Mechanical Engineer at a marketing services firm with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
A suite of cloud computing services that provides a series of modular cloud services including computing
Pros and Cons
  • "I used it as an administrator without implementing it myself. As for valuable aspects or benefits, the significant point is that it's a straightforward, single solution that just works."
  • "If I were to suggest enhancements, it would mainly revolve around ensuring compatibility and maximizing integration options with various services."

What is our primary use case?

The sole use case is to achieve a unified account experience across various platforms, specifically with Google Cloud Identity.

How has it helped my organization?

It's a data field list aiding in the onboarding and offboarding process. It enables centralized security control for the account, eliminating the need to manage it across multiple platforms.

What is most valuable?

I used it as an administrator without implementing it myself. As for valuable aspects or benefits, the significant point is that it's a straightforward, single solution that just works.

What needs improvement?

If I were to suggest enhancements, it would mainly revolve around ensuring compatibility and maximizing integration options with various services.

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For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Google Cloud Identity for about two or three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability 10 out of 10. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?


The scalability will be rated 8 out of 10. It's simply a matter of acquiring additional licenses, setting up a new account, and everything else can function.

How are customer service and support?

I never utilized it, and I never submitted any tickets or similar requests.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was done in house. Our IT team, which was quite sizable, had the capability to handle it. Maintenance might typically require one or two team members. The roles involved were usually IT engineers and IT associates.

What other advice do I have?

The advice I've offered is fundamental and not specifically tied to Google Cloud Identity. It's more about understanding and evaluating tools that align with your needs and seamlessly integrate with your existing TechStack. Price may not be a decisive factor, as my understanding is that you aim to be competitively priced compared to other competitors.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it eight.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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CEO at a legal firm with 1-10 employees
Reseller
Good on every point.
Pros and Cons
  • "Google is always on its own. Google Cloud Identity is pretty good on every point."
  • "The one place it could be improved is the password vaulting. The password vaulting does not prevent the admins from reading users' passwords, and that's a debate."

What is most valuable?

Google is always on its own. Google Cloud Identity is pretty good on every point.

What needs improvement?

The one place it could be improved is the password vaulting. The password vaulting does not prevent the admins from reading users' passwords, and that's a debate.

Some say, if you're an employee and you goof up or something happens, your admin should be able to see your password. In my world - no. If I goof up my admin should be able to reset my passwords but not see what they were. If I want to use the name of my dog plus numbers, he doesn't need to read that. He just needs to reset it. That's a distinction. We call it zero trust. Password vaulting should not allow the admin the possibility to read. I made the observation to Google and they said, "Well, yes, but it's logged," and that's not good enough.

The fact that the super admin was able to read all of my passwords and that it's logged, the log is only for the super admin - he is the only person that reads them and which will have the log that he read them.

Besides the password vaulting, it works fine. It's just that security notion that I'm not comfortable with. So I'm using a password manager, hence LastPass when password vaulting is required.

In the next release, we need to clean up the console for the admin. In the three years that I am using it, I think I'm up to my sixth version. This is proof that if they change the console so much, it's because they keep on trying to improve it. 

What they need to improve, clearly, is the zero trust enrollment for Chrome OS devices. They are getting there, but they need to keep on improving it. So zero trust enrollment to make it super smooth, buttery smooth. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Google Cloud Identity nearly since it came out, so more than two years, perhaps three. The full name is Google Cloud Identity Premium.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm using LastPass Enterprise and Saaspass in the same field, and Google Cloud Identity Premium. Those are my three go-to products now.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Google Cloud Identity a nine because of its password vaulting. Also, it does what Okta does but for many more zeros on the invoice.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller (SSP)
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Google Cloud Identity
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Google Cloud Identity. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CEO at Wallarm
Real User
Stable solution that manages users centrally, but needs integration with different systems
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is that you can manage users from one central location."
  • "In the next release, I would like to see integration with different systems, mainly wireless SIEMS and other analytical systems that we want to introduce."

What is our primary use case?

This is a very specific solution. The primary use case of this solution is to manage users. It's only used in one way unless there is an alteration to it.

What is most valuable?

Everything is relatively good and overall, the product itself is good.

The most valuable feature is that you can manage users from one central location.

What needs improvement?

It would be good if they dealt with Unity Accounting, which would allow companies to pay in different ways.

In the next release, I would like to see integration with different systems, mainly wireless SIEMS and other analytical systems that we want to introduce.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is very stable, it's good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a cloud solution. It's scalable.

We have approximately five IT users, some administrators in addition to other users who are connected and just using the space.

We are using this solution daily, but don't plan to increase the usage as it's enough for us as it is.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not contacted technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use another solution previously. We just started to use Google because I think that Google is great.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and simple.

It took less than a month to deploy and only requires one person to deploy and maintain.

What about the implementation team?

We did not use a vendor, integrator or consultant. We implemented this solution ourselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The fees are paid monthly and there are no additional costs other than the licensing fees.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before we chose Google Cloud Identity, we evaluated Azure.

What other advice do I have?

My advice is to understand in detail what exactly you need from this solution because every case could be different. Even if the main use case is the same, your current requirements could be different, specifically the security requirements. If you want to achieve more from the GDPR then you have to choose a provider in Europe.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Nisar Tak - PeerSpot reviewer
Head IT Infrastructure at JSW
Real User
Top 10
It helps us manage application authentication for 3,000 users
Pros and Cons
  • "Cloud Identity is scalable enough for our needs. It's serving more than 3,000 users in our organization."
  • "The interface could be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cloud Identity for application authentication. 

What is most valuable?

All of Cloud Identity's features are quite fine.

What needs improvement?

The interface could be more user-friendly. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Cloud Identity for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cloud Identity is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cloud Identity is scalable enough for our needs. It's serving more than 3,000 users in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

Google support is fantastic. 

How was the initial setup?

I can't recall how long the Cloud Identity takes to set up, but it wasn't cumbersome. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The license is yearly, and it's cheap.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cloud Identity nine out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Cloud engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
You don't need much expertise or previous experience to work with it
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most useful features was the single sign-on. You can use it as an identity provider or service provider. And you can use their organization unit feature to enable or disable some of the features for a specific group of users."
  • "If you want to set up some alerts, you don't have much control over the configuration. You have to use their default alerts. And they only provide alerts for certain activities, so you cannot customize those. Monitoring isn't very helpful either."

What is our primary use case?

In my previous project, we were designing and implementing a cloud foundation for a US-based pharma customer. We set up  Google Cloud Platform for them and used Cloud Identity to manage their end-users. We synchronized directly with Cloud Identity using the Google Cloud Directory Synchronization tool. That allowed us to synchronize user identities from the Microsoft Active Directory to Cloud Identity. We also synchronized Active Directory-based groups to Google Cloud then mapped the users to the groups and used those groups to assign high-end policies on the Google Cloud Platform. We also configured the Cloud Identity Single Sign-On service to enable the end-users to use their Active Directory credentials to log into the Identity Cloud platform via a single sign-on.

What is most valuable?

Cloud Identity is user-friendly. You don't need much expertise or previous experience with Cloud Identity to work with it. It's a simple user interface, and the configuration is pretty straightforward. You can look at the GUI and figure out what you want to do. It's intuitive to use.

One of the most useful features was the single sign-on. You can use it as an identity provider or service provider. And you can use their organization unit feature to enable or disable some of the features for a specific group of users. For example, suppose you don't want to enable or disable a particular feature for only some users. In that case, you can create an organization unit, and you can set the policies on that specific organization unit. 

I also found the groups feature valuable. Google recommends that enterprises use groups instead of directly managing the high-end policies for individual identities. And the GCDS tool is beneficial as well. You can schedule it to run whenever you'd like so that it automatically connects with your active directory, and the target is the Cloud Identity. It just synchronizes the users, groups, or whatever else you choose. 

What needs improvement?

One area where Cloud Identity has room for improvement is monitoring and alerts. If you want to set up some alerts, you don't have much control over the configuration. You have to use their default alerts. And they only provide alerts for certain activities, so you cannot customize those. Monitoring isn't very helpful either. If I have four or five administrators, I would like to know what they're doing and monitor their activity. Unfortunately, I have to navigate through so many areas to monitor them.

In the free version, I can only manage up to 100 identities. That isn't limited in the premium version, but I would like to manage more identities in the free tier. Also, you cannot use any business features in the free version. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have worked on Cloud Identity for almost a year. My most recent experience was around one or two months back. Currently, I'm not using it that much, but I worked with it extensively in the past.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cloud Identity's stability is great.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If you want to scale up, you need to purchase a business license. You have to buy the business license for a large number of users, and they'll charge you based on that.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support documentation was quite helpful. If you contact support directly, they will assist you in setting up anything you find difficult, but it is a long process. You cannot expect a reply immediately. You have to wait one or two hours.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have a little experience with Active Directory, but not much with other cloud-based identity providers. Cloud Identity is a cloud-based Software as a Service model, so you don't need to worry about managing the infrastructure. That is one advantage. Active Directory is just software you install on your own Windows VM or Windows Server and manage. You need some technical expertise to install, configure, and manage the Active Directory, whereas Cloud Identity is straightforward. If you have a little bit of experience with IT, you can handle it. You don't need a lot of technical expertise to work on Cloud Identity.

How was the initial setup?

It is cloud-based Software as a Service model, so you don't need to provision anything on your own. You sign up like any G Suite service. Once you sign up for Cloud Identity using your domain, you must verify that you own the domain. It's straightforward after that. One person is enough to manage Cloud Identity, but you can have two or three people for availability purposes. It took one or two hours to get it deployed. I just had to coordinate with the domain admin guy. Aside from managing the end-users, there isn't much maintenance. It's SaaS, so Google manages all the infrastructure for you.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When I worked on Cloud Identity, they offered a free or enterprise version. You can synchronize and create up to 100 user identities in the free version. After that, you have to purchase a business or enterprise license. In that model, you'll be charged based on the number of users. I don't remember exactly how much they charge per user.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cloud Identity eight out of 10. If you're considering Cloud Identity, I say go ahead and try it. It's a great, simple tool to manage your identities. You can just integrate it with your existing directory solutions, and it works pretty well.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Solutions Specialist at RV BYGGERI
Real User
Easy to set up with good integration capabilities but has a bit of a complex interface
Pros and Cons
  • "It's easy to set up."
  • "Technical support is slow."

What is most valuable?

The solution has a good amount of features.

The product does integrate well with Azure products.

It's easy to set up.

The stability is good.

The solution can scale.

What needs improvement?

If I compare the product with Azure Active Directory, Google is much too complex to integrate. I am more familiar with Microsoft.

It has a bit of a complex interface.

Technical support is slow.

The security is questionable. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with the solution for three or four months at this point. It hasn't been too long.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. There aren't bugs or glitches. it's reliable. it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have found the scalability to be quite good.

How are customer service and support?

In Google, if we want support they are very slow to respond. Microsoft support is much better and far more responsive. We aren't quite as satisfied with Google. 

When we want to integrate something with Microsoft, it might take an hour, however, when we want to do something on Google, we'll be trying to reach support for an hour.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm also familiar with Microsoft, which I find easier to work with.

How was the initial setup?

For a completely new user and setup, the initial implementation is very straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

As integrators, we can implement the solution for clients.

What other advice do I have?

We're integrators.

In terms of the ecosystem, if the ecosystem there really is no problem with productivity. However,  if they already have a lot of Microsoft, Azure might be better. I'm very happy with Azure. However, as a second option, Cloud Identity is quite good.

I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Associate Director Work Transformation at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Good device management capabilities but lacks integration with other products
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very stable solution. I would rate it a ten out of ten."
  • "The customer service and support team is not so good."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use cases include mobile device management and device management in general and security.

What is most valuable?

Basically, it allows context server access, provides family integrations, and enables the auto-creation of users using family integration. And there's also the security aspect with context server access and other features. 

Additionally, it includes mobile device management (MDM) with Android for Work and Windows Device Management are valuable features.

What needs improvement?

It doesn't offer Mac, Linux, and other device management options.

In the future release, Google Cloud Identity could enhance existing features like audit logs and better integration with other products

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for ten years. We are working with the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable solution. I would rate it a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. I would say about seven. There is room for improvement in scalability. But in terms of device management and Windows device management, I would say seven. 

We mostly have enterprise-level clients.

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and support team is not so good. It is somewhere between. I think they don't have enough engineers trained on this product, so normally a lot of backend work is required to get issues resolved.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to install. However, it could be easier. For the Windows device management agent, there isn't an easy way to install it and push it into the devices. We would prefer a better way of managing Windows or pushing that agent.

The time for deployment depends on the number of users. Generally, for a 10,000-user base, it takes about ninety days. Moreover, maintenance is easier because of the way Google has integrated everything into a single console. It's simpler to maintain. One person should be enough for 10,000 users.

What about the implementation team?

One or two engineers and one technician are required for the deployment process.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is a bit expensive. It could be cheaper. The pricing model has monthly and yearly subscriptions. Moreover, there are no additional costs to the standard license. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend doing a POC (Proof of Concept) before implementing it on a large scale.  I would recommend using the solution. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. There is still room for improvement in the solution, especially in terms of installation scalability, and it doesn't offer support for Mac and Linux.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Maged Elgamal - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. TechOps Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
Time saving group access capabilities, good support, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Identity is group access. You are able to assign policies to groups instead of users individually."
  • "Google Cloud Identity the UI could improve."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Google Cloud Identity as a single sign-on solution or for access management where you can determine who is accessing work and when.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Identity is group access. You are able to assign policies to groups instead of users individually.

What needs improvement?

Google Cloud Identity the UI could improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Google Cloud Identity for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Google Cloud Identity is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Google Cloud Identity is good.

Everyone in my organization is using it. We have approximately 4,000 users using it.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Google Cloud Identity is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Google Cloud Identity is not difficult. You have to create the groups and users and give them a link to the applications that you want them to access. You need to add all the permission. It's something that can be implemented easily. The time it takes depends on the complexity. For example, if you have a lot of users and the access and tools that they will have access to are high then it will add to the time.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of Google Cloud Identity in-house.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Google Cloud Identity an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Cloud Identity Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Cloud Identity Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.