Google has started enforcing two-step verification (2SV) for all Workspace admin accounts. The change is already in effect for some users with the company covering more accounts in the coming weeks. Admins who do not enable 2SV within a stipulated period will be locked out of their accounts.
Google Workspace admin accounts must enable two-step verification
2SV adds an extra layer of protection to your online accounts. It requires you to verify your identity in two separate ways before you can access your account. Along with the password, you have to use a second form of verification via something you have, like your phone or a security key. This prevents unauthorized access even if someone knows your password.
In October 2021, Google announced an initiative to auto-enroll 2SV for its users. Within a few months, more than 150 million Google Account holders and two million YouTube creators had 2SV enabled for their accounts. The company says the initiative led to a massive 50 percent decline in password-based hijacking of Google accounts among those users.
It is now making 2SV mandatory for Workspace admin accounts. “We are committed to protecting the security of our users and are taking additional steps to help customers guard against data compromise and prevent account takeovers,” Google said. “We have begun enforcing 2SV for all admin accounts and will continue this enforcement on an ongoing basis.”
The company will notify super admins via email and in-app notifications 30 days before enforcing 2SV in their domains. Admins can choose to enable 2SV ahead of the forthcoming enforcement. If they don’t, Google will give them another 30 days to do so after the enforcement goes into effect. Admins will receive email and in-app notifications upon signing into their accounts.
If Workspace admins still don’t enable 2SV, Google will lock them out of their accounts. They will then have to go through an administrator account recovery process, which will eventually require them to set up 2SV. “We highly encourage all administrators to turn on 2SV as soon as possible,” the company said in a blog post announcing this 2SV enforcement.
Google has increased the dynamic groups limit to 500
Along with 2SV enforcement, Google has increased the limit on dynamic groups. These are groups “whose membership is managed automatically based on specific criteria, such as a user’s department or location.” The company now lets a user join up to 150 dynamic groups. The previous limit was 100.
“This increase gives admins more flexibility to create dynamic groups as needed and cuts down on manual group management tasks that would otherwise be required,” Google said. Eligible users—Google Workspace Frontline Standard, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus, Enterprise Essentials Plus, and Cloud Identity Premium customers—will receive this update within the next couple of weeks.