What is Zero Trust? How Does Google Workspace Ensure Enterprise Data Security?

What is Zero Trust? Why is the Zero Trust mechanism important for enterprise cybersecurity?

In the past, many businesses relied on firewalls and perimeter security measures to protect their networks from external threats. However, with the proliferation of remote work and cloud computing, attackers may have already infiltrated the internal networks of many organizations, gaining the ability to move freely within the organization’s network and access data. Attacks that start from within pose significant challenges to traditional defense measures.

Zero Trust is a comprehensive security model used to protect an organization’s digital environment. This model asserts that organizations should not automatically trust any user or device and should rigorously require authentication and authorization for anyone attempting to connect to the organization’s systems before granting access. In this model, any data access request is treated as coming from an untrusted network.

Zero Trust is based on the concept of “never trust, always verify,” emphasizing the principle of least privilege and segmenting networks into micro-segments. Each segment requires authentication and authorization, reducing the potential attack surface through the application of the principle of least privilege. Furthermore, Zero Trust helps organizations detect abnormal behavior in real-time by verifying at the start of access and continuously monitoring user behavior, allowing for timely detection of anomalies and rapid response to further protect system and information security.

Zero Trust is not a single security solution but an ongoing process. Businesses need to treat internal and external threats equally and continually improve and update security policies, technologies, and measures to address evolving threats and attack techniques.”

Google Workspace combines the power of AI to strengthen the zero-trust mechanism for enterprises.

Google believes that the zero-trust security model has become a crucial factor for organizations in reducing the security risks associated with a distributed workforce. To assist IT and cybersecurity personnel in achieving more precise control over information usage and access, Google Workspace offers built-in security controls, including Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Context-Aware Access (CAA), to accelerate the implementation of a zero-trust framework within organizations.

 

Automatically Classify and Tag Data in Google Drive Using AI:

Workspace users can now utilize AI to automatically and continuously classify and tag data in Google Drive, ensuring that data is appropriately shared and preventing data leaks simultaneously. Furthermore, users can automatically classify and tag both new and old data using AI models customized for their organization. Subsequently, AI can classify and label data in accordance with corporate security policies, enhancing data leak protection and data access control.

Implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) on Workspace Services:

Workspace users can now implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP) on common Google services such as Google Chat, Google Drive, or Chrome. By configuring conditions such as device location or security status, they can restrict other users from accessing shared internal information unless specific criteria are met. This helps prevent data loss and assists the organization’s cybersecurity team in controlling the sharing of sensitive information both internally and externally. Furthermore, during this year’s Next’23 conference, Google announced plans to integrate this feature into Gmail, with a preview version expected to be released by the end of the year.

 

 

Google Workspace Breaks Geographical Barriers to Remote Assistance in Managing Data

In recent years, with the rise of cloud computing technology, the importance of digital sovereignty controls has become increasingly emphasized by businesses and government entities. Digital sovereignty control asserts that a singular entity must have the authority and capability to manage its own digital information and take proactive measures to safeguard the online environment and control the operation of the internet within the organization.

 

Preventing Third-Party Access to Confidential Data

Client-Side Encryption (CSE) adds an additional layer of data protection for organizations through encryption key mechanisms. Only those with the encryption keys can access the data, even server-side or service providers will be unable to access it. During the Google Next’23 conference, Google also announced the rollout of CSE enhancements to several Google Workspace services, including Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Meet, and more. Furthermore, Google plans to add CSE support to three additional services by the end of 2023. These additions include enabling CSE by default for specific organizational units, support for Google Docs comments, and reading/editing Microsoft Excel documents.

Freedom to Choose the Location of Encryption Keys

Google, in collaboration with cybersecurity solution providers such as Thales, Stormshield, and Flowcrypt, enables every user who activates CSE functionality to freely choose whether to store their encryption keys in their own country or with trusted partners, ensuring compliance with local regulations.

 

reedom to Choose the Location for Storing and Processing Data

In the upcoming preview version, Google Workspace will allow users to independently choose the location for data processing, such as within the European Union or the United States, and directly store data and backup content in the selected country or region.

 

Limiting Access Permissions for Specific Regional Personnel

Google Workspace users will be able to restrict the scope of data access and monitor the actions of Google technical support teams through Access Approvals. This is done to prevent the leakage or compromise of internal data due to improper actions by support teams. Currently, Google Workspace allows U.S. enterprises to configure support only from Google in the U.S., and it is expected to open up services for the European Union region in the latter half of this year.

 

 

How Google Workspace Helps with Preemptive Security Against Cyber Threats

Phishing attacks from external sources are often a common cause of data breaches within organizations. Google Workspace assists users in proactively preventing, detecting, and responding to threat attacks by providing comprehensive threat defense controls. During the Next’23 conference, Google announced the introduction of additional defense mechanisms to help cybersecurity personnel more effectively maintain the security of accounts.

 

Restricting Specific Users to Enforce Two-Step Verification (2SV)

When accounts with administrative privileges are compromised, the impact on the organization’s internal security is often more significant than that of regular users. According to Google’s statistics, implementing Two-Step Verification (2SV) can reduce the likelihood of an account being compromised by up to 50%. To ensure the security of user account data, Google has announced that it will begin mandating Two-Step Verification for administrator accounts of resellers or large enterprise customer partners in the latter half of the year.

 

Restricting Sensitive Operations to Require Third-Party Administrator Approval

Enhancing Gmail’s Prevention Mechanism with AI

Google Workspace is currently enhancing the support features for security protection by integrating Duet AI with Gmail. The aim is to assist users in automatically protecting against other sensitive actions in Gmail, such as email filtering or forwarding, through the assistance of generative AI. This feature is currently available in the preview version.

Easily Export Workspace Logs to Chronicle

Administrator accounts can now directly export Workspace logs to Chronicle to help detect potential abnormal activities and reduce response time to threats. This feature is currently available in the preview version.

For cybersecurity professionals, Google Workspace is no longer just an everyday office tool. Its cybersecurity protection mechanisms not only help businesses save on infrastructure setup, maintenance, and time costs but also significantly improve overall operational efficiency, allowing a focus on core business functions.

MacroTech, as a Google Cloud Partner, assists numerous well-known enterprises in building robust cloud infrastructure, protecting sensitive data, and preventing malware attacks and threats. Our clients span various industries, including logistics, retail, gaming, and the public sector. Interested in learning more about cloud cybersecurity strategies? Feel free to fill out the contact form, and MacroTech’s dedicated consulting team will provide you with the most professional cloud cybersecurity solutions to help you confidently embrace the cloud!

This article is adapted from the official Google Workspace blog. Source