Overview
To back up data within a Google domain, you must create and assign a CloudM Backup Policy. This policy defines the configuration for the data types to be backed up and their retention periods.
You can create multiple policies to ensure specific configurations are applied to different sets of users and Shared Drives across your organization.
Backup policies can be assigned to:
- Organizational Units (OUs)
- Smart Teams
- Shared Drives
How to Create a User Backup Policy
Follow these steps to configure a backup policy for user accounts (e.g., Mail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts, Chat).
- Navigate to Backup in the main menu and select Create and Edit Policies.
- Click the Create New Policy button.
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Select Policy Type:
- On the Create Backup Policy screen, choose User backup.
- On the Create Backup Policy screen, choose User backup.
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Enter Policy Details:
- Policy Name: Use a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Marketing Team Backup" rather than "Backup 1") to make future assignment and searching easier.
- Description (Optional): Add details such as custom retention periods or the specific teams/departments this policy applies to.
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Enable the Policy:
- Toggle the Backup Enabled setting to On (orange pill box).
- Note: You can leave a policy disabled (transparent pill box) to assign it now and enable it later. Enabled policies display a green icon in the list view; disabled policies display a red icon.
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Select Data Types:
- Under Item Types, check the boxes for the data you wish to back up (Mail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts, Chat).
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Note: If you see a warning about missing scopes or cannot save your policy, please refer to our guide on Troubleshooting Backup Policy Errors.
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Configure Policy Settings: These settings allow you to override the default connection-level configurations for this specific policy.
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Retention Period: Define how long data is kept when a user leaves or the policy is removed.
- Indefinite retention: Data is never purged from the storage bucket.
- Retain for: Enter a specific number of days. After this period, data is automatically purged. You can set different values for each data type.
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Backup Frequency: Set how often backups occur for each item type.
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File Types: Specify file types to explicitly include or exclude from the backup.
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Retention Period: Define how long data is kept when a user leaves or the policy is removed.
- Click Save to confirm. The new policy will now appear in your policy list.
How to Create a Shared Drive Backup Policy
The process for Shared Drives is similar to creating a user policy but includes settings specific to drive data.
- Navigate to Backup > Create and Edit Policies and click Create New Policy.
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Select Policy Type:
- Choose Shared Drive backup.
- Choose Shared Drive backup.
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Configure Settings:
- Enter a Name and Description.
- Set the Retention Period and Include/Exclude file types.
- Note: Backup Frequency is not configurable for Shared Drives.
- Note: If you are unable to save the policy due to missing permissions, please see Troubleshooting Backup Policy Errors.
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Set as Default (Optional):
- Enable the Set as default policy for new Shared Drives setting if you want this policy to automatically apply to any new Shared Drives discovered in the future.
- Click Save.
Next Up: Assigning Your Policies
Now that you have created your backup policies, the next step is to apply them to your users and data. Policies can be assigned to Organizational Units, Smart Teams, or specific Shared Drives.
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Assign a Backup Policy
- Learn how to activate your backups by assigning policies to the correct entities.
- Understand the hierarchy of policies (e.g., how Smart Team policies take precedence over Organizational Unit policies).
- See how to bulk assign policies to Shared Drives.