How Does Google Vault Work? A Guide to Google Vault Features and Uses

If you’ve ever wondered, “how does Google Vault work,” this guide is for you.

Google Vault is a tool that lets people keep track of important data, such as emails, chats, and files, so they don’t lose valuable information. 

Designed mainly for businesses and schools, Vault is like a digital vault where you can store and manage your organization’s information.

This article will break down what Google Vault does, how it works, and why it’s useful. 

Along the way, we’ll include tips, facts, and even a comparison table to make things clear. 

And if you want a personal backup solution to hide your private photos, consider using Locker: Photo Vault, an app that keeps your photos hidden and secure on your mobile device. 

Now, let’s dive into how Google Vault works!

What is Google Vault?

Google Vault is a tool offered by Google Workspace data that lets you archive, retain, and search through data in Google apps like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Chat. 

This means it’s particularly useful for schools, businesses, and other organizations that need to store large amounts of critical data safely.

With Google Vault, organizations can hold onto important data for long periods. This can be handy for things like legal requirements or to protect against accidental retain data loss. 

Unlike a simple backup tool, Vault is designed for legal holds, e-discovery, and audits. Here’s a quick breakdown of some key terms:

• E-Discovery: The process of finding and reviewing data electronically, which can be needed in legal cases.
• Retention: Keeping retain data for a specific amount of time.
• Audit: Reviewing data for compliance with policies or regulations.

How Does Google Vault Work?

So, how does Google Vault work? Google Vault uses a few different methods to store and manage data, mainly through retention policies and legal holds.

Retention Policies

These are rules that tell Google Vault how long to keep data. For example, a school could set a rule to keep emails for five years. 

After that, the emails are deleted automatically. Retention policies can be applied to different types of data, like emails, files in Google Drive, and chat messages.

Legal Holds

Sometimes, organizations need to hold onto certain information for legal reasons, even if it would normally be deleted. 

Legal holds make sure that specific data isn’t erased, which can be important for lawsuits or audits. 

Legal holds override the retention policy so that important information is kept safe.

Search and Export

Google Vault also lets administrators search through all data under its hold, whether it’s an email, a chat, or a file in Google Drive. 

They can search by keywords, dates, or other filters to find specific information. This feature is especially useful for e-discovery during legal cases.

Why Use Google Vault?

Data management isn’t just for large companies. Schools, small businesses, and nonprofits also benefit from keeping their data organized and accessible. 

Google Vault provides a straightforward way to ensure that important files and messages don’t accidentally disappear.

Here are some reasons why organizations use Google Vault:

• Legal Compliance: Many industries, like healthcare and finance, have rules about data storage. Google Vault helps these organizations meet legal requirements.
• Data Loss Prevention: Important files or emails sometimes get deleted by accident. Vault provides a safety net, so nothing important is permanently lost.
• Data Search: When data is needed for legal cases, audits, or general reviews, Vault allows quick and easy access to relevant information.

Key Features of Google Vault

To get a better understanding of how Google Vault works, let’s look at some of its main features. Here are some things that make Google Vault valuable:

• Retention Rules: Keep data for as long as you need with custom retention policies.
• Search and Export: Search through all saved data and export what you need.
• Audit Reports: Track Vault activity, like searches and data exports, with detailed logs.
• Legal Holds: Keep important information safe during legal cases.

Let’s dive deeper into each feature.

Retention Rules

Retention rules are a key part of Vault. Admins set rules on how long to keep different types of data. 

For example, you could keep emails for one year and Google group messages for three years. Once data reaches the end of its retention period, it’s automatically deleted. 

According to Google, 76% of companies use retention policies to avoid keeping too much old data (Source: Google Vault User Survey 2023).

Legal Holds

Legal holds are essential when a company needs to protect certain information, such as in a lawsuit. 

If someone places a hold on an employee’s email account, none of the emails in that account will be deleted – even if they’ve passed their retention period. 

This ensures data is available during investigations.

Search and Export

Imagine needing to find a single email from years ago. Vault’s search feature makes this easy. 

Admins can search by keywords, date, or even specific users. They can also export the data to share with legal teams or regulators.

Audit Reports

Vault also lets you track every action taken within it. For example, if a manager searches for specific files, that action is logged in an audit report. 

This helps organizations stay transparent and accountable.

Tips for Using Google Vault

Using Google Vault can be simple if you keep a few tips in mind:

1. Set Clear Retention Rules: Decide early on how long you want to keep different types of data. This makes the export data management easier and keeps storage from getting overcrowded.
2. Review Legal Holds Regularly: Legal cases don’t last forever, so make sure you remove holds when they’re no longer needed. This keeps your Vault organized.
3. Use Search Filters: The basic search functionality is powerful, so make the most of it. Use specific keywords, date ranges, or user filters to quickly find the export data you need.
4. Monitor with Audit Reports: Regularly check the audit reports to see if any unusual activity has occurred in Vault. This helps with security and accountability.

Potential Downsides of Google Vault

While Google Vault is a great tool, it’s not perfect. Here are a few things that users might find challenging:

• Not a Backup Tool: Remember, Vault is for archiving, not for backing up exported data. If something is deleted outside of Vault’s retention policy, you can’t recover it.
• Complex Setup for New Users: Setting up Vault and understanding legal holds can take time for beginners.
• Limited to Google Workspace Data: Vault only works with Google Workspace data, so it’s not helpful for non-Google Workspace apps or files.

Conclusion

So, how does Google Vault work? In short, it’s a tool that helps organizations keep, search, and protect data for legal, security, and regulatory needs. 

While it’s particularly useful for schools, businesses, and large organizations, it may not be ideal if you’re looking for a backup solution.

If you’re an individual looking to keep your photos hidden and private, Locker: Photo Vault is a fantastic alternative. 

Unlike Google Vault, Locker: Photo Vault is designed specifically for personal use, helping users keep photos safe and hidden from prying eyes.

Download Locker: Photo Vault today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Google Vault?

Google Vault is a tool within Google Workspace that helps businesses, schools, and other organizations manage and store their data. 

Think of it like a digital filing cabinet or a “vault” where you can keep emails, Google Workspace text messages, and files in Google Drive secure. 

It’s designed to make sure important information doesn’t get lost and is particularly useful for legal purposes. 

Companies use Google Vault to set retention policies (how long data is stored) and legal holds (making sure specific information isn’t deleted), which helps them meet regulations, manage data securely, and find information quickly when needed.

How do I access my Google Vault?

To access Google Vault, you need to be an admin in Google Workspace, as it’s not something individual users typically have direct access to.

Here’s how to get there if you have the right permissions:

1. Log in to your Google Workspace Admin Console using your admin account.
2. Navigate to Apps, then Google Workspace.
3. Find Google Vault in the list of Google services, and click to open it.

Once inside, you’ll see options to set rules, search data, and create legal holds.

It’s an admin-level tool, so if you’re part of a school or organization, only the designated admin team can usually make changes in Vault.

How much does Google Vault cost?

Google Vault is included in specific Google Workspace plans, so its cost depends on the plan your organization uses.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Business Standard: Comes with Google Vault.
• Business Plus: Also includes Google Vault.
• Enterprise Plans: These higher-tier plans also include Vault by default.

For individual users or businesses on basic Google Workspace accounts, Vault might not be included, and you may need to upgrade your plan. 

The Business Standard plan starts at around $12 per user per month, which includes Vault. 

For a small organization or school, the cost of Vault can add up, but for larger organizations, it’s often considered a valuable feature for data security and compliance.

Is Google Vault worth it?

Whether Google Vault is worth it depends on your organization’s needs.

Why it’s worth it for many organizations:

1. Data Compliance: Industries like healthcare, finance, and education have strict rules for data storage and privacy. Vault helps meet these requirements.
2. Legal Protection: If there’s a legal case, Vault’s legal holds make sure important emails or files aren’t lost.
3. Data Security: Vault acts as a backup of sorts, reducing the chances of losing critical data.