Google Vault helps your organization meet its legal needs, by allowing you to manage your employees' G Suite data for eDiscovery and compliance purposes. Today, we’re launching additional, crucial functionality in Vault, including full support for Drive, newly launched Team Drives, and Google Groups.
Set retention policies for Google Drive, including Team Drives
Starting now, not only can G Suite admins search and export employee Drive files, they can also set retention policies to manage the lifecycle of files in My Drive and the just-launched Team Drives, regardless of whether they’re Google or non-Google files (as long as they’re owned by users in your domain).
Like with mail, the default rule will apply to all users in your domain. You can set an indefinite retention policy (such that files are never expunged), or you can choose to have files expunged at the end of a specific time period. This default rule can be applied to all files or only to files that have been deleted by users.
You can also set custom retention rules for specific organizational units (OUs) or for Team Drives. Like with mail, custom rules override the default rule and, if multiple custom rules apply to a file, the longest rule wins. Custom rules can be applied to all files or only to files that have been deleted by users.
Unlike with mail, you cannot target custom Drive retention rules with specific terms.
Place legal holds on Google Drive files
In addition to setting retention policies, you can now place legal holds on your employees' Google Drive and Team Drives files, whether they are Google files or non-Google files (as long as they are owned by users in your domain). Doing so will preserve all files that are owned by or shared with the user on hold, regardless of whether that user deletes those files. If a user on hold deletes a file, it will appear as deleted for him or her—but it will be available in Vault until the hold is removed. Remember that holds always take precedence over retention rules.
Note that both the retention policy and legal holds features are not yet available for Apps Script.
Export point-in-time Google Drive files
Vault now also allows you to export revisions of your employees’ Drive and Team Drive files from a specific point in time (this applies to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings files). This can be done by simply specifying the desired Version Date in the search form.
Note that this feature is not yet available for Google Forms, Apps Script, or any non-Google document types.
Use Vault for Google Groups
Finally, Vault now works with Groups, meaning you can search, export, and set retention policies and place legal holds on your employees’ Groups content. Groups can be used for email lists, forums, and shared or collaborative inboxes, and now you can apply the same retention and eDiscovery programs that you use in Gmail for content stored in Groups archives.
To learn more about how Vault's support for Drive, Team Drives, and Groups can help your organization meet its legal obligations and archiving needs, check out the Vault Help Center.
Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
Editions:
Available to G Suite Business, Enterprise, and Education editions, as well as G Suite Basic users with add-on Vault licenses
Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)
Impact:
Admins only
Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI
More Information
Help Center: Google Vault
Help Center: Supported data types
Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates
Set retention policies for Google Drive, including Team Drives
Starting now, not only can G Suite admins search and export employee Drive files, they can also set retention policies to manage the lifecycle of files in My Drive and the just-launched Team Drives, regardless of whether they’re Google or non-Google files (as long as they’re owned by users in your domain).
Like with mail, the default rule will apply to all users in your domain. You can set an indefinite retention policy (such that files are never expunged), or you can choose to have files expunged at the end of a specific time period. This default rule can be applied to all files or only to files that have been deleted by users.
You can also set custom retention rules for specific organizational units (OUs) or for Team Drives. Like with mail, custom rules override the default rule and, if multiple custom rules apply to a file, the longest rule wins. Custom rules can be applied to all files or only to files that have been deleted by users.
Unlike with mail, you cannot target custom Drive retention rules with specific terms.
Place legal holds on Google Drive files
In addition to setting retention policies, you can now place legal holds on your employees' Google Drive and Team Drives files, whether they are Google files or non-Google files (as long as they are owned by users in your domain). Doing so will preserve all files that are owned by or shared with the user on hold, regardless of whether that user deletes those files. If a user on hold deletes a file, it will appear as deleted for him or her—but it will be available in Vault until the hold is removed. Remember that holds always take precedence over retention rules.
Note that both the retention policy and legal holds features are not yet available for Apps Script.
Export point-in-time Google Drive files
Vault now also allows you to export revisions of your employees’ Drive and Team Drive files from a specific point in time (this applies to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings files). This can be done by simply specifying the desired Version Date in the search form.
Note that this feature is not yet available for Google Forms, Apps Script, or any non-Google document types.
Use Vault for Google Groups
Finally, Vault now works with Groups, meaning you can search, export, and set retention policies and place legal holds on your employees’ Groups content. Groups can be used for email lists, forums, and shared or collaborative inboxes, and now you can apply the same retention and eDiscovery programs that you use in Gmail for content stored in Groups archives.
To learn more about how Vault's support for Drive, Team Drives, and Groups can help your organization meet its legal obligations and archiving needs, check out the Vault Help Center.
Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
Editions:
Available to G Suite Business, Enterprise, and Education editions, as well as G Suite Basic users with add-on Vault licenses
Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)
Impact:
Admins only
Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI
More Information
Help Center: Google Vault
Help Center: Supported data types
Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates