Google Meet getting Client-side encryption, Jira coming to Chat, & more from Workspace at Cloud Next ’21

Cloud Next is Google Cloud’s annual conference for enterprise customers and developers, and this year’s virtual edition is kicking off later today at 9 a.m. PT. Google Workspace announcements at Cloud Next ‘21 are primarily centered on security.

Following the beta introduction of Client-side encryption for Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides in June, CSE is now coming to Google Meet. This lets companies control encryption keys so that “customer data is indecipherable to Google,” and fulfill data sovereignty or compliance requirements. Meanwhile, customers can now directly manage their encryption keys in-house with the beta version of Key Access Service Public APIs. A third-party partner (Flowcrypt, Futurex, Thales, or Virtru) was previously required. 

All this still allows end users to still use modern web apps, like Meet, while Google previously said it plans to bring Client-side encryption to Gmail and Calendar.

Meanwhile, Google Docs now warns users about opening suspicious/dangerous files. Similar to Gmail protections against malware, phishing, and ransomware, Sheets and Slides is also set to get this capability in the future. 

Another Workspace safety announcement at Cloud Next’ 21 includes the beta release of Data Loss Prevention (DLP) in Chat to “enable the power of spontaneous conversation between individuals and teams, while preventing sensitive and confidential information from leaving your organization.” Similarly, Google Drive labels are now generally available to classify files based on sensitivity level.

Outside of security, Workspace announced a new Jira integration for Google Chat and Spaces. This comes as 4.8 billion apps have been installed “in” Workspace, which still touts over 3 billion users. 

This integration enables users to create new tickets quickly, see actionable previews, and monitor issues as they come into the space they’re already using for collaboration.

Lastly, Google AppSheet is integrating with Gmail:

This new integration allows anyone—regardless of their coding experience—to reclaim time with custom, no-code apps and automations. Budgets and vacation requests can be approved, inventories and asset management systems can be updated, and much more—all with AppSheet and directly from your inbox.