Why Google Vault is Not a Backup Option?

Google Vault is an in-built data archival and eDiscovery tool that enables Google users to retain, store, search, and export emails, chats, files within Google Drives (individual and Team), and Google Group files. This archival tool is not designed as a backup and recovery solution. It does not offer a point-in-time recovery facility and thereby cannot be used to recover your lost or corrupted Google data.

What does Google Vault not do?

Not a backup and recovery solution

Even though Google Vault is a good data archiving tool, it is not designed as a backup solution. It has limited export capability and does not have the feature to backup dynamically changing data. Moreover, according to Google Vault help files, any hold on files or emails may take up to 3 hours before it takes effect and once the files are put on hold, only the latest version of the documents are retained and the previous versions are removed. After expiry of the hold period, it may take up to 15 days before the records are removed.

Entire Google Workspace data is not stored

Gmail, Hangouts chat, Google Talk chat, Groups, and Google Drive (including Team Drives are only archived. Google Calendar, Contacts, and Shared Drive data is not archived by Google Vault. For employees whose chat histories have been turned off by the administrator of their Google Workspace account are not being saved within the Vault. Also, employees have the option to turn off their Google Chat records to prevent chat information from getting saved in the Vault storage. Administrators, however, cannot compel their employees to record all their Google Chats.

No point-in-time data recovery

A reliable backup solution should have quick, seamless, and accurate restore capabilities. Even though Google Vault allows long-term retention of certain data, unlike a comprehensive backup and recovery solution it does not run regular backups every day. As the changes made to a stored file are not backed up on a regular basis, the stored data is often outdated. Moreover, with no point-in-time versions, the data available is prone to a single point of loss. In case of any corruption or deletion, there is no additional copy available to retrieve data.

Exporting data is complex and cumbersome

Only the administrator of the account has the right to export data from Google Vault. Moreover, the process of exporting data is complex and involves multiple steps. In case you want to export an email, you need to take out the file from Google Vault to a computer and then put back the email into the email program via a third-party tool.

Does not retain data of inactive accounts

Once an employee account is deleted from your Google Workspace, the information saved within their Google Vault is also deleted, even if there is a hold on the account. Thus, the Administrators need to safely transfer important files from the Google Vault to another backup platform before deleting an account.

IDrive^® Google Workspace Backup as a comprehensive Backup and Recovery Solution

Since Google Vault lacks indispensable features of a comprehensive backup tool, the files stored in Google Vault need regular backup and should not be relied upon for long-time data retention as it only stores certain active documents. Having your data archived in the Vault does not protect it from loss or damage.

Switch to IDrive^® Google Workspace Backup with point-in-time restore capabilities to safeguard all types of data in your Google Workspace account by automatically backing them up 3 times a day. All your Google apps data including Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts, and Classroom will be secured from accidental deletion and malicious loss with daily incremental backups and quick granular and snapshot-based version restores.