Use cases → Documents and Drive
Send access alerts for sensitive Drive files in context
Alert the right people when a sensitive file is accessed, including file details and triggering context, using a delegated service account.
| Who it is for | Security and compliance teams monitoring confidential document access across a Workspace domain. |
|---|---|
| APIs | Drive API, Gmail API |
| Typical scopes | drive.readonly, gmail.send |
The problem
Sensitive files are often accessed without oversight, and Drive's built-in alerts are limited to basic sharing events. Teams need real-time, contextual notifications when files are viewed or downloaded, with enough context to investigate.
How it works
- Maintain a list of files marked as sensitive, keyed by file ID.
- Poll Drive audit logs for view or download events involving these files.
- Enrich each event with file metadata and the accessor's context.
- Send a detailed alert email to the responsible team or file owner.
What changes
Security teams receive actionable, contextual alerts when sensitive files are accessed, allowing for faster investigation and response.
Watch it explained
“Enforcing Context Aware Access on Google Workspace” — Google Workspace Admins on YouTube. Third-party video, included because it covers this ground well. We are not affiliated with the channel.
Questions people ask
Can alerts be sent in real time?
Not truly. Drive audit log events typically show a 2-5 minute delay, so alerts are near real-time at best.
What context can be included in the alert?
Include file name, ID, owner, accessor email, event type, timestamp, and any relevant labels or classification.
Want this built?
This is a pattern we run in production. We will set up the delegation and build this on top of it — $500 per hour, most of it working the same day.
Talk to us Or read the setup guideRelated use cases
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