Google Workspace
Google Workspace security basics for small businesses.
Small teams do not need a complicated security programme to make meaningful progress. They do need to make the few high-impact ownership and access decisions intentionally.
Updated September 2026 · Cyber Bounds Inc.
Start with the people who can control everything
Administrator accounts can create users, reset passwords, access services, and change security settings. Keep the number of super administrators small, know who they are, and avoid using a shared generic admin account for routine work. Each administrator should have a unique account with multi-factor authentication enabled.
Document an emergency recovery path that does not depend on one person’s phone or personal email address. A business should not lose access to its domain, mail, or files because one employee leaves unexpectedly.
Make account lifecycle a repeatable process
Every new staff member needs the right access, not every possible access. Every departing staff member needs a defined offboarding process: suspend the account, transfer or preserve business data where appropriate, remove group access, review forwarding, and update any shared credentials or vendor access they owned.
Review sharing and third-party access
Google Drive is useful because it makes sharing easy. That same convenience can create accidental exposure. Review external sharing settings, shared-drive ownership, and third-party applications with access to company data. Restrict what is unnecessary without stopping normal business collaboration.
Protect business email as part of the workspace
Enable DKIM for the domain, publish appropriate SPF and DMARC records, and review forwarding and delegation. Email security and Workspace administration are connected: an unauthorized forwarding rule or a weak recovery path can undermine otherwise good email controls.
A practical quarterly check
- Review administrator roles and dormant accounts.
- Confirm multi-factor authentication is enforced where appropriate.
- Review unfamiliar forwarding, delegation, and third-party app access.
- Check that domain and recovery contacts are current.
- Make sure offboarding steps are still being followed.
When to get support
Bring in help for a new Workspace rollout, an inherited tenant with unclear ownership, a migration, a suspected account issue, or a security clean-up that affects multiple staff members. Google Workspace support can turn an intimidating admin console into a short, prioritized plan.