{"id":11065,"date":"2024-05-20T10:15:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T10:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gatlabs.com\/education\/?p=11065"},"modified":"2026-03-23T15:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T15:04:32","slug":"auditing-for-google-workspace-for-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gatlabs.com\/education\/blog\/auditing-for-google-workspace-for-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Boost Student Security & Safety with Advanced Auditing for Google Workspace for Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introducing GAT’s Advanced Auditing for Google Workspace for Education Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the end of the school year approaches, experienced K12 admins can finally take a deep breath \u2014 it\u2019s time to take stock of the past months, analyze how it went, and draw conclusions for the coming year. However, you may ask yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n

How do I audit my school’s Google Workspace environment with maximum efficiency and minimum effort?<\/em><\/p>\n

Let us show you a comprehensive tool for auditing your school domain: <\/span>\u201c<\/span>10-Step Guide to Audit and Secure Your Google Workspace for Education from A-Z\u201d<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This pathway isn\u2019t short, but you will succeed with our tested roadmap and clear markers. And yes, we have prepared a couple of shortcuts to streamline this process.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Auditing for Google Workspace for Education?<\/h2>\n

In the ever-evolving edtech world, regular reviews and updates of the school domain must be prioritised for every K12 admin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An in-depth audit across every aspect of the domain results in many benefits, the most crucial of which is improving school cybersecurity measures for student data protection and online threat detection.<\/span><\/p>\n

A thorough audit of the Google Workspace for Education<\/a> environment also covers each student’s e-learning path. It can enhance classroom and device management and support student wellness efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically, K12 admins conduct this kind of audit for security or compliance reasons or as a routine task at the end of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Audit and Secure Your Google Workspace for Education<\/h2>\n

An effective audit of your school domain requires a multi-faceted approach. Carefully following the steps below will help you make your Google Workspace for Education environment as secure and well-controlled as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We recommend that you meticulously assess all domain layers \u2014 security, student safety, and compliance \u2014 and, additionally, apply an in-depth audit and regular reviews. You accomplish this through the Workspace Admin console, <\/span>GAT+<\/span><\/a>, and other tools.<\/span><\/p>\n

10 Steps to Auditing for Google Workspace for Education<\/h2>\n

1. Access Management Audit<\/h3>\n

The first step of our audit process is checking if each account has precisely the range of access they need to perform their roles as students or teachers, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n

This step includes reviewing user accounts to ensure that only authorized individuals have proper access to specific files and verifying that former teachers and students are suspended, archived, or deleted. Additionally, the admin must check for any external sharing of internal documents and ensure they comply with school policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Administrator Role Audit<\/h3>\n

This task, like the first one, is crucial for domain security. You need to ensure that only a few trusted individuals have administrative access. Remember to review the list of admins periodically and adjust their permissions according to their job requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Student Well-being Audit<\/h3>\n

Many teachers will tell you that this is the most significant task on this list\u2014it aims to improve how their students feel and learn in the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take your time to audit this complex area. It includes reviewing online content filtering rules and solutions to manage student activity in the class. Consider what measures you can implement to prevent suicide, <\/span>hate speech<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>cyberbullying<\/span><\/a>, and support <\/span>mental health<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, check the security dashboard regularly for suspicious activity. You can also set up alert rules for unusual activities, such as an unexpected increase in file sharing or login attempts from unusual locations.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Security Audit<\/h3>\n

Most of these audit steps contribute to the high-level <\/span>security of all devices, including Chromebooks<\/span><\/a> in your Google Workspace for Education domain. However, the cornerstone of online security at the school is strong password policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their components are 2-factor authentication enabled for all users and strong password requirements. Remember to regularly update password policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Application Audit<\/h3>\n

Another action to audit your domain is to check third-party apps connected to your Google Workspace. Revoke any that are unnecessary or not compliant with your security standards. It\u2019s also recommended that you regularly review API permissions for unusual or unauthorized access.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Download<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Drive and Shared Drives Audit<\/h3>\n

This step is extensive and crucial to protecting sensitive student data. An effective audit will strengthen your data security and prevent <\/span>data breaches<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

To guarantee that sensitive information is not shared with the wrong people or groups, check the sharing settings for each current user carefully. Examine files on Drive to check for proper ownership, especially users who have left the school. This step must also include auditing files of people who have left the school and shared Drives.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Email Compliance and Cybersecurity Audit<\/h3>\n

We continue with data loss prevention. First, let\u2019s review email routing and delivery settings to ensure compliance with data protection laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We also recommend auditing any email forwarding rules to scan for sensitive information. Checking for proper email authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records will also prevent phishing attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Compliance Audit<\/h3>\n

At some point, many schools must ensure they comply with the standards of different regulations. This part of auditing your Google Workspace for Education domain will provide you with information about your school’s compliance with the most important regulations for educational institutions:<\/span><\/p>\n