Security checklist for medium and large businesses (100+ users)

IT administrators for medium and large businesses should follow these security best practices to help strengthen the security and privacy of company data. You'll use one or more settings in the Google Admin console to implement each best practice in this checklist.

If your business doesn't have an IT admin, see if the recommendations in the Security checklist for small businesses (1–100 users) are more appropriate for your business.

Note: Not all settings described here are available in all Google Workspace editions or Cloud Identity editions.

Security best practices

To help protect your business, Google turns on many of the settings recommended in this checklist as security best practices by default.

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Administrator

Protect admin accounts
	Require 2-Step Verification for admin accounts Because super admins control access to all business and employee data in the organization, it's especially important for their accounts to be protected by an additional authentication factor. Protect your business with 2-Step Verification \| Deploy 2-Step verification
	Use security keys for 2-Step Verification Security keys help to resist phishing threats and are the most phishing-resistant form of 2-Step Verification. Protect your business with 2-Step Verification
	Don't use a super admin account for daily activities Super admins should use a separate user account for daily activities. They should sign in to their super administrator account only when they need to perform specific super administrator duties. Administrator privilege definitions \| Security best practices for administrator accounts
	Don't remain signed in to an idle super admin account Super admins should sign in to perform specific super admin tasks and then sign out. Security best practices for administrator accounts
Manage super admin accounts
	Set up multiple super admin accounts A business should have more than one super admin account, each managed by a separate person. If one account is lost or compromised, another super admin can perform critical tasks while the other account is recovered. Assign administrator roles to a user
	Create per-user super admin role accounts Each super admin should have an identifiable admin account so it's clear which admin is responsible for activities in the audit log. Security best practices for administrator accounts
	Delegate daily admin tasks to user accounts Use the super admin account only when needed and delegate daily tasks to user accounts. Use the model of least privilege, in which each user has access to only the resources and tools needed for their typical tasks. Assign administrator roles to a user \| Security best practices for administrator accounts
Manage activity on admin accounts
	Set up admin email alerts Monitor admin activity and track potential security risks by setting up admin email alerts for certain events, such as suspicious sign-in attempts, compromised mobile devices, or changes by another admin. Administrator email alerts
	Review the Admin audit log Use the Admin audit log to see a history of every task performed in the Google Admin console, which admin performed the task, the date, and the IP address from which the admin signed in. Admin audit log
Prepare for admin account recovery
	Add recovery options to admin accounts Add a recovery phone number and email address to admin accounts so Google can send a new password via phone, text, or email. Add account recovery information to your administrator account
	Keep information on hand for super admin password reset If a super admin can’t reset their password using email or phone recovery options, and another super admin isn’t available to reset the password, they can contact Google Support. To verify identity, Google asks questions about the organization’s account. The admin also needs to verify DNS ownership of the domain. You should keep account information and DNS credentials in a secure place in case they’re needed. Security best practices for administrator accounts
	Enroll a spare security key Admins should enroll more than one security key for their admin account and store it in a safe place. If their primary security key is lost or stolen, they can still sign in to their account. Add a security key to your account
	Save backup codes ahead of time If an admin loses their security key or phone (where they receive a 2-Step Verification code or Google prompt), they can use a backup code to sign in. Generate and print backup codes

Accounts

Enforce multifactor authentication
	Require 2-Step Verification (2SV) for users 2-Step Verification helps protect a user account from unauthorized access should someone manage to obtain their password. Protect your business with 2-Step Verification \| Deploy 2-Step verification
	Enforce security keys, at least for admins and other high-value accounts. Security keys are small hardware devices used when signing in that provide second factor authentication that resists phishing. Deploy 2-Step verification
Protect passwords
	Help prevent password reuse with Password Alert Use Password Alert to make sure users don't use their corporate credentials on other sites. Prevent password reuse
	Use unique passwords A good password is the first line of defense to protect user and admin accounts. Unique passwords aren’t easily guessed. Also discourage password reuse across different accounts, such as email and online banking. Create a strong password & a more secure account
Help prevent and remediate compromised accounts
	Regularly review activity reports and alerts See activity reports for account status, admin status, and 2-Step Verification enrollment details. Account activity reports
	Set up admin email alerts Set up email alerts for potentially risky events, such as suspicious sign-in attempts, compromised mobile devices, or setting changes by another admin. Admin email alerts
	Add user login challenges Set up login challenges for suspicious login attempts. Users must enter a verification code that Google sends to their recovery phone number or recovery email address or they must answer a challenge that only the account owner can solve. Verify a user’s identity with a login challenge \| Add employee ID as a login challenge
	Identify and secure compromised accounts If you suspect an account may be compromised, suspend the account, investigate for malicious activity, and take action if necessary. Review mobile devices associated with the account Use the Email log search to review delivery logs for your domains Use the Security report to evaluate the exposure of the domain to data security risks. Verify if any malicious settings were created Identify and secure compromised accounts
	Disable the ability to download data if circumstances warrant it Prevent user account data from being downloaded if the account is compromised or the user leaves the company. Turn Takeout on or off for user

Apps (Google Workspace only)

Review third-party access to core services
Know and approve which third-party apps can access Google Workspace core services such as Gmail and Drive.

Control which third-party & internal apps access Google Workspace data

Create a list of trusted apps
Create an allowlist that specifies which third-party apps can access core Google Workspace services.

Control which third-party & internal apps access Google Workspace data

Calendar (Google Workspace only)

Limit external calendar sharing
Restrict external calendar sharing to free/busy information only. This reduces the risk of data leaks.

Set calendar visibility and sharing options

Chrome Browser and Chrome OS

	Set a desktop browser policy If your organization wants to use Chrome Browser but your users still need to access older websites and apps that require Internet Explorer, the Chrome Legacy Browser Support extension lets users switch automatically between Chrome and another browser. Use Legacy Browser Support to support applications that require a legacy browser. Legacy browser support for Windows
	Set up basic Chrome OS and Chrome Browser policies Use the Admin console to set up basic Chrome OS and Chrome Browser policies: Allow auto update settings. Allow password manager policy. Enable safe browsing. Prevent users from proceeding to malicious sites. Allow users to show passwords in password manager. Set Chrome policies for users
	Set up advanced Chrome OS and Chrome Browser policies Use the Windows Group Policy editor to set up advanced Chrome OS and Chrome Browser policies: AbusiveExperienceInterventionEnforce AdsSettingForIntrusiveAdsSites AllowedDomainsForApps DownloadRestrictions SitePerProcess Set Chrome Browser policies on managed PCs
	Enable auto-update for Chrome Ensure that Chrome receives the latest security updates by enabling auto-update. Manage Chrome updates

Classic Hangouts (Google Workspace only)

Warn users when chatting outside their domain
Show users a warning when they chat with people outside their domain. When enabled, group chat conversations are split when the first person from outside the domain is added to the discussion. This prevents external users from seeing previous internal discussions and reduces the risk of data leaks.

Classic Hangouts settings

Set a chat invitation policy
Use this setting to set a chat invitation policy based on your organization’s policy on collaboration.

Classic Hangouts settings

Contacts (Google Workspace only)

Don’t automatically share contact information
Disable the option to automatically share contact information.

Turn the global Directory on or off

Drive

Limit sharing and collaboration outside your domain
	Set sharing options for your domain Confine file sharing within the boundary of your domains by turning sharing options off. This reduces data leak and data exfiltration risks. If sharing is required outside of a domain because of business needs, you can define how sharing is done for organizational units, or you can designate domains on your allowlist. Set Drive users' sharing permissions
	Set the default for link sharing Turn off link sharing for newly created files. Only the file owner should have access until they share the file. Set Drive users' sharing permissions
	Warn users when they share a file outside the domain If you allow users to share files outside the domain, enable a warning when a user does so. This allows users to confirm whether this action is the intended one, and reduces the risk of data leaks. Set Drive users' sharing permissions
	Limit file access to recipients only When a user shares a file via a Google product other than Docs or Drive (for example, by pasting a link in Gmail), Access Checker can check that the recipients can access the file. Configure Access Checker for Recipients only. This gives you control over the accessibility of links shared by your users, and reduces the risk of data leaks. Set Drive users' sharing permissions
	Prevent users from publishing on the web Disable file publishing on the web. This reduces the risk of data leaks. Set Drive users' sharing permissions
	Require Google sign-in for external collaborators Require external collaborators to sign in with a Google account. If they don't have a Google account, they can create one at no cost. This reduces the risk of data leaks. Set Drive users' sharing permissions
	Control files stored on shared drives Allow only users in your organization to move files from their shared drives to a Drive location in a different organization. Set Drive users' sharing permissions
	Control content sharing in new shared drives Restrict sharing in new shared drives using the shared drive creation settings. Control sharing in shared drives
Limit local copies of Drive data
	Disable access to offline docs To reduce the risk of data leaks, consider disabling access to offline docs. When docs are accessible offline, a copy of the document is stored locally. If you have a business reason to enable access to offline docs, enable this feature per organizational unit to minimize risk. Control offline use of Docs editors
	Disable desktop access to Drive You can enable desktop access to Drive by deploying the Backup and Sync client or Drive File Stream. The Backup and sync client lets users sync files between their computers and Google Drive. Drive File Stream syncs files from the cloud to a user's local computer. To reduce the risk of data leaks, consider disabling desktop access to Drive. If you decide to enable desktop access, be sure that you enable it only for users with a critical business need. Deploy Backup and Sync \| Turn on sync for your organization \| Compare Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream
Control access to your data by third-party apps
	Don't allow Google Docs add-ons To reduce the risk of data leaks, consider not allowing users to install add-ons for Google Docs from the add-on store. To support a specific business need, you can deploy specific add-ons for Google Docs that are aligned with your organizational policy. Enable add-ons in Google Docs editors

Gmail (Google Workspace only)

Set up authentication and infrastructure
	Validate email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC SPF, DKIM, and DMARC establish an email validation system that uses DNS settings to authenticate, digitally sign, and help prevent spoofing of your domain. Attackers sometimes forge the "From" address on email messages so they appear to come from a user in your domain. To prevent this, you can configure SPF and DKIM on all outbound email streams. Once SPF and DKIM are in place, you can configure a DMARC record to define how Google and other receivers should treat unauthenticated emails purporting to come from your domain. Enhance security for outgoing email (DKIM) \| Authorize email senders with SPF \| Enhance security for forged spam (DMARC)
	Set up inbound email gateways to work with SPF If you use an email gateway to route incoming email, make sure it’s configured properly for Sender Policy Framework (SPF). This avoids negatively impacting spam handling. Set up an inbound mail gateway
	Enforce TLS with your partner domains Require that mail be transmitted using TLS to ensure a secure connection. Configure the TLS setting to require a secure connection for email to (or from) partner domains. Require mail to be transmitted via a secure (TLS) connection
	Require sender authentication for all approved senders Enable the Require sender authentication setting for spam policies. Not requiring sender authentication bypasses the spam folder for approved senders that don't have authentication enabled (such as SPF or DKIM). Disabling this setting reduces the risk of spoofing and phishing/whaling. Learn more about sender authentication. Customize spam filter settings
	Configure MX records for correct mail flow Configure the MX records to point to Google’s mail servers as the highest priority record to ensure correct mail flow to your Google Workspace domain users. This reduces the risk of data deletion (through lost email) and malware threats. Set up MX records for Google Workspace Gmail \| Google Workspace MX records values
Protect users and organizations
	Disable IMAP/POP access IMAP and POP desktop clients let users access Gmail through third-party email clients. Disable POP and IMAP access for any users who don't explicitly need this access. This reduces data leak, data deletion, and data exfiltration risks. It also can reduce the threat of attacks because IMAP clients might not have similar protections to first-party clients. Turn IMAP and POP on and off for users
	Disable automatic forwarding Prevent users from automatically forwarding incoming mail to another address. This reduces the risk of data exfiltration through email forwarding, which is a common technique employed by attackers. Disable automatic forwarding
	Enable comprehensive mail storage The comprehensive mail storage setting ensures that a copy of all sent and received mail in your domain—including mail sent or received by non-Gmail mailboxes—is stored in the associated users' Gmail mailboxes. Enable this setting to ensure mail is stored in Google Vault for all users who enable SMTP relay. This reduces the risk of data deletion by ensuring that a copy of all sent or received messages in your domain—including messages sent or received by non-Gmail mailboxes—is stored in the associated users' Gmail mailboxes. Set up comprehensive mail storage
	Don't bypass spam filters for internal senders Turn off Bypass spam filters for internal senders, because any external addresses added to groups are treated as internal addresses. By turning this setting off, you can make sure all user email is filtered for spam, including mail from internal senders. This reduces the risk of spoofing and phishing/whaling. Customize spam filter settings
	Add spam headers setting to all default routing rules Adding the spam headers setting to all default routing rules helps maximize the filtering capacity of email servers downstream to reduce the risks of spoofing and phishing/whaling. While Gmail automatically filters messages for spam and phishing, checking the Add X-Gm-Spam and X-Gm-Phishy headers box adds these headers to indicate the spam and phishing status of the message. For example, an administrator at a downstream server can use this information to set up rules that handle spam and phishing differently from clean mail. Configure default routing
	Enable enhanced pre-delivery message scanning When Gmail identifies that an email message may be phishing, this setting enables Gmail to perform additional checks on the message. Use enhanced pre-delivery message scanning
	Enable external recipient warnings Gmail detects if an external recipient in an email response is not someone a user interacts with regularly, or isn't present in a user’s Contacts. When you configure this setting, your users receive a warning and an option to dismiss. Configure an external recipient warning
	Enable additional attachment protection Google scans incoming messages to protect against malware, even if the additional malicious attachment protections settings aren't enabled. Turning on additional attachment protection can catch email that previously wasn't identified as malicious. Enhance phishing and malware protection
	Enable additional link and external content protection Google scans incoming messages to protect against malware, even if the additional malicious link and content protections settings aren't enabled. Turning on additional links and external images protection can catch email that previously wasn't identified as phishing. Enhance phishing and malware protection
	Enable additional spoofing protection Google scans incoming messages to protect against spoofing even if additional spoofing protections settings aren't enabled. Turning on additional spoofing and authentication protection can, for example, reduce the risk of spoofing based on similar domain names or employee names. Enhance phishing and malware protection
Security considerations for daily Gmail tasks
	Take care when overriding spam filters Advanced Gmail settings provide detailed control of message delivery and filtering. To avoid an increase in spam, exercise thought and care if you use these settings to override Gmail’s default spam filters. If you add a domain or an email address to the approved senders list, use caution with the “Do not require sender authentication” option, as this may result in bypassing Gmail’s spam filters for senders with no authentication. You can bypass the spam filters for messages sent from specific IP addresses by adding these IP addresses to the email allowlist. Be cautious while adding IP addresses to the allowlist, particularly if you add large ranges of IP addresses via CIDR notation. If you're forwarding messages to your Google Workspace domain via an inbound gateway, add the IP addresses of your inbound gateway to the inbound gateway settings and not the email allowlist. Monitor and tune compliance rules to help prevent spam and phishing. Tailor Gmail settings for an organization
	Don't include domains in the approved senders list You can include domains in your approved senders list. If you configured approved senders, and if you checked Bypass spam filters for messages received from addresses or domains within these approved senders lists, remove any domains from your approved sender list. Excluding domains from the approved senders list reduces the risk of spoofing and phishing/whaling. Customize spam filter settings
	Don't add IP addresses to your allowlist In general, mail sent from IP addresses on your allowlist isn't marked as spam. To take full advantage of the Gmail spam filtering service and for best spam classification results, IP addresses of your mail servers and partner mail servers that are forwarding email to Gmail should be added to an Inbound mail gateway, and not an IP allowlist. Add IP addresses to allow lists in Gmail \| Set up an inbound mail gateway

Google+ (Google Workspace only)

Automatically create Google+ profiles
Disable automatic creation of public Google+ profiles for users in your organization.

Manage Google+ profiles
(See Create Google+ profiles for all users in an organizational unit.)

Control how users share and view Google+ content
Control how users in your organization can share and view Google+ content. For example, you might want to prevent users from creating or interacting with external content.

Manage Google+ content sharing

Groups

	Set up private access to your groups Select the Private setting to limit access to members of your domain. (Group members can still receive email from outside the domain.) This reduces the risk of data leaks. Set Groups for Business sharing options
	Limit group creation to admins Allow only admins to create groups. This reduces the risk of data leaks. Set Groups for Business sharing options
	Customize your group access settings Recommendations: Allow or disable members and messages from outside your domain. Set up message moderation. Set visibility of groups. Perform other actions, according to your company policies. Set who can view, post, and moderate
	Disable some access settings for internal groups The following settings allow anyone on the Internet to join the group, send messages, and view the discussion archives. Disable these settings for internal groups: Public access Also grant this access to anyone on the Internet Also allow anyone on the Internet to post messages Assign access levels to a group
	Enable spam moderation for your groups You can have messages sent to the moderation queue with or without notifying moderators, immediately reject spam messages, or allow the messages to be posted without moderation. Approve or block new posts

Mobile

Use Google endpoint management
	Use Google endpoint management to help control your corporate data Consider how to implement your organization’s mobile device requirements and management policies. At a minimum, use basic mobile management to gain visibility and control over corporate data on iOS and Android. This reduces data leak, malware, and malicious insider risks. Manage devices with Google endpoint management
Control access to apps
	Create allowlists of approved business apps Protect corporate resources from potentially harmful apps by adding apps that you review and approve for business use to your allowlist. Manage apps on iOS devices \| Manage apps on Android devices
	Block apps from unknown sources Retain the default to block non-Play Store apps on Android mobile devices from unknown sources. This reduces data leak, account breach, data exfiltration, data deletion, and malware risks. Apply settings for Android mobile devices
	Enforce app verification Retain the default that allows users to install apps on Android mobile devices only from known sources. This reduces the risk of malware and data leaks. Apply settings for Android mobile devices
	Require managed apps on iOS devices When you add an app to an iOS apps allowlist, you can make it a managed app. This gives you more control of the app and its data on personal iOS devices. File sharing between managed and unmanaged apps isn't allowed. For example, users can't back up data from a managed business app to an external entity such as iCloud. If a user creates a PDF in a managed business app, they can't open it in an unmanaged personal app. Manage apps on iOS devices
Protect accounts and data
	Enforce mobile password requirements Require users to set a password for mobile devices and configure the settings for password strength, expiration, password reuse, locking, and device wipeout. This reduces the risk of data leaks if devices are lost, stolen, or sold. Apply password settings for mobile devices
	Encrypt data on mobile devices To reduce the risk of data leaks when mobile devices are lost, stolen, or sold, encrypt data on Android mobile devices that accept encryption. All iOS devices are encrypted by Apple. Apply advanced settings
	Enable Auto Account Wipe Automatically remove corporate account data from an Android mobile device when a device reaches a specified number of days of inactivity. This reduces the risk of data leaks. Apply settings for Android mobile devices
	Enforce Android work profiles Android work profiles keep personal and corporate data separate. By using integrated device management to enforce the use of work profiles, you can add applications that access corporate data to your allowlist and block installation of apps from unknown sources. Set up Android work profiles
Manage devices
	Block compromised mobile devices Block compromised Android mobile devices. Indications of compromise include the presence of an unlocked bootloader, the use of a custom read-only memory (ROM), or the presence of a superuser binary on the device. Apply advanced settings
	Enable mobile inactivity reports Send monthly reports to super admins for inactive company-owned devices that haven’t synchronized work data in 30 days. Disabling inactive accounts reduces the risk of data leaks. Get a report of inactive company devices
	Block external media storage Prevent users from moving data and apps to and from Android mobile devices. This reduces the risk of data leaks. Apply settings for Android mobile devices
	Disable location history Disable the Location History service to prevent user location history from being saved. Turn additional Google services on or off

Sites (Google Workspace only)

Block sharing sites outside the domain
Block users from sharing sites outside the domain to reduce the risk of data leaks. To support a critical business need, you could enable sharing outside the domain. If you do so, display a warning when users share sites outside the domain.

Set Google Sites sharing options | Set sharing options: classic Sites

Vault (Vault only)

Control, audit, and secure Vault accounts
Make sure accounts with Vault access are carefully controlled and audited.

Understand audits

Treat accounts with Vault access as sensitive
Vault accounts should be treated as elevated access accounts, similar to super admin accounts. Accounts with Vault access should be carefully controlled and audited, and should have 2-Step Verification enforced.

Protect your business with 2-Step Verification | Deploy 2-Step verification

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Security checklist for medium and large businesses (100+ users)

Security best practices

Protect admin accounts

Manage super admin accounts

Manage activity on admin accounts

Prepare for admin account recovery

Enforce multifactor authentication

Protect passwords

Help prevent and remediate compromised accounts

Limit sharing and collaboration outside your domain

Limit local copies of Drive data

Control access to your data by third-party apps

Set up authentication and infrastructure

Protect users and organizations

Security considerations for daily Gmail tasks

Use Google endpoint management

Control access to apps

Protect accounts and data

Manage devices

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