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- eDiscovery vs retention rules in Google Vault vs SysCloud backup
Google Vault eDiscovery vs. Retention Rule vs. SysCloud’s Backup for Google Workspace
11 Apr 2025
5 min read
Gopika
Article at a glance
Google Vault's retention policy feature is essential but comes with limitations that could result in data loss:
- Google Vault's retention policy feature is essential but comes with limitations that could result in data loss.
- Relying on Google Vault as a backup solution is risky due to its export-only recovery, limited app support, and lack of restoration capabilities after data is permanently deleted.
eDiscovery holds and retention rules available in Google Vault help businesses preserve critical data across supported Google Workspace services. However, these tools should not be confused with the backup, restore, and broader data recovery capabilities provided by a third-party solution like SysCloud.
Below is a table comparing eDiscovery and retention rules in Google Vault with SysCloud backup.
eDiscovery and retention rules in Google Vault vs. SysCloud backup for Google Workspace
| eDiscovery Using Vault | Retention Rules Using Vault | SysCloud Backup | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Use case | |||||
eDiscovery in Google Vault allows administrators to search, place legal holds, and export data from supported Google Workspace services for legal and compliance use. Saved queries can be reused for recurring investigations. | Retention rules in Google Vault (default or custom) help organizations preserve or delete data in supported Google Workspace services. Rules can be scoped to organizational units, accounts, or groups. | SysCloud backup for Google Workspace automatically backs up all business data up to three times a day. | |||
License requirement | |||||
Google Vault (eDiscovery and retention features) is available with the following licenses:
Education Fundamentals customers can purchase Vault as an add-on. Legacy G Suite editions with Vault enabled still retain access. | Same as eDiscovery – no separate license needed. | Organizations can access SysCloud backup by purchasing the SysCloud backup for Google Workspace license for its users. | |||
Services covered | |||||
Google Vault eDiscovery covers Gmail, Google Drive (including Shared Drives), Google Groups, Google Chat (direct messages, group messages, and spaces), Google Meet (recordings and transcripts), and Google Sites (HTML exports). Contacts and Calendar are not supported. | Organizations can apply retention rules to Gmail, Google Drive, Shared Drives, Google Groups, Google Chat, Google Sites, and Google Meet content. Retention rules do not apply to Google Contacts or Calendar. | SysCloud backup is available for Google Workspace secure Gmail, Google Drive, Contacts, Calendar, and Shared Drive. | |||
Show more | |||||
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In this article
- eDiscovery vs retention rules in Google Vault vs SysCloud backup
