Introduction

This blog explains how to automatically group Google Workspace admins using dynamic groups in the Google Admin Console. This is to allow admins to have a count of other admins by grouping them together and simplify user management without manual efforts. By setting up a Dynamic Group for admins, you can make sure that all users with administrative privileges are always grouped together for easier communication.

How to Automatically Group Admins Using Dynamic Groups

What is a Dynamic Groups in Google Admin Console?

A Dynamic Group in Google Admin Console is a type of Google Group whose membership is automatically managed based on a set of predefined rules or conditions rather than being updated manually.

Instead of adding or removing users one by one, you define a membership query based on user attributes like department, organizational unit or admin role and Google will automatically keep the group up to date with the users who match the conditions.

How to Automatically Group Admins Using Dynamic Groups

Limitation

  • Dynamic groups in Google Workspace cannot directly query user admin roles like Super Admin or Admin, because roles are privileges, not user attributes.
  • To overcome this limitation, you can create a custom user attribute, such as isAdmin = true, that indicates admin roles. Then create a dynamic group that automatically includes everyone with isAdmin = true.

Steps to Create a Dynamic Group for Admins in Google Workspace

Step 1: Sign in to Google Admin Console

Log into Google Admin Console with your super admin account.

Step 2: Set up a Custom User Attribute
  1. Go to Directory > Users > More Options > Manage custom attributes.
    Create a Custom User Attribute
  2. Click Add custom attribute.
  3. Provide the below information:
    provide attribute details
    • Category name: Provide an attribute name. 
    • Description: Provide description for the attribute.
    • Name: Provide the custom attribute. For example - isAdmin
    • Info type: Select Yes/No for Boolean.
    • Visibility: Select Visible to user and admin.
    • No. of values: Select Single Value.
  4. Click Save to save the attribute.

Step 3: Allocate the Custom Attribute to Admin Users

Set user as admin
  1. Go to Directory > Users.
  2. Click on the user who has admin privileges.
  3. Select the User Information > Custom Attributes section.
  4. Set isAdmin to Yes and Save.
  5. Repeat for all users with admin roles.

Step 4: Create a Dynamic Group
  1. Go to Directory > Groups.
  2. Click Create dynamic group.
  3. Provide the Membership condition or query and Click on Create dynamic group.
    Provide membership condition and create a dynamic group
  4. Then, provide the following group details to create a group.
    Verify the dynamic group
    • Group name: Provide suitable group name.
    • Description: Provide group description.
    • Group email: Enter the group email. Example: [email protected]
    • Click Save to create a dynamic group.

Step 5: Assign Group Roles (Optional)

This is an optional step. However, if you want to assign roles to the users within the dynamic group follow the steps.
Update the admin role

  1. Go to Directory > Groups and click on the newly created group.
  2. Open the Members tab.
  3. Click on the Role dropdown and select the role as needed. 

Limitations of Dynamic grouping

  • Dynamic groups cannot directly query user admin roles like Super Admin or Admin, because only user attributes can be queried. Roles are privileges and not user attributes.
  • Dynamic groups can have individual users as members, groups can not be added inside them.
  • There may be a limit on how many dynamic groups you can create, depending on your plan.
  • You cannot manually add or remove users from a dynamic group.  It is entirely dependent on conditions.

Benefits of Dynamic grouping

  1. Dynamic groups automatically add users who are admins. You don't have to add or remove members manually.
  2. When a staff member becomes an Admin the group will automatically add the user as its member. This ensures group memberships are always up to date.
  3. Dynamic groups can be used to manage access to resources like shared drives, calendars or Google Groups based on criteria.
  4. Instead of multiple static groups, IT admins can make use of dynamic rules to organize users. This will add security by providing access to the right users.
  5. Additionally, by auto-grouping users based on roles or departments, you can maintain security and will be helpful for compliance or security audits.

Conclusion

In conclusion, automatically grouping Google Workspace Admins using dynamic groups helps in IT management. Moreover, as admin roles change, the group will instantly add the members, saving manual efforts. Consequently, this approach improves security and access control within your organization. By using dynamic rules, you can maintain clear group structures to enforce policies for the right users. Finally, you can further automate admin workflows using xFanatical Foresight, which is an automation tool that helps you to automate all your Google Group related tasks.

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