Standard archiving happens through CloudM Automate offboarding workflows. Sometimes you need to bulk migrate legacy user data, or move data from another storage provider to Google Cloud Storage. CloudM Migrate handles that bulk movement, and the Archive data import page lets you import the data so it is indexed and can be restored later.
The offboarding workflow archives users one at a time and suits day-to-day leavers. Use data import for large projects where hundreds or thousands of users need archiving straight away. This is especially useful ahead of a Google Workspace renewal: archiving users at scale before the renewal date reduces your licence seat count.
Licensing and preparation
- Bulk migrations need CloudM Migrate licences. To get these for your project, contact your CloudM Account Manager or the Sales team.
- Complete the migration to the storage bucket before you start an import in CloudM Automate. Follow the technical requirements in Migrating from and to Google Cloud Storage.
You cannot import users from an external domain into Archive.
Step 1: Migrate data to the storage bucket
Using CloudM Migrate, run your bulk migration from the source environment into your Google Cloud Storage bucket. Make sure the data has landed and that the bucket permissions allow CloudM Automate access.
Step 2: Connect the storage bucket in Archive
- In CloudM Automate, go to Archive > Storage Configuration.
- Click Add storage bucket.
- Enter the settings for the bucket that holds your bulk-migrated data.
- Test the connection. If the credentials do not match the bucket name, correct them before you continue.
- Save the bucket.
- Check the retention periods for Mail, Drive and Chat on the same page, and click Edit retention to change them. Choose indefinite retention if you do not want imported data purged automatically.
For the full steps, see Connect your Google Cloud Storage bucket to Archive and How to set the retention policy.
Step 3: Refresh the list of users
- Go to Archive > Data Import from CloudM Migrate.
- Select the bucket that holds the migrated data.
- Refresh the list to fetch the migrated users from the bucket's metadata. The page shows the users ready to import.
You cannot start other tasks while the list is being refreshed.
Step 4: Import the users
You can import everyone at once, or only the users you select.
| Method | What to do |
|---|---|
| Import everyone | Use the import all option and confirm. This is resource-intensive, and you cannot refresh the list while it runs. |
| Import selected users | Select the checkbox next to each email address, then import the selection. Users already in the queue or already imported cannot be selected again. |
Monitor progress
View the history of past imports to track each user's status:
- Not Imported: in the queue.
- Preparing: identifying the data to import.
- Importing: moving into Archive.
- Completed or Failed: final states. Failed users show a Retry button.
Once an import has finished, the users can be restored from Archive > Restoration. See How to restore archived data.