GWS/M365 Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 10
Oct 7, 2025
The main benefits I have seen from using Google Vault include the ability to utilize retention rules. Instead of keeping old emails, it is better to flush them off while still following compliance and security standards. If there is a custodian request where we need to export data or keep a hold on a mailbox or drive, this is one of the best functionalities that Google Vault provides to any organization. I rate Google Vault as a product seven out of ten. There are additional features that need to be added to Google Vault. My advice for other organizations considering Google Vault for their environment is to make their product as simple as possible because Google provides a very simple product. It is fully understandable, and they have done quite a good job with their source code. Regarding metrics, I do not currently track any metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of Google Vault but I follow the GWS updates channel, which provides updates related to Google Vault and Google Workspace.
I would recommend Google Vault to others if they need to keep track of all emails, including deletions. Overall, I would rate Google Vault a ten out of ten.
There is no maintenance required for Google Vault. Google Vault would work well when you redirect emails into a journal mailbox account made for the company, which includes all the company emails. If you plan to keep your employees' emails in their own inboxes, then you would need to purchase a license from Google Vault for each inbox, which might make it a costly affair for your business. Depending on whether it is the time to implement or the solution's features that may cost your business more, you can pay extra for Google Vault or a little bit less with MailArchiva and have your email archive hosted separately from Google Workspace. I rate the overall product a seven out of ten.
I will recommend it, but currently, I have some reservations about the product's completeness. I believe there should be improvements based on what I've understood from customer feedback. Right now, Google Vault is good for accessing all the details and counts of emails, but there is room for enhancement. Once those improvements are made, it can be compared favorably with products like Microsoft. Overall, it's a very good product, and I recommend it with some consideration for future improvements. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Support Engineer at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Jun 27, 2023
I use the solution frequently. I use it once every week or once in 15 days. The solution is cloud-based. There is no onboarding process since it is an in-built solution. Microsoft has a very large user base, and most organizations trust it. It is an admin product, so no users are involved in it directly. I will recommend the solution to others. The choice depends on each organization’s requirements. If our data is highly sensitive, we can definitely choose Google. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Personally, when it comes to Google Vault, I would advise small companies to go for Microsoft 365 if the high concern is protection from lawsuits, patents and trademarks. When it comes to other people looking into this solution, I would say to first make sure that their product and solution are the best fit for this type of protection. I'd say if you have a product leaning toward creativity and intellectual property, you definitely need this solution. I would rate this solution as a whole an eight, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.
I would advise others who are using Google Workspace to get to know what's possible and what's not with regard to data backups from the beginning. When purchasing Google Workspace, you should know what your backup options are when it comes to Google Vault, and whether they are adequate, before it's too late. Rather than rushing at the last minute, it's better to get that feature and understand that feature from the get-go. On a cautionary note, Google Vault captures all the data related to your mails, chats, Google Drive, and so on, so if you are sharing any personal or confidential information in chats that you don't want anyone to access, then you should turn off your chat history. I would rate Google Vault an eight out of ten.
One of our recommendations to customers is to really take a look into the articles that Google provides publicly. They can also get access to videos that are really user friendly and helpful. I think right now Google Vault is well structured. It's important to read the requirements because even though the customers may think they have all the requirements, they have to really take a look that the version in their system is always updated. My most important advice is to save all your information, including what's been deleted because once it's gone, it's gone. I would rate this solution a nine out of 10.
Information Technology Manager at Powercomm Construction Inc.
Real User
Jan 31, 2021
My advice is that if you have G Suite, then use Google Vault. It will certainly save you a headache. On the other handle, if you do not have the Google Suite then I would not recommend using it. Early on, when I started using Google Vault, it taught me that it allows for risk mitigation and liability mitigation because you have exact copies of emails sent or documents that are sent out, and you have a paper trail that can be used if need be. I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Before your organization starts using Google Vault Services, make sure that the person that will handle the retention and the solution is very knowledgeable about the product. You need to understand the settings — some are straightforward, others are not. The person who is in charge should be knowledgeable about Google Services as a whole, not just Google Vault. An organization needs retention rules because they apply to every organization. Someone with an IT background would make a good fit. Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Google Vault a rating of ten. It's a very useful solution for a large organization, but it's not very necessary for smaller organizations. If you have a business of 10 to 20 employees, then you definitely need Google Vault. That way, you can restore any lost or deleted information easily.
Google Vault lets you retain, hold, search, and export data to support your organization’s archiving and eDiscovery needs. Vault supports:
Email messages
Chats in classic Hangouts with history turned on and Google Talk chats that are on the record
Google Groups
Files in Google Drive and Team Drives
Conversations in Hangouts Chat
Vault is entirely web-based, so there's no need to install or maintain any software. Vault is included with G Suite Enterprise, Business, Education, or Drive...
The main benefits I have seen from using Google Vault include the ability to utilize retention rules. Instead of keeping old emails, it is better to flush them off while still following compliance and security standards. If there is a custodian request where we need to export data or keep a hold on a mailbox or drive, this is one of the best functionalities that Google Vault provides to any organization. I rate Google Vault as a product seven out of ten. There are additional features that need to be added to Google Vault. My advice for other organizations considering Google Vault for their environment is to make their product as simple as possible because Google provides a very simple product. It is fully understandable, and they have done quite a good job with their source code. Regarding metrics, I do not currently track any metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of Google Vault but I follow the GWS updates channel, which provides updates related to Google Vault and Google Workspace.
I would recommend Google Vault to others if they need to keep track of all emails, including deletions. Overall, I would rate Google Vault a ten out of ten.
There is no maintenance required for Google Vault. Google Vault would work well when you redirect emails into a journal mailbox account made for the company, which includes all the company emails. If you plan to keep your employees' emails in their own inboxes, then you would need to purchase a license from Google Vault for each inbox, which might make it a costly affair for your business. Depending on whether it is the time to implement or the solution's features that may cost your business more, you can pay extra for Google Vault or a little bit less with MailArchiva and have your email archive hosted separately from Google Workspace. I rate the overall product a seven out of ten.
If someone is using Google Workspace, then Google Vault is a great solution for them. Overall, I rate Google Vault a nine out of ten.
I will recommend it, but currently, I have some reservations about the product's completeness. I believe there should be improvements based on what I've understood from customer feedback. Right now, Google Vault is good for accessing all the details and counts of emails, but there is room for enhancement. Once those improvements are made, it can be compared favorably with products like Microsoft. Overall, it's a very good product, and I recommend it with some consideration for future improvements. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
I use the solution frequently. I use it once every week or once in 15 days. The solution is cloud-based. There is no onboarding process since it is an in-built solution. Microsoft has a very large user base, and most organizations trust it. It is an admin product, so no users are involved in it directly. I will recommend the solution to others. The choice depends on each organization’s requirements. If our data is highly sensitive, we can definitely choose Google. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
I rate Google Vault a ten out of ten.
Personally, when it comes to Google Vault, I would advise small companies to go for Microsoft 365 if the high concern is protection from lawsuits, patents and trademarks. When it comes to other people looking into this solution, I would say to first make sure that their product and solution are the best fit for this type of protection. I'd say if you have a product leaning toward creativity and intellectual property, you definitely need this solution. I would rate this solution as a whole an eight, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.
I would advise others who are using Google Workspace to get to know what's possible and what's not with regard to data backups from the beginning. When purchasing Google Workspace, you should know what your backup options are when it comes to Google Vault, and whether they are adequate, before it's too late. Rather than rushing at the last minute, it's better to get that feature and understand that feature from the get-go. On a cautionary note, Google Vault captures all the data related to your mails, chats, Google Drive, and so on, so if you are sharing any personal or confidential information in chats that you don't want anyone to access, then you should turn off your chat history. I would rate Google Vault an eight out of ten.
One of our recommendations to customers is to really take a look into the articles that Google provides publicly. They can also get access to videos that are really user friendly and helpful. I think right now Google Vault is well structured. It's important to read the requirements because even though the customers may think they have all the requirements, they have to really take a look that the version in their system is always updated. My most important advice is to save all your information, including what's been deleted because once it's gone, it's gone. I would rate this solution a nine out of 10.
My advice is that if you have G Suite, then use Google Vault. It will certainly save you a headache. On the other handle, if you do not have the Google Suite then I would not recommend using it. Early on, when I started using Google Vault, it taught me that it allows for risk mitigation and liability mitigation because you have exact copies of emails sent or documents that are sent out, and you have a paper trail that can be used if need be. I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Before your organization starts using Google Vault Services, make sure that the person that will handle the retention and the solution is very knowledgeable about the product. You need to understand the settings — some are straightforward, others are not. The person who is in charge should be knowledgeable about Google Services as a whole, not just Google Vault. An organization needs retention rules because they apply to every organization. Someone with an IT background would make a good fit. Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Google Vault a rating of ten. It's a very useful solution for a large organization, but it's not very necessary for smaller organizations. If you have a business of 10 to 20 employees, then you definitely need Google Vault. That way, you can restore any lost or deleted information easily.