Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Control access to G Suite apps and services using groups

We’re adding the ability to use Google Groups to control access to G Suite apps and additional Google services within your organization. This provides admins a simple and specific way to make sure the right users have access to the right apps.

This feature was developed based on specific customer requests for more flexible and granular access controls for apps and services. Currently access can only be configured at the Organizational Unit (OU) level. Groups will make it possible to control access by other organizational elements. Customers told us they wanted to be able to turn on apps or services for groups including:

  • Departments or job functions 
  • Project teams 
  • Specific seniority levels 
  • Different geographic locations 
  • Different companies within a wider organization 

Use groups to ensure users have access to apps and services 

Group controls are only additive--they can add access to users who don’t already have access to apps, but they can’t take away access from users that currently have access through a domain or OU level setting.

That means it’s best used to complement your current OU and organizational settings to make sure a specific group has access to an app.

Get started using Groups to turn on apps and services 

To get started, go to the Admin Console > Apps > G Suite or Additional Google services. You can then:
  • Search for and select a group in the left hand panel 
  • Select services individually (by hovering) or in bulk (using the check boxes) 
  • Turn services on or off for the specific group 


You can only select groups which were created by an admin for the organization--you can’t use user-created groups as part of this feature. You may see a notification, pictured below, which tells you about the new feature.



The following admin permissions are needed to access this feature:
  • View all groups 
  • Manage G Suite apps and Additional Google services at the root OU 


See our Help Center for more details on how to control access to G Suite and Google services with groups.

Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release 

Editions: 
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
Admins only

Action: 
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Control access to G Suite and Google services with groups



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