Using Google Groups with Google Postini services
Saturday, February 27, 2010 10:44For customers using Google Groups with Postini we recommend a few admin tips …
You can use Google Groups for Enterprise with a Postini service. However, if you’re using the standalone version of a Postini service (rather than the integrated version), you may need to make a few configuration changes to the Postini service.
If you’re not sure which version you have, log into you admin control panel for Google Apps. If you see the link Postini Services (active), you’re set up with the integrated version.
Google Groups and integrated Postini Services
If you are using Message Security for Google Apps, a version of Postini services that integrates with Google Apps, you don’t need to make any configuration changes to use Google Groups. Any groups that you create on Google Apps automatically synchronize with the Postini service so they receive spam and virus protection. New groups in Google Apps are added to the Postini service after about 15 minutes. If the user-managed groups service is enabled, this synchronization also applies to groups that users create.To prevent your Postini service from sending quarantine notifications to a group’s entire members list, Google Apps adds your groups to the Postini service as aliases to your Google Apps/Postini administrator account. To see the aliases for your administrator account, log in to your Postini service, click Orgs and Users > Users, and then click the Aliases check box.
If you’re also using Message Discovery for Google Apps (a message archiving service):
- All messages sent to groups are automatically archived for each group member who has an account in your Google Apps domain.
- Because groups are added to your Postini service as aliases to your Google Apps/Postini administrator account, the administrator can view the message archives for any members of groups.
Google Groups and standalone Google Message Security
Google Apps doesn’t automatically synchronize group addresses with the standalone Message Security (or Google Message Discovery) service. Therefore, you might need to configure your service to ensure that:
- Messages are delivered to groups
- Policies are applied to messages sent to groups
- Groups receive spam protection
The recommended configuration depends on whether the user-managed groups service is enabled.
If the user-managed groups service is enabled:
Message delivery: If you allow users to create their own groups and you don’t want to add them manually to Message Security, we recommend the following configuration:
Turn off Non-Account Bouncing and ensure that Non-Account Virus Blocking is turned on. This configuration allows people outside your domain to send messages to groups that aren’t added to your Message Security service, and filters the messages for viruses. You’ll find these settings in the Message Security Administration Console, on the General Settings page for the organization that contains your users.
If you don’t allow users to create groups that accept messages from people outside your domain, you can leave Non-Account Bouncing on. Users can still use their groups for internal-only communication, as discussion forums, and to share content.
Policies: With this configuration, you won’t add groups that users create to your Message Security service; therefore, any inbound or outbound policies you created on your Message Security service won’t be applied to user-created groups.
Spam protection: Groups that you don’t add to your Message Security service won’t receive spam protection. Optionally, you can add just those groups that accept external messages to your Message Security service.
If the user-managed groups service is not enabled:
Message delivery: In this case, only administrators can create groups, so we recommend that you add any new groups you create to your Message Security service.
Spam protection: Any groups you add to your Message Security service receive spam protection from external senders.
Policies: If you created inbound or outbound attachment and content policies, your Message Security service applies them to messages sent to groups that you add to the Message Security service.
If you add groups to your Message Security service:
We strongly recommend that you always add groups as aliases to the appropriate users (such as group owners) on your Message Security service. That way, your Message Security service won’t send welcome or quarantine notifications to a group’s entire members list.
About archiving and groups:
If you’re using Google Message Discovery (which includes a message archiving service), all messages sent to groups are automatically archived for each group member who has an account in your Google Apps domain.
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