A guide to Google Workspace for students | ManagedMethods
Google Workspace exists to “Empower educators with tools to transform education.” It’s one of the foremost technologies that has played a pivotal role in transforming classrooms over the past decade.
As we look forward to the tomorrow of education technology (EdTech), Google Workspace is positioned to continue playing a central part. Read on to learn why more than 150 million students and educators choose Google Workspace. Plus, we’ll look into the potential risks it presents to schools and how your institution can effectively mitigate them.
What is Google Workspace?
Google Workspace is a collection of cloud-based productivity and collaboration applications, developed by Google. It includes tools commonly used for everyday purposes, from Gmail and Google Calendar to Groups, Sites, and Drive. For classroom environments specifically, Google highlights the following education tools offered by Google Workspace:
- Gemini, a generative AI model
On Gemini, Google says it’s “an AI assistant across Google Workspace for Education that helps you save time, create captivating learning experiences, and inspire fresh ideas — all in a private and secure environment.”
K-12 schools adopt some or all of Google’s tools for teaching and learning to offer greater access to educational materials, facilitate collaboration among students and teachers, enhance communication with parents, and ultimately open the door to improved learning outcomes.
Risks and Benefits of Google Workspace
While Google Workspace offers a range of upsides, there are several risks for every school district to be aware of. These risks aren’t necessarily due to the fault of the technology itself, but instead how it’s used and configured.
Particularly on the cybersecurity side, schools are among the most vulnerable, highly targeted groups. The average cyberattack in the education sector costs $3.65m, according to IBM. Even beyond sole financial risks, cyber breaches open the door to reputational, operational, and legal costs.
ManagedMethods Solutions
Schools trust ManagedMethods for its next-generation, cloud-based content filtering and Google Workspace monitoring solutions — relied on by schools across the United States for safeguarding their Google Workspace usage. Specifically, through its suite of solutions, ManagedMethods offers schools:
- Content Filter: A cloud-based filtering solution
ManagedMethods’ suite of solutions includes Content Filter, Cloud Monitoring, and soon-to-be-released Classroom Manager.
Content Filter is a cloud-based filtering solution that can be easily deployed and seamlessly integrates with your existing network infrastructure to manage and control internet access. It equips administrators with robust tools to configure filtering rules, monitor web traffic in real-time, and generate comprehensive usage reports.
Cloud Monitor is a state-of-the-art cloud security platform that seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, providing continuous monitoring and advanced threat detection. It empowers administrators to efficiently manage access controls, oversee user activities in real time, and enforce robust security policies across a diverse range of cloud applications.
Enhancing Classroom Security with ManagedMethods
To further enhance classroom security and safety, ManagedMethods is excited to announce the upcoming launch of Classroom Manager, a cutting-edge software solution designed specifically for K-12 schools.
Conclusion
Trusted by over 2 billion active monthly users, including government agencies, financial institutions, educational organizations, and other entities that regularly handle sensitive data, Google Drive is a largely dependable platform for storing and managing student data.
