As educators, protecting the sanctity of learning spaces extends beyond the physical classroom. Digital learning environments pose their own security challenges and–in the wake of a historically tough year for cyber threats against EDU–K-12 technology teams are quickly working to fortify their defenses.
They’re not the only ones devoted to student/teacher safety and security. Google Workspace for Education comes with many security features baked in to maximize privacy, secure data, and fend off malware. Their approach to security is comprehensive and suited to protect schools of all sizes.
Every day, Google Workspace for Education blocks 100 million phishing attempts. That’s 99.9% of phishing attempts, spam, and malware halted by Gmail’s AI protections. On top of that, Google identifies 30,000 unsafe websites weekly, blocks ads across core services (such as Classroom and Calendar), and supports compliance with FERPA, COPPA,and GDPR. Users own their own data and intellectual property and are safeguarded by strict, built-in privacy standards.
By choosing Google for Education tools, schools can build digital learning environments that are as tough as stone yet fruitful as soil. Creativity, exploration, and collaboration can blossom in the classroom without the looming threat of cyber villainy.
Tailored Security Across Editions
Google Workspace for Education features a combination of behind-the-scenes safety features and hands-on administrator tools that give schools agency in their security practices. Each license tier (Fundamentals, Standard, Teaching & Learning, and Plus) comes with its own assortment of security features.
Education Fundamentals: The Foundation of Digital Security
Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals sets the foundation for digital safety. Despite being offered at no cost, this edition doesn’t skimp on basic security and privacy. It’s built on “rigorous standards for security and compliance,” features built-in protections and security protocols, and includes storage and data retention tools that keep data and intellectual property private.
Gmail’s Automatic Protections:
Keeps your inbox safe by actively blocking over 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts, and malware, ensuring email communications are secure and trustworthy.
Alert Center:
Acts as a centralized dashboard, providing an overview of potential security threats (Phishing and malware, account activity, leaked passwords, ect.) across your domain and enabling prompt actions to mitigate any identified risks.
Identity and Access Management:
Fortifies your security posture with two-factor authentication, single sign-on, and robust password management, tightly controlling access to educational tools.
Data Management and Archival:
Google Drive and Vault collaborate to securely store and manage your institution's data. With 100 TB of pooled cloud storage, it becomes easier to retain, search, and export data, all while applying necessary data loss prevention (DLP) rules
Teaching and Learning Upgrade: Enhanced Security for Enriched Learning
While the Teaching and Learning Upgrade comes packed with premium enhancements designed to elevate the educational experience, it's worth highlighting that the security framework largely mirrors what's established in the Fundamentals edition. This makes it ideal for schools that are satisfied with the basic features, but looking for that extra edge when it comes to enriching and personalizing education, simplifying classroom management, and accommodating flexible teaching and learning settings.
Education Standard: Proactive Protection at Its Best
The Education Standard edition of Google Workspace for Education is where the security features really start to shine. It is a significant upgrade for schools that are serious about their digital security offering a more robust set of tools to help protect against digital threats.
- Security Center, Security Dashboard Reports, and Security Health Page: The security center extends beyond the advanced settings in the Google Admin console, offering comprehensive access to your security data. Security dashboard reports give you informative, customizable reports you can visualize and share security insights with colleagues and stakeholders at your school. You can also monitor the configuration of your Google Admin console settings via the security health page. Additionally, you can use the investigation tool to pinpoint, triage, and address security and privacy concerns within your domain.
- Proactive Security & Instant Alerts: This combo not only proactively squashes cyber threats all while giving you valuable insights in a dashboard view. From monitoring suspicious activities with Google Admin to blocking risky email attachments in a security sandbox before they pose a problem with Gmail, they help to make sure your school stays a step ahead in digital safety.
- Centralized Management for Peace of Mind: Through the Google Admin console, managing access, privacy, and compliance becomes less of a chore. It simplifies how data is stored and accessed, whether you’re aiming for local or global reach. Plus, Google Drive’s settings add an extra layer of protection, controlling file sharing and access with precision.
- Turning Data into Insights: Tools like BigQuery and Looker Studio transform the way schools understand their security and technology usage. By analyzing and visualizing data, they provide a clear view into the effectiveness of your tech setup, empowering better decisions for a safer digital environment.
Education Plus: The Ultimate All-in-One Solution
Google Workspace for Education Plus is an amalgamation of all the editions before it, blending personalized learning with top-notch security benefits. It's the ideal choice for schools aiming to streamline their ed-tech tools into a single powerful solution.
Here’s what makes Google Workspace for Education Plus stand out:
- Unified EdTech Solution: Say goodbye to juggling multiple platforms. Education Plus simplifies your tech landscape and puts it all in one place, making it easier to manage and more secure, all while enhancing the learning experience.
- Robust Security: The statistics speak volumes. With 95% reduction in phishing incidents and $168,000 in savings for schools retiring their old solutions, it's clear how effective this all-in-one edition is at protecting your school’s digital security.
- Proactive Security and Insightful Analytics: Education Plus excels in keeping your school safe and smart. It starts with early threat detection, where everything from Gmail's email attachment scans to the security dashboard works together to quickly identify and neutralize digital threats. Then, it ensures controlled access with detailed policies and Google Drive’s settings to protect sensitive information. On top of this, it leverages BigQuery and Looker Studio, turning data into actionable insights.
Interested in exploring the full range of features across the Google Workspace for Education editions? Download our Google Workspace for Education Edition Comparison Guide to discover the perfect match for your school’s needs.
Get Techy-as-Heck with Trafera
At Trafera, we're about ensuring that this technology fits seamlessly into your educational environment. With a dedicated team ready to assist you every step of the way—from setup and installation to ongoing support and Google Certified professional development, we're here to help. And when it comes to Google Workspace for Education, we've got the expertise to integrate it smoothly into your teaching and learning processes.