Google’s Advanced Protection Program For High-risk G Suite Users

Google is working on its advanced security which could be more easier for enterprises to focus on their businesses. The tech giant has recently introduced more stringent security measures to Cloud Identity, G Suite and GCP (Google Cloud Platform) enterprise users at the Tokyo edition of Cloud Next ’19 conference. G Suite administrators can now add their high-vulnerability employees to Google’s Advanced Protection Program (APP), which will automatically send warnings of anomalous activities and allow one-click access to third-party apps.

First launched in 2017, APP is now made available for G Suite enterprise customers. This program is designed for users who are prone to cyberattacks, including IT administrators, business senior executives and those from security-sensitive sectors like in government and finance. To safeguard users from any account takeovers or phishing attempts, Advanced Protection Program requires two-step verification from a security key such as Google’s first-party Titan key. It also automatically imposes restrictions on additional apps that are not explicitly approved and trusted by G Suite admins.

Improvements have also been made to the beta version of G Suite Security as well as its alert center. Google has updated the alert center by adding different models in machine learning, which will notify admins of any possible security risks including abnormal download behavior or file-sharing violations. In addition, in the upcoming days, it is bringing password-vaulted applications to Cloud Identity customers.

To expand the scope of APP, Google is bringing its Titan keys to new markets besides the US such as Canada, the UK, France, and Japan. However, the internet giant has recently recalled the Bluetooth versions of the hardware keys after growing concerns with a security vulnerability.

It is security concerns that make Google’s G Suite productivity apps unpopular with large enterprises as compared to Microsoft Office. During the first half of this year, Google rolled out a number of security tools such as a beta version of the APP for G Suite customers. With this effort, the tech giant wants to prove that it pays serious attention to the online security of these high-profile businesses.