Appendix A — Google Workspace Account Suspension & Data Archival

Appendix A: Google Workspace Account Suspension & Data Archival #

This appendix documents the standard procedure for suspending a departed employee’s Google Workspace account and archiving their data. OASIS does not have access to Google Vault at the current Workspace tier, so all archival is performed via Google Takeout through the Admin Console.

A.1 Account Suspension #

On the employee’s last day, the Google Workspace account is suspended (not deleted). Suspension immediately blocks sign-in while preserving all data for archival. The account is then renamed using the _former_ prefix convention to clearly indicate its status in the directory.

Procedure #

  1. Navigate to Google Admin Console → Directory → Users.
  2. Locate the departing employee’s account and click to open.
  3. Click “Suspend User” to immediately block access.
  4. Rename the account to: _former_firstname_lastname@oasis-open.org.
  5. If requested by the manager, configure an auto-reply message indicating the employee has left and providing an alternate contact.
  6. If approved, configure email forwarding to the manager or designated successor. Set a forwarding expiration date (recommended: 30 days).
  7. Confirm the account appears as “Suspended” in the Admin Console.

A.2 Drive Data Transfer #

Before archiving, transfer ownership of any business-critical files in the employee’s My Drive to the appropriate successor. This is done through the Admin Console’s data transfer tool, which reassigns file ownership without moving files.

Procedure #

  1. Navigate to Google Admin Console → Directory → Users.
  2. Select the suspended user → click “Transfer data.”
  3. Select “Drive and Docs” as the application.
  4. Enter the destination user (manager or successor).
  5. Initiate the transfer and confirm completion via the Admin log.
**Important:** Drive transfer only moves ownership of files in My Drive. Files in Shared Drives are not affected. Shared Drive permissions should be reviewed separately as part of the Last Day checklist.

A.3 Google Takeout Archival #

Google Takeout is used to export Drive and Gmail data for offline archival. This step preserves a complete copy of the employee’s data independent of the Google Workspace account.

Procedure #

  1. Navigate to Google Admin Console → Directory → Users.
  2. Select the suspended user → open the Data Export tool (or use Google Takeout via the Admin Console).
  3. Select the following services for export:
    • Google Drive (all files and folders)
    • Gmail (all messages and labels)
  4. Select a delivery method. Recommended: download link sent to the IT Director’s account.
  5. Set the export format: .zip for Drive, .mbox for Gmail.
  6. Initiate the export. Large accounts may take 24–72 hours to process.
  7. Once available, download the export files.
  8. Store the export to the designated offline archive media per the Data Retention Schedule.
  9. Log the archival completion in the offboarding record.
**Note:** Calendar data should also be exported if the employee managed shared calendars or had business-critical meetings scheduled. Google Takeout supports Calendar export as `.ics` files.