In today’s digital landscape, security is more critical than ever, especially in educational environments where safeguarding data and ensuring compliance are top priorities. This article will introduce you to the Google Workspace Security Dashboard, a powerful tool within your Admin console that helps you monitor, analyze, and respond to security-related events across your domain. By the end of this article, you’ll understand what the Security Dashboard is, how to access it, and how to leverage its features to protect your organization.
Google Workspace Security Dashboard Overview
The Google Workspace Security Dashboard is a centralized hub within the Admin console where you can view and manage various security reports related to your domain. This dashboard provides real-time insights into security-related events, allowing administrators to monitor trends and potential threats effectively. By default, each panel on the dashboard displays data from the last seven days, but you can customize the view to cover a range of dates, from a single day up to 180 days. This flexibility helps you tailor the information to meet your specific security needs.
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From the Admin Console: Navigate to Security > Security center > Dashboard.
You can explore the data in detail from the dashboard, export it to Google Sheets or third-party tools, and even launch investigations using the Investigation Tool. This functionality helps you stay proactive in identifying and mitigating security risks. Dashboard reports update every 15 minutes.For more information about each report click here.
Why is Security Important?
In an era where cyber threats like ransomware and data breaches are increasingly common, understanding and managing your organization’s security posture is crucial. The Security Dashboard provides the tools to balance security and user accessibility. While enforcing robust security measures is important, you must also consider user satisfaction and convenience. Striking the right balance ensures that your users can work efficiently without compromising the safety of your organization’s data.
Use Cases for the Security Dashboard
The Security Dashboard offers several key insights that can enhance your organization's security:
- Phishing Email Routing: Track how potential phishing emails are being handled within your domain. The dashboard shows the number of phishing emails that end up in spam, are considered clean, or are routed to users' inboxes.
- OAuth Token Management: Monitor new applications that have been granted OAuth tokens. You can view this data by app, scope, and user, ensuring that only trusted apps can access your domain's resources.
- External File Sharing: Analyze external file-sharing activities within your domain. The dashboard allows you to review sharing events with users outside your domain over a specified period, helping you maintain control over sensitive information.
Tips and Tricks
Maximizing the potential of your Security Dashboard involves a few best practices:
- Customization: Build custom dashboards and add widgets that visualize information specific to your organization’s needs. Admins must base these on log events and searches from the Investigation Tool. For instance, if you frequently conduct a particular investigation, you can turn it into a dashboard widget for easy monitoring.
- Personalized Views: Each admin customizes their dashboard without affecting others in the organization. This feature ensures that your dashboard reflects your specific security concerns while allowing other admins to focus on theirs.
- Proactive Monitoring: Use the dashboard as a launching point for the Investigation Tool to dive deeper into any suspicious activities or trends you identify.
Watch the Video
For a detailed walkthrough of the Security Dashboard and to learn more tips and tricks, watch the video below.
Video: Security Center and Investigation Tool
Resources
Google Workspace security whitepaper
40+ ways to use Google Workspace for Education paid editions
| Document Version | Date | Description of Change |
| 1.0 | 3/18/2024 | Changed Click here link to open in new tab |
| 1.1 | 9/4/2024 | rewrote, updated video, reverify |
| 1.2 | 9/6/2024 | Added link to launch from dashboard and alerts |