Email encryption is an essential aspect of securing your communication channels. Google Workspace offers a reliable email encryption solution that allows you to secure your emails with ease.
Step-by-step guide on how to activate email encryption in Google Workspace.
Step 1:
Turn on Hosted S/MIME in your Google Admin console To activate email encryption in Google Workspace, you need to first turn on Hosted S/MIME in your Google Admin console. Here’s how to do it:
1.1 Sign in to your Google Admin console using an administrator account.
1.2 From the Admin console, go to Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > User settings.
1.3 Under the Organizations section, select the domain or organization you want to configure.
1.4 Scroll down to the S/MIME setting and check the “Enable S/MIME encryption for sending and receiving emails” box.
1.5 (Optional) If you want to let users upload certificates, check the “Allow users to upload their own certificates” box.
1.6 (Optional additional controls) If you want to upload and manage root certificates, use the S/MIME trusted certificates controls. Click “Add” next to “Accept these additional Root Certificates for specific domains“. Then, click “Upload Root Certificate“, browse to select the certificate file, and click “Open“. Under “Encryption level“, select the encryption level to use with this certificate. Under “Address list“, enter at least one domain that will use the root certificate when communicating. Click “Save” and repeat for additional certificate chains.
1.7 (Optional) Check the “Allow SHA-1 globally (not recommended)” box only if your domain or organization must use Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA-1).
1.8 Click “Save“. Changes may take up to 24 hours but typically happen more quickly. Messages sent during this time aren’t encrypted.
Step 2:
Have your Users Reload Gmail After enabling Hosted S/MIME in your Google Admin console, instruct your users to reload Gmail. Once reloaded, a lock icon will appear in the Subject line of email messages. If the message is encrypted with Hosted S/MIME, the lock icon will be green.
Step 3:
To utilize Hosted S/MIME encryption, you must upload S/MIME end-user certificates to Gmail. The certificate should meet current cryptographic standards and use the Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) #12 archive file format. Here’s how to upload certificates:
3.1 Go to Gmail and select “Settings” (gear icon) > “See all settings” > “Accounts“.
3.2 Next to “Send mail as“, select “Edit info“.
3.3 Click “Upload a personal certificate“.
3.4 Select the certificate and click “Open“. You’ll be prompted to enter a password for the certificate.
3.5 Enter the password and click “Add certificate“.
Step 4:
Have your Users Exchange Keys To start exchanging S/MIME messages, your users need to exchange keys with message recipients. There are two ways to do this:
4.1 Send a S/MIME signed message to recipients. The message is digitally signed and includes the user’s public key. Recipients can use this public key to encrypt messages they send to the user.
4.2 Ask recipients to send them a message. Upon receiving the message, S/MIME signs it, and automatically stores and makes the key available. Subsequently, S/MIME encrypts any messages sent to the recipient.
Override Sub-Organization SMIME Settings By default, organizational units inherit SMIME settings from the top-level organizational unit. You can optionally override the inherited SMIME settings for organizational units.
In conclusion, activating email encryption in Google Workspace can significantly help protect your organization’s sensitive information from unauthorized access. Moreover, by following the step-by-step guide outlined in this article, you can easily enable S/MIME encryption for sending and receiving emails in your Google Workspace account. Furthermore, taking these necessary precautions can provide a secure environment for your communication needs. Therefore, don’t wait any longer, and take the necessary steps to safeguard your organization’s confidential data by activating email encryption in Google Workspace.
However, it’s important to note that this feature is currently only available in Google Workspace Enterprise plans. Click the link below to visit our Google Workspace pricing page if you’re interested in upgrading to this plan and taking advantage of email encryption and other advanced features.
Visit our Google Workspace pricing to learn more about our Enterprise plans and start protecting your organization’s data today.
