Google Workspace Asset Management with BlueTally

What Is Google Workspace Asset Management?

Google Workspace asset management with BlueTally means leveraging your Google Workspace accounts to provide simplified, secure access to your asset tracking platform. With BlueTally's native Google Workspace SSO integration, you can deliver credential-free authentication for your organization - boosting security while enhancing user convenience and minimizing IT management complexity.

‍

What Is Google Workspace?

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is Google's cloud-based productivity and collaboration platform for businesses. Launched in 2006 as "Google Apps for Your Domain" and rebranded to Google Workspace in 2020, it serves millions of organizations worldwide with integrated tools for communication, collaboration, and administration.

Google Workspace core applications include:

• Gmail: Business email with custom domain
• Google Drive: Cloud storage and file sharing
• Google Docs, Sheets, Slides: Collaborative document creation
• Google Meet: Video conferencing
• Google Calendar: Scheduling and resource booking
• Google Chat: Team messaging
• Google Admin Console: Centralized administration for users, devices, and security

For IT administrators, Google Workspace provides:

• User management: Create, manage, and provision user accounts
• Google Endpoint Management: Basic and advanced device management (MDM)
• Security controls: 2FA, security keys, access policies
• Organizational units: Hierarchical structure for policy application
• Audit logs: Activity tracking and compliance reporting

Google Workspace is available in several editions: Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus - each with different features and storage limits.

‍Important distinction: Google Workspace is a productivity suite with device management capabilities. It is not an IT asset management (ITAM) platform.

‍

Does Google Workspace Have Built-In Asset Management?

Short answer: Partially. Google Workspace includes device management through Google Endpoint Management, but it does not provide comprehensive IT asset management.

What Google Workspace DOES Provide

‍

What Google Workspace DOES NOT Provide

Google Endpoint Management answers: "What devices are accessing our Google Workspace data?"

IT Asset Management answers: "What assets does our organization own, who has them, what's their status, and what's their value?"

‍The solution: Use Google Workspace for productivity and device security. Use BlueTally for complete IT asset lifecycle management - connected via SSO.

‍

What Is Google Endpoint Management?

Google Endpoint Management is Google Workspace's built-in solution for managing devices that access organizational data. It's often referred to as "Google MDM" and provides varying levels of control depending on your Google Workspace edition.

Basic vs Advanced Endpoint Management

‍

Devices Supported

• Android phones and tablets
• iPhones and iPads
• Chrome OS devices (Chromebooks)
• Windows, macOS, and Linux (via Endpoint Verification)

Key Limitation for Asset Management

Google Endpoint Management tracks devices that access Google Workspace. It does not:

• Track devices that don't connect to Google Workspace
• Manage non-device assets (monitors, docking stations, peripherals)
• Provide financial data (purchase cost, depreciation)
• Track assignment history across employees
• Support checkout/loan workflows

This is why organizations use dedicated ITAM solutions alongside Google Workspace - to get complete visibility into ALL assets, not just those accessing Google services.

‍

How BlueTally Enables Google Workspace Asset Management

1. Simplified Single Sign-On authentication

Provide credential-free access to BlueTally using existing Google Workspace accounts - users authenticate through their familiar Google credentials and immediately access asset management without remembering additional passwords.

2. Integrated access management

Control BlueTally access directly within Google Workspace through organizational unit and group management - ensuring streamlined user administration and consistent access policies across your Google environment.

3. Enterprise asset management capabilities

Manage your complete asset ecosystem from procurement to disposal with comprehensive asset management tools - covering asset distribution, maintenance coordination, warranty oversight, and regulatory compliance - all authenticated through Google Workspace.

4. Google security integration

Utilize Google Workspace security features including two-factor authentication, advanced protection programs, and organizational security policies to safeguard your asset management operations and data.

‍

Limitations of Google Workspace for IT Asset Management

While Google Endpoint Management provides valuable device oversight, it was designed for security and access control - not comprehensive asset management. Here are the seven key limitations:

1. Device-Centric Only

Google Workspace tracks devices that access Google services. It cannot track:

• Monitors and displays
• Docking stations and peripherals
• Keyboards, mice, headsets
• Network equipment
• Furniture and office equipment
• Software licenses (beyond Google Workspace)

2. No Assignment History

When a laptop moves from Employee A to Employee B, Google Workspace shows the current user - but not the complete ownership history. For audits and accountability, you need records of who had what and when.

3. No Financial Tracking

IT budgeting requires data Google Workspace doesn't provide:

• Purchase price and vendor information
• Depreciation calculations
• Total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Warranty and support contract costs
• Insurance valuations

4. No Lifecycle Management

Google Endpoint Management doesn't track asset lifecycle stages:

• Procurement and receiving
• Deployment and imaging
• In-service maintenance
• End-of-life planning
• Disposal and recycling

5. No Checkout Workflows

For loaner equipment, temporary assignments, or shared devices:

• No check-out/check-in functionality
• No due date management
• No digital signature acknowledgments
• No overdue return alerts

6. Limited Non-Google Integration

Google Workspace device data doesn't integrate with:

• Intune or Jamf asset data (you need separate systems)
• Procurement systems
• Help desk ticketing
• Financial/ERP systems

7. No Asset Tagging

Google Workspace doesn't support:

• QR codes or barcodes
• Asset tag generation
• Label printing
• Physical asset identification

‍

What Data Does BlueTally Sync from Google Workspace?

BlueTally integrates with Google Workspace through SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) for authentication. Here's how the integration works:

Authentication via Google SSO

‍

Employee Directory Options

For organizations using Google Workspace as their primary directory, BlueTally can receive user information during SSO authentication:

‍

Note: For advanced employee synchronization with job titles, departments, managers, and custom fields, organizations often pair Google Workspace with an identity provider like Okta or use Google Cloud Identity with SCIM.

What BlueTally Adds Beyond Google Workspace

‍

‍

How to Use Google Workspace + BlueTally

1. Setup Single Sign-On

Setup the SAML SSO integration allowing your organization to access BlueTally through existing Google Workspace credentials - providing secure authentication without additional credential management overhead.

2. Administer access via Google Workspace

Assign BlueTally access to users or organizational units directly from your Google Workspace admin console - enabling efficient access control synchronized with your Google directory structure.

3. Create unified productivity experience

Provide your team with consistent, secure access to BlueTally alongside Google Workspace applications, establishing an integrated and productive digital workplace environment.

4. Execute asset management with Google authentication

Perform comprehensive asset tracking, assignments, and oversight while maintaining secure access through your established Google Workspace authentication and security infrastructure.

‍

Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 for IT Management

If you're evaluating productivity platforms and their IT management capabilities, here's how Google Workspace compares to Microsoft 365:

‍

Key Insight

Neither Google Workspace nor Microsoft 365 provides native IT asset management. Both offer device management/MDM, but neither tracks:

• Complete asset lifecycle
• Non-device assets
• Financial data
• Assignment history
• Checkout workflows

BlueTally integrates with both ecosystems:

• Google Workspace via SAML SSO
• Microsoft 365 via Entra ID (SCIM + SAML SSO)

Choose your productivity platform based on your organization's needs - then add BlueTally for complete IT asset management.