Our company uses Microsoft 365 for email and identity, but the web team relies heavily on Google services such as Ads, Analytics, Search Console, and Tag Manager. Over time, they created several separate Gmail accounts without centralized approval or documentation. I'm concerned that IT has no administrative access and that we could lose access to important business data if someone leaves. What's the best way to bring these accounts under company control while keeping the team's existing Google work available?
3 Answers
Google Workspace with Microsoft Entra acting as the identity provider is the cleanest long-term approach. Create managed Google accounts for the staff, enforce SSO and lifecycle controls, and move ownership of the Ads, Analytics, Search Console, and Tag Manager properties from the personal Gmail accounts to those managed identities. Do the migration gradually so existing access is not disrupted.
Set up Google Cloud Identity and federate it with Microsoft Entra ID. You can provision managed Google identities using company accounts, let users sign in with corporate SSO, and retain administrative control over the organization and its Google services. The free identity tier is often enough for basic account governance, although there is some setup and ongoing administration involved.
At minimum, make an inventory of every account, property, recovery method, and current owner. Replace personal Gmail addresses with company-controlled identities where possible, add multiple company administrators, and document the credentials and recovery process. Simply collecting passwords is not a good permanent solution because users can change them and private accounts may still be involved.
The important part is transferring ownership and adding backup administrators, not just recording passwords. That gives the company a way to recover access when an employee leaves or an account becomes unavailable.