Google has lifted the lid on an update to its productivity software suite that will help clear up why users are stuck in their apps.
As explained in a new blog post (opens in a new tab), IT teams that rely on context-aware access functionality to establish granular access control can now provide end users with more information about conditions under which they can use their applications.
Previously, employees who were blocked from accessing Google Workspace services had no choice but to contact IT, but the new tool should increase the likelihood that users will be able to resolve issues on their own.
Hybrid work and identity management
Since the rise of hybrid working, identity and access management has become even more important to businesses, as employees no longer operate exclusively within the relative security of the corporate network perimeter.
The goal is to ensure remote employees can access all the resources they need to work, without creating holes in your security posture that could be exploited by cybercriminals.
As part of this process, many IT departments choose to establish a strict set of conditions that must be met for applications to work as intended, through features such as contextual access.
"Contextual access allows administrators to assign granular access control policies to applications based on attributes such as user identity, location, device security status, IP address, etc," Google explained. "When a user or device does not meet the requirements, they will not be able to access the respective applications."
Until now, the only course of action for employees locked in their apps was to submit a ticket to the IT desk, which Google says creates "unnecessary delays, turnover, and support calls."
However, with the latest Workspace update, IT admins can choose to provide blocked employees with additional context about why they were banned, giving them the information they need to resolve the issue themselves.
The feature is currently rolling out to all premium customers, who should have access to it within the next two weeks. Unfortunately, the new tool will only roll out to customers on the Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Cloud Identity Premium subscription plans at this time.