Template
Google Workspace disaster recovery plan template
A Google Workspace disaster recovery plan states a recovery point objective and a recovery time objective, then proves both against 4 loss scenarios. Google's own retention covers infrastructure failure; it does not cover a user or an attacker deliberately deleting data and emptying the trash.
Last checked · template reviewed against the current admin console · See what changed
| Objectives defined | Recovery point and recovery time, per data class |
|---|---|
| Loss scenarios tested | 4: accidental, malicious, ransomware, departure |
| Native windows quoted | Deleted user 20 days, trashed Drive file 25 days |
| Rehearsal cadence | Restore test every 6 months, logged |
| Roles named | Recovery lead, data owner, approver |
| Format | Plain text, adopt or adapt freely |
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Free to use and adapt, including commercially. Every bracketed placeholder is meant to be replaced before the document is adopted.
Disaster recovery plan — plain text
GOOGLE WORKSPACE DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN
Organisation: [ORGANISATION] Owner: [NAME, ROLE]
Approved: [DATE] Next restore test: [DATE]
1. OBJECTIVES
Data class: [Mail] RPO: [24h] RTO: [8h]
Data class: [Shared drives] RPO: [24h] RTO: [4h]
Data class: [Finance records] RPO: [1h] RTO: [2h]
An objective without a rehearsed restore behind it is an aspiration.
2. WHAT GOOGLE COVERS AND WHAT IT DOES NOT
Covered by the platform: hardware failure, datacentre loss,
regional outage.
NOT covered: deletion by a user with valid credentials, deletion by an
attacker using a compromised account, ransomware encrypting files
that then sync, data lost after a leaver's account is removed.
3. NATIVE RECOVERY WINDOWS
Deleted user: restorable from the admin console for 20 days.
Trashed Drive file: restorable from the admin console for 25 days.
Drive version history: [retention as configured].
Vault: only preserves what a retention rule or hold covered BEFORE
the loss occurred.
4. INDEPENDENT RECOVERY
Backup provider: [PROVIDER] Scope: [Mail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts]
Frequency: [DAILY] Retention: [X MONTHS]
Immutability / delete protection: [YES/NO]
Restore credentials held by: [NAME], stored in [LOCATION].
5. SCENARIO PROCEDURES
5.1 Accidental deletion, within the native window
- Admin console > Users > restore, or Drive > Manage trash.
5.2 Malicious deletion by a credentialed user
- Suspend the account and reset sign-in cookies first.
- Restore from [PROVIDER] to a point before the deletion.
- Preserve the audit log export as evidence.
5.3 Ransomware on synced files
- Disconnect the endpoint. Do not delete the cloud copies.
- Restore from version history or [PROVIDER] to [TIMESTAMP].
5.4 Data lost with a departed account
- Restore from the Archived User licence or [PROVIDER].
6. RESTORE TEST
Every [6] months, restore [SAMPLE SET] to a test account and record:
date, who ran it, elapsed time, whether the RTO was met, what failed.
Last test: [DATE] Elapsed: [TIME] Result: [PASS/FAIL]
7. COMMUNICATION DURING RECOVERY
Who declares: [NAME]. Who updates staff: [NAME]. Interval: [HOURLY].
8. DEPENDENCIES
[LIST SYSTEMS THAT BREAK IF WORKSPACE DATA IS UNAVAILABLE]
9. REVIEW
Reviewed [ANNUALLY] and after every restore test or real recovery.Separate availability from recoverability
The most common error in Workspace disaster recovery planning is treating the platform's reliability as the answer. Google runs the infrastructure to a standard almost no organisation could match, and that is genuinely a solved problem. It is also not the problem. The recoveries organisations actually request involve data removed by somebody holding valid credentials.
Once that distinction is written down, the rest of the plan follows. Section 2 of the template exists purely to make it explicit, because a board that believes the platform's uptime figure is a backup strategy will not fund anything further.
Objectives are only real once a restore has been timed
A recovery time objective of four hours means nothing until somebody has restored a representative data set and measured how long it took. In practice the first rehearsal usually reveals two things: the restore takes considerably longer than assumed, and the person who holds the restore credentials is on leave.
The template therefore builds the rehearsal into the document rather than leaving it as an intention. Recording the date, the elapsed time and what failed converts the plan from a claim into evidence, which is precisely what an insurer or a client's procurement team is looking for.
- State a recovery point and recovery time per data class, not one figure for everything
- Write down what the platform does not cover, in plain terms
- Record who holds restore credentials and where they are stored
- Rehearse every six months and log the elapsed time
- Re-test after any change of backup provider or scope
Where Vault fits, and where it does not
Vault preserves data covered by a retention rule or a hold that existed before the loss. It is not a restore tool applied after the fact, and it does not reach data that fell outside its rules. Treating it as a backup is the single most expensive misunderstanding in Workspace recovery planning.
The workable arrangement is to use Vault for retention and legal hold, native windows for routine accidental deletion inside 20 to 25 days, and an independent recovery point for everything else. The template lays those three out separately so nobody assumes one covers the others.
What we see that others don't say
Google's availability guarantee and a backup are answers to different questions: the platform being up does not help when the data that is missing was deleted by someone holding valid credentials, which is the loss scenario that accounts for most real recovery requests in Workspace tenants.
What this doesn't cover
- This is a planning template, not a backup product. It does not create recovery points on its own.
- Recovery objectives must be set by the business against real tolerance for loss, not copied from the bracketed examples.
- Third-party backup vendor capabilities differ substantially; verify immutability and delete-protection claims directly with the vendor.
- Native retention windows are Google's published values as at the date shown and can change.
Want this done for you?
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Prefer to talk? Call +44 20 7183 3436 (Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00 GMT), or message WhatsApp +44 7403 423563.
Questions we get asked
- Does Google Workspace need a separate backup?
- Google covers infrastructure failure. It does not cover deletion by a user with valid credentials, which is the scenario behind most real recovery requests, so an independent recovery point is what a disaster recovery plan turns on.
- Is Google Vault a backup?
- No. Vault preserves data covered by a retention rule or hold that existed before the loss. It cannot recover data that fell outside those rules, and it is not applied retrospectively.
- How often should a restore be tested?
- Every six months, with the date, elapsed time and outcome recorded. The first rehearsal typically reveals that the restore is slower than assumed and that credential custody is unclear.
How this page is verified
Reviewed by Workspace Migration Services security desk, Workspace security and compliance reviewers. Last checked .
- Native restore windows of 20 days for a deleted user and 25 days for a trashed Drive file are Google's published admin console values as of 2026-08-07.
- Recovery scenario list reflects restore requests handled by Workspace Migration Services across managed tenants to 2026-08-07.
Sources you can check
Cite this page
Free to reuse with attribution. Copy whichever form your publication needs.
Plain citation
Workspace Migration Services, "Google Workspace disaster recovery plan template", https://workspacemigration.services/templates/google-workspace-disaster-recovery-plan-template (last checked 2026-08-07).HTML with source link
<p>Google Workspace availability commitments cover platform failure, not deletion by a credentialed user, which is why a disaster recovery plan needs independent recovery points. Source: <a href="https://workspacemigration.services/templates/google-workspace-disaster-recovery-plan-template">Google Workspace disaster recovery plan template</a> — Workspace Migration Services.</p>Embed this table
<table>
<caption>Google Workspace disaster recovery plan template — Workspace Migration Services, 2026-08-07</caption>
<tr><th>Objectives defined</th><td>Recovery point and recovery time, per data class</td></tr>
<tr><th>Loss scenarios tested</th><td>4: accidental, malicious, ransomware, departure</td></tr>
<tr><th>Native windows quoted</th><td>Deleted user 20 days, trashed Drive file 25 days</td></tr>
<tr><th>Rehearsal cadence</th><td>Restore test every 6 months, logged</td></tr>
<tr><th>Roles named</th><td>Recovery lead, data owner, approver</td></tr>
<tr><th>Format</th><td>Plain text, adopt or adapt freely</td></tr>
</table>
<p><a href="https://workspacemigration.services/templates/google-workspace-disaster-recovery-plan-template">Google Workspace disaster recovery plan template</a> — data maintained by Workspace Migration Services.</p>Related pages
Want the restore rehearsed and timed?
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