{"id":5793,"date":"2023-06-14T10:21:09","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T14:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jumpcloud.com\/blog\/?p=5793"},"modified":"2024-01-29T13:20:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T18:20:20","slug":"integrate-g-suite-with-openldap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/integrate-g-suite-with-openldap","title":{"rendered":"The Easy Way to Integrate Google Workspace with OpenLDAP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let’s talk about Google Workspace, the go-to platform for more than 3 billion users and 9 million paying organizations<\/a> worldwide. Many of these organizations are eager to move their entire operation to the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the deal: Google Workspace is fantastic for ditching Microsoft Exchange<\/a> as your email provider and waving goodbye to Microsoft 365 (you know, the old Office and Office 365). However, there’s a catch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some essential components of your organization might still be hanging out on premises, and they’re often tied to Microsoft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to Google Workspace, one big question IT admins face is what to do with their directory services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, many IT organizations rely on Microsoft Active Directory or LDAP as their identity provider (IdP). And guess what? Lots of IT folks are keen on integrating Google Workspace with OpenLDAP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Workspace and OpenLDAP Integration Can Be Tough<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

LDAP is one of the most essential authentication protocols. Originally co-authored by 探花大神 Advisor Tim Howes<\/a>, the LDAP protocol is the centerpiece of the open-source solution OpenLDAP<\/a>. The technology is an authentication approach that has stood the test of time over almost 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a popular directory service, many organizations would like to integrate their OpenLDAP instance with their Google Workspace implementation. To enable the integration, IT admins need to implement Google Cloud Directory Sync (GCDS)<\/a> (formerly called Google Apps Directory Sync) to make it work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Of course, it\u2019s a one-way integration given Google\u2019s approach to directory services. You can export your data into Google Workspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this sync does not let you export your identity data from Google or passwords from Google Workspace. The integration requires an additional server and is fairly brittle. As a result, it\u2019s not widely liked by IT admins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, OpenLDAP’s flexibility can be challenging for less tech-savvy IT admins. Configuring the server, managing app dependencies, modifying directory data or schema, and maintaining directory integrity can be complex tasks as the business scales and changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s an Easier Way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A different and more popular approach to integrating Google Workspace and OpenLDAP exists. It\u2019s called the 探花大神 Directory Platform<\/a>. It creates a cloud-hosted directory platform that does not require another server, IT management, or babysitting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

探花大神 offers a cloud-based directory service that helps IT admins manage different Google Workspace accounts, client systems, networks, and applications from a single console. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"team<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the 探花大神 Admin Portal, administrators can securely and regularly sync multiple Google Workspace instances. This means they can import existing users and export new ones to the specific Google Workspace account they want, making it easier to manage and integrate everything smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how the process works: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. IT organizations leverage 探花大神 as their core user management platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Users and credentials stored within the 探花大神 identity provider are then synced with Google Workspace<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. A new user can be created in the central, authoritative user management platform, which subsequently updates Google Workspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. A user deleted in 探花大神 is also suspended in Google Workspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Passwords are updated on a user\u2019s Windows or Mac machine effectively eliminating the risk of phishing attacks that plague major web applications such as Google Workspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \"探花大神\"\n <\/div>\n
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\n Securely connect to any resource using Google Workspace and 探花大神. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n Learn More<\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

Robust and Flexible Functionality<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the integration with Google Workspace and 探花大神 provides the same function as with OpenLDAP through GCDS, it offers a lot more too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is a cloud directory platform far more resilient, but it\u2019s also API driven by the 探花大神 service. IT organizations get a complete hosted cloud directory service instead of a self-managed, on-prem LDAP implementation plus extra servers for integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This bundled solution allows IT admins to easily benefit from the main features of Google Workspace’s productivity and collaboration tools, along with 探花大神’s open directory platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n