3 min read

What Is an Archived User in Google Workspace?

When an employee leaves your organization, what happens to their data — the emails, documents, and other files they owned or accessed?

For some users in some companies, it might be as simple as taking down any important information and deleting the account. If their daily correspondences and documents won’t be useful going forward, this might be sufficient. 

However, many businesses, especially those in regulated industries like healthcare or finance, face strict requirements to store and protect former employees' data for extended periods of time. There are also companies and teams who prefer to retain and archive data from former employees for legal, practical, or proprietary reasons of all kinds. 

This creates a challenge. How do you maintain access to former users’ data without unnecessary costs, capacity, or labor? There are costs associated with data storage and management that might feel hefty to pay if you have hundreds or thousands of former employees over time. 

There’s a solution; Google Workspace offers Archived User (AU) licenses. These specialized licenses allow you to retain data without paying for full active accounts, offering a cost-effective solution to long-term storage and compliance. AU licenses ensure your business can preserve important information while staying on budget and in compliance with regulations.

 

What Is an Archived User?

An Archived User (AU) license in Google Workspace is a unique license designed specifically for retaining user data after an employee leaves your organization. Instead of deleting or deactivating the account — which could result in lost emails, documents, or sensitive information — AU licenses allow you to preserve all user data indefinitely without paying for a full license.

These licenses enable businesses to store former employees’ data while ensuring it remains accessible for regulatory purposes. By switching a former employee’s account to an AU license, businesses can reduce the overall cost of maintaining the account, as archived users don’t require full, active Workspace licenses.

This feature becomes crucial in industries like healthcare, legal, and financial services, where retaining past data isn’t optional. With AU licenses, your organization can continue to meet compliance needs without ballooning licensing costs.

 

Why Archived User Licenses Matter 

Archived User (AU) licenses play a critical role in managing data retention, especially for businesses bound by strict compliance regulations like HIPAA, SOX, or GDPR. In these industries, failure to properly store and manage former employees' data can result in significant penalties, data loss, or breaches of trust.

Data from ex-employees may still hold valuable insights, intellectual property, or legal significance. Deleting or improperly handling it could put your organization at risk of legal action or costly data recovery efforts. AU licenses provide an efficient way to avoid these risks while ensuring that your data remains secure and retrievable.

By implementing AU licenses, you can cut down on the need to maintain full licenses for inactive employees. This helps businesses maintain compliance without overwhelming costs or administrative burdens, ensuring data remains accessible and protected as long as necessary.

 

Tips for Managing Archived Users 

Effectively managing your Archived User licenses can help you reduce costs and ensure data compliance across your organization. Here are some tips to make the process easier:

1. Automate the Transition to Archived Status

As soon as an employee leaves, set up an automated process to convert their account to an Archived User. This ensures no data is lost in the transition and eliminates the chance of overlooking a critical account.

2. Regularly Review Archived Accounts

Keep track of the data stored under Archived User licenses and periodically review your organization's archiving needs. Ensure that the archived data still aligns with compliance requirements and that you're not retaining unnecessary accounts, which can add to storage costs.

3. Use Reporting Tools

Google Workspace provides reporting and auditing tools that help you track archived data and usage. Leverage these reports to monitor how much data you're storing and identify any opportunities to optimize your storage strategies.

 

Recommended: Leverage CloudM’s Archive Solution

CloudM’s Archive solution provides businesses with advanced tools to retain former employees' data while minimizing the cost of full licenses. It simplifies the archiving process by automating the transition of users and managing retention schedules.

Additionally, it offers features that reduce the need for manual oversight, giving businesses a hands-off approach to data retention. This helps ensure long-term compliance while keeping operational costs low.

 

The Takeaway

Proper management of Archived User licenses helps your business stay compliant and cut costs. Our partner CloudM’s Archive solution simplifies this process, allowing efficient storage of former employee data.

CloudM automates user transitions to archived status, which reduces licensing expenses and manual effort. Its tools manage retention schedules and data, ensuring compliance while freeing your IT team to focus on higher-priority tasks.

Consider the advantages of AU licenses combined with CloudM’s solutions for secure and compliant data management without unnecessary overhead. For more information about AU licenses or how CloudM can enhance your data retention strategies, contact Promevo today!

 

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