Learn how to use Google Workspace Backup

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Complete all prerequisite configurations before backing up Google Workspace.
2. Ensure account permissions and API settings are properly configured.

PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites:

None

OUTLINE

1. Configure Google Drive API

2. Create a Service Account and Key

3. Authorize Domain-Wide Delegation
4. Using Cloud Workspace Backup to Back Up Google Workspace

5. Notes and Reminders

1. Configure Google Drive API

1. Log in to the Google Admin Console (using the domain account you wish to back up: https://admin.google.com/).
2. Go to "Apps" > "Google Workspace" > "Drive and Docs".
   
   
3. Click "Features and Applications", locate "Drive SDK", and check "Allow users to access Google Drive with the Drive SDK API".
   
   
4. Save the settings.

2. Create a Service Account and Key

1. Go to Google Cloud Console (https://console.developers.google.com/) and sign in with a super administrator account.
   
   
2. Create a new project.
   
3. In the new project, go to "Enable APIs & Services" > search for the following services > Enable:
   • Admin SDK API
   • Google People API
   • Gmail API
   • Google Calendar API
   • Google Drive API
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Go to the Google Cloud Console homepage > click IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
   
   
5. Enter a custom Service account name and click "CREATE AND CONTINUE".
   
6. Select "Project > Owner" as the role, skip the optional fields, and complete the setup.
   
   
   
7. After completing the previous step, you will be redirected to the Service Accounts list page. Click the action menu (⋮) on the right > Manage keys > Add key > Create new key > select JSON format. Keep the downloaded file in a safe place.
   
   
   
8. 
9. The key will be saved to your computer. Click Close to exit the dialog.
   
10. Copy the "Unique ID" (Client ID) of the service account. You can paste it temporarily into Notepad, as it will be needed later for authorization settings.
    

3. Authorize Domain-Wide Delegation

1. Return to the Google Admin Console (https://admin.google.com/) and go to "Security" > "Access and data control" > "API controls".
   
2. Click "MANAGE DOMAIN WIDE DELEGATION" > "Add new".
   
   
   
3. Enter the following details:
   • Client ID: Enter the Unique ID copied earlier.
   • OAuth scopes (comma-delimited):
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/admin.directory.user.readonly,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/admin.directory.domain.readonly,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.profile,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/contacts,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/contacts.other.readonly,
     https://mail.google.com/,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar,
     https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.events,
   
   

4. Using Cloud Workspace Backup to Back Up Google Workspace

After completing the required Google Workspace API settings and domain authorization, you can open Cloud Workspace Backup on your ASUSTOR NAS, add a Google Workspace domain, and create a backup task.

Add a Google Workspace Domain

Open Cloud Workspace Backup and select Add to add a Google Workspace domain. Enter a Google Workspace account with administrator privileges, and select the data types you want to back up, including Gmail, Drive, Contacts, Calendar, and Shared drives.

You can also choose to automatically include all users and shared drives, or manually select the users and shared drives to be backed up.

After confirming the settings, click Next to continue.

Enter the Administrator Account and Import the Service Account Key

Next, enter the Domain admin email for an account with Google Workspace administrator privileges, and import the Service Account JSON key file created previously in the Google Cloud Console.

Make sure that the administrator account and Service Account Key are configured correctly, and then click Next to continue.

Note: The Service Account JSON key contains authentication information required to access Google Workspace resources. Store the file securely and do not provide it to unauthorized personnel.

Confirm the Added Google Workspace Domain

After completing the setup, you can view the added Google Workspace domain on the Domains page.

This page displays information such as the domain, administrator account, and number of backup users. You can also manage the domain using the Edit, Backup now, Details, and Remove options at the top.

After confirming that the domain has been added successfully, you can proceed to create a backup task.

Create a New Backup Task

Go to the Tasks page and click New Task to create a new backup task.

First, enter a task name and select the Google Workspace domain to back up. Then, select the data types to be backed up, including:

Gmail

Google Drive

Shared drives

Contacts

Calendar

After completing the settings, click Next to confirm the backup task settings and create the task.


Browse Backed-Up Data

After creating a backup task and completing the backup, you can select the corresponding Google Workspace domain under Domains to view the backed-up data.

Cloud Workspace Backup provides separate tabs for different data types, including Gmail, Drive, Shared drives, Contacts, and Calendar. For example, under Gmail, you can directly browse backed-up email messages and quickly find the data you need using folders, search, and list views.

To perform a backup immediately, you can also click Backup now to manually start the backup.

Select Data and Perform a Restore

When you need to recover lost or deleted data, first select the data you want to restore from the backup, and then click Restore.

In Restore Settings, you can select the restore scope:

Selected: Restores only the currently selected data.

All data of this account: Restores all backed-up data for the selected account.

All data of this domain: Restores all backed-up data for the entire Google Workspace domain.

You can also choose to restore the data to the Original account or, where supported, specify another account as the restore destination.

After confirming the settings, click Next to start the restore process.

View Backup Tasks and Execution Status

After creating a backup task, you can view all backup tasks on the Tasks page, including the associated domain, backup items, start time, elapsed time, and current status.

Under Progress & Schedule, you can view tasks that are currently running or scheduled, while History Tasks lets you review previously executed backup tasks and their results, making it easier for administrators to monitor the overall backup status.

5. Notes and Reminders

• ⚠️ It is recommended to create a dedicated project exclusively for backups to ensure security.
• ⚠️ The JSON key contains authorization credentials for the entire domain. Please store it securely/encrypted and do not share it with others.
• ⚠️ If the setup fails, please verify that the APIs are enabled, the key is properly created, and OAuth scopes are authorized correctly.