What exactly is cps gmail and how do I configure it?

[Rolf]

I’ve noticed some references to cps gmail in my workspace settings. Could someone explain what this refers to and if there are any specific security benefits to using it?

 

[GaleGaytan]

CPS Gmail is commonly a Gmail account which is administered as part of an organizational system, often under Google Workspace, including a school or workplace. It is configured by an administrator who creates user accounts, security rule and access permissions. The users normally sign in using the organization-supplied credentials and abide by its usage policies.

 

[Evelinawright]

Are you in the education sector? Usually, "CPS" just stands for Chesapeake Public Schools or Chicago Public Schools. They have huge custom implementations of Workspace. If you aren't working for a school district, you're probably just looking at a guide written for their specific staff.

 

[AnnP111966]

It's not a "setting" you turn on. It's just how people refer to the Gmail accounts issued by a CPS district. There's no secret "CPS mode" in the admin console, unfortunately. lol.

 

[Ragnar Lothbrok]

I think you might be confusing it with Content Compliance Settings. If you're looking for security benefits, you want to go to Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Compliance. You can set up regex filters there to stop sensitive data from leaving your domain. That’s actual "security," not just a naming convention.

 

[ethanwalker]

Wait, are you seeing "CPS" or "GCP"? If it's GCP, that's Google Cloud Platform and that is a whole different rabbit hole of configuration. If it's definitely CPS, then yeah, you're just reading a school district's internal Wiki by mistake. Happens to the best of us.

 

[Lugwig]

Me too! I saw this in a help thread and spent like an hour looking for the "CPS" button in my admin dashboard. Turns out I don't work for Chicago Public Schools.

 

[Olivier]

If you are actually part of a CPS district, you don't configure it yourself. You have to go through the IT portal (usually google.cps.edu or something similar) to claim your account and set up your challenge questions. The "security benefit" is just that it’s a managed tenant with stricter filtering (Gaggle, etc).

 

[Zmadislynd]

The benefit is having a sysadmin who can reset your password when you inevitably forget it. Other than that, it's just standard Enterprise/Education Workspace.

 

[captainghost]

Seriously, why is Google's documentation so fragmented that people end up on school board help pages? I just wanted to fix my IMAP settings and now I know the Cincinatti Public Schools' retention policy.

 

[jessicabell]

Just ignore it. If you're a standard Workspace admin, stick to the official Google Cloud documentation. "CPS Gmail" is 100% just a regional acronym for a school system.

 

[jameswill8520]

I’m having this issue right now bro. I keep seeing "CPS login" on these tech blogs and I thought it was some new 'Cyber Policy System' or something. Glad I'm not the only one confused.

 

[megamind]

If you want actual security benefits for your Gmail, just enforce 2FA and set up your SPF/DKIM/DMARC records. That’ll do more for you than any "CPS" setting ever could.

 

[robertsmith]

Is it possible you're looking at Custom Password Service? Some third-party integrations use "CPS" for that. If you're trying to sync an external LDAP to Gmail, that might be what the documentation is referencing.