT Flow is its ability to automatically upload your Google Vault exports directly to a designated Google Shared Drive. This one-time setup eliminates the need for manual downloads and provides a secure, centralized location for your compliance teams to access the data.
Q4: Is GAT Flow a replacement for Google Vault?
A: No, GAT Flow is not a replacement. Instead, it’s an enhancement. It works in combination with Google Vault to automate and streamline many of its manual processes, such as setting legal holds and managing exports. Turning Vault into a much more powerful and efficient e-discovery solution.
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