GAM (Google Apps Manager) is a command-line tool for managing Google Workspace with thousands of users. This and Google Admin Console are standard solutions for admins’ daily work worldwide.
However, its limitations lead many admins to seek a more user-friendly alternative to reduce manual scripting, automate tasks and reporting, and strengthen security and visibility across Google Workspace and the browser.
If you’re one of them, you landed on the right page. Take a look at GAT Labs.
What is GAM (Google Apps Manager)?
If you’re an admin trying to streamline your Google Workspace management, you’ve surely heard about GAM.
It’s an open-source, code-based tool that facilitates admin daily tasks at scale. It helps automate the management of large numbers of users, Drive files, groups, etc., saving a lot of time compared to manual actions in the Google Admin Console.
GAM covers multiple admin tasks related to user, classroom, and Chromebook management. It allows user license modifications, copying OUs policies and settings, device deprovision, Drive file transfer, and classroom archiving, just to mention a few.
“GAM Is Essential”, Admins Say. But Is It Enough?
Now, you may ask yourself: Well, if this tool is so powerful, why would somebody look for an alternative?
While it offers real value for your daily work optimization, it also has some inconveniences.
The biggest one: GAM is usually installed locally on the device and requires coding knowledge, which may limit its use by other IT team members and be really time-consuming.
Secondly, you just can’t control the ENTIRE domain with GAM. It does enable you to manage a lot of practical aspects of the Google Workspace environment, but it doesn’t give you a detailed overview of what’s happening inside.
In other words, with GAM, you can modify your user, Gmail, Drive, or device settings, but can’t really monitor and audit their current activity.
With GAM, you can transfer all his Drive files from a former teacher to a substitute, but it won’t alert you that the former employee still has access to the sensitive information stored on a shared Drive.
With GAM, you can remove an email accidentally sent to a specific group of users, but it won’t show you which users have received the most emails with attachments from external domains.
GAM & GAT. What’s the Difference?
This is about much more than just one letter.
While Google App Manager works well for bulk management, GAT Suite provides data to build your management strategy. You can access this information through a user-friendly dashboard that displays it visually. All data is ready for audit, analysis, and modification if needed.
GAT Suite is 100% no-code environment, easy to learn, navigate, and work with.
GAM & GAT Overview
| GAM (Google Apps Manager) | GAT (General Audit Tool) |
| Ease of use | |
| Command line interface | Visual interface |
| Requires advanced coding knowledge and a steep learning curve | No coding skills needed, a light learning curve |
| Must be installed manually on each new device | It can be used on any device with a web browser |
| Hard to manage | Intuitive, user-friendly dashboard |
| Key Features | |
| General domain management functionalities | Detailed and customizable domain management and auditing features |
| Enables bulk task automation with specific commands | Provides automated workflows tailored to the admin’s needs |
| Doesn’t provide audit insights directly | Comprehensive, accessible auditing and reporting features |
| Actions can’t be reverted | Many actions can be undone easily |
| No logs (unless the admin decides to keep one) | Immutable, filterable, and exportable admin logs |
| No alert system | Built-in alert system |
How Visibility Transforms Your Google Workspace Management
A general overview of your domain is fundamental to efficiently managing user activity and reducing security risks. Lack of real-time monitoring and alerting creates blind spots where students may access unsafe content, sensitive data may be compromised, and your Google storage may be unnecessarily overused.
GAT Labs empowers school admins to audit all activity across their domain with a detailed overview of Drive files, Gmail, user activity, classrooms, and more. This in-depth auditing, alongside automation and advanced management functionalities available in GAT Suite, allows admins to:
- Protect Sensitive Data: Prevent unauthorized access, manage user and third-party app permissions, and monitor and report on file sharing, both internally and externally.
- Prove Compliance Any Time: Customize school policies, monitor students’ access to inappropriate content in the Chrome browser and Google Classroom in real time, and automatically report on student behavior.
- Automate Bulk Tasks: Create automated workflows with no coding to onboard and offboard users, modify their Drive access, and account settings at scale.
- Detect Security Risks: Search for specific keywords and get alerted to suspicious activity across the domain, Gmail, Drive, and the Chrome browser, target and mitigate potential risks quickly.
- Monitor Learning Progress: Oversee and manage students’ screens in the classroom, restrict their access to distracting content, and analyze their browsing and Docs assignments.
Everything is accessible with just a few clicks on the single interface, saving you hours of manual analysis and hundreds of commands.
What’s Next?
We wouldn’t deny it: GAM is very helpful for big bulk tasks, and many Google admins love it.
However, if you want to gain complete control over Google Workspace and be audit-ready at any time, GAM alone is not enough. If you would like to save your time or delegate some management tasks to another team member without scripting skills, it’s time to look for an alternative.
GAT Suite for Education meets your expectations. It covers monitoring of each aspect of your domain, in-depth auditing, scheduled reporting and alerting, task automation, data lifecycle management, and more.
Contact our Support Team to schedule a demo or request a free trial and see GAT Suite in action.
Final note: Some schools may struggle to fit the new IT team’s needs into the budget. If that’s your case, we recommend optimizing your Google license costs first. We crafted a quick guide to help you identify overspending in storage and inactive user accounts.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): Google Workspace Management with GAM & GAT
Is GAT easier to use than GAM?
Yes. Most admins deploy GAT Suite in under 2 minutes from the Google Workspace Marketplace, with no coding experience, whereas GAM requires advanced scripting skills and a long learning curve. Additionally, GAT Labs provides responsive support and an extensive Knowledge Base.
Does GAT Suite provide the same functionalities as GAM?
Yes, and much more. Unlike GAM, GAT is based on a no-code dashboard that centralizes all management, auditing, and reporting features. It allows automation with customizable workflows, audit-ready reporting, compliance monitoring, and built-in alerting.
How does GAT Suite impact the Google Workspace for Education environment?
GAT enables admins to control the entire domain, all users, and their activity at scale. It automates routine admin tasks, security risk detection, and remediation across the domain, saving plenty of time. It provides granular insights into learning performance and compliance.
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