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Google Workspace

Configure SSO and user provisioning with Google Workspace

Depending on your use case, Verkada Command has the ability to integrate with Google Workspace, amongst other Identity Providers [IdPs], in the following ways:

  • OpenID Connect (OIDC)

  • Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)

  • User and group provisioning

OIDC and SAML both handle authentication, allowing Google Workspace to manage access to Command the same way it manages access to other SaaS applications in your environment. Both protocols let you integrate Command into your existing identity framework and authorize users in line with your current policies.

User and group provisioning keeps your Google Workspace users and groups in sync with Command. Command provides a native Google Workspace integration that syncs users and groups from your selected organizational units and groups into Command. Other identity providers can use SCIM 2.0 for the same outcome.

Verkada recommends OIDC over SAML for enhanced security and easier configuration.


Google Workspace SAML Integration

Verkada Command has the ability to integrate with Google Workspace (among other Identity Providers [IdPs]) for single sign-on (SSO) scenarios. Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) handles the authentication side of things to allow Google Workspace to be used to manage access to Command.


Before you begin

1

Ensure you have already registered on Verkada Command and an account exists for the user in the same custom domain. You can add Command as a custom application.

2

Familiarize yourself with these terms to maximize your integration:

  • Client ID—Client ID. To locate, go to Admin > Privacy & Security > Single Sign-On Configuration > Add New.

  • Federation Data XML—The unique information from your Google Workspace instance that allows Verkada to set up the federation between Google Workspace and your Command instance (the steps to download this are provided later).


Google Workspace Configuration

1

Go to Google Workspace > Google Admin dashboard and select Web and mobile apps.

2

Select the Add app dropdown and select Add custom SAML app.

3

Fill in the application information; you can use any name and description.

4

Get the Verkada Command logo to add to your Google Workspace application.

5

Click Continue.

6

Use Option 1 to download the IdP metadata that corresponds to the federation metadata Extensible Markup Language (XML) and click Continue.

7

Type the service provider details (as shown) to configure SSO or, you can copy the details from the New SSO Configuration page (in Verkada Command), and click Continue.

8

Fill in the Attributes mappings (as shown below) and click Finish. This ensures that Command receives the correct information about the user. You should be redirected to the app configuration page.


Command Configuration

1

In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

2

Select Login & Access > Single Sign On (SSO).

3

Click Add to start a new configuration or to edit an existing configuration.

4

Under Identity Provider XML Metadata, upload your metadata file.

5

Under Email Domains, add the email domains that will be used to log in to your organization.

6

Verify that you can access Command at one of these URLs (substitute the client-id with the one used during setup).

7

You'll be redirected to the Google Workspace app configuration page to complete the login.


Log in via the mobile application

Command on Android and iOS supports login through SAML.

1

In the email address field, type the user's email and click Next.

2

You should be redirected to your IdP (Google Workspace) to complete the login process.

Google Workspace User Provisioning

The Google Workspace native integration allows organizations to automatically sync users and groups from Google Workspace into Verkada Command. This simplifies identity management and general user onboarding.

Unlike Verkada's SCIM integrations with Okta or Azure, this integration uses the Google Workspace Admin SDK and Reports API, authenticated through a Google service account with domain-wide delegation.

With the integration enabled, Command can:

  • Import users and groups from selected Google Workspace Groups or Organizational Units (OUs)

  • Sync them into Command as managed users and groups

  • Maintain directory accuracy with scheduled background syncs and on-demand syncs from the Admin UI


Create a Google service account

To allow Command to read user and group data from your Google Workspace domain, it must authenticate with Google's APIs using a service account. This type of account is designed for programmatic access and must be configured with the correct API scopes and domain-wide delegation. These settings are configured in your Google Cloud console account.

Verify policies & roles

You must first verify whether your user has permissions to create a service account and to generate the service account JSON Key. To ensure you are not blocked by security policies in your tenant:

1

Go to the Google Cloud console and sign in with your Super Admin credentials.

2

In the top-left corner, open the Project Selector dropdown, and choose your top-level (Type: Organization) resource.

3

From the left-hand panel, navigate to IAM & Admin → IAM.

4

Click Grant Access under View by principals.

a. Under Add principals, enter the user's email address. b. Under Assign roles, search for and select Organization Policy Administrator. c. Click Save.

5

From the left-hand panel, select Organization Policies.

6

In the list of policies, search for and disable the following:

Create a service account

1

In the Google Cloud console, in the top left, open the Project Selector dropdown.

2

Click New Project.

3

Enter a project name (for example, Verkada User Sync) and create the project.

4

Once the project is created, confirm it's selected in the navigation bar at the top left.

5

From the left-hand sidebar, go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts.

6

Click + Create Service Account.

7

Fill in the following fields:

  • Name: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., Verkada User Provisioning)

  • ID: Leave as-is or customize (optional)

  • Description: Add a note, such as Used by Verkada to read Workspace directory data (optional)

8

Click Create and Continue.

9

Skip the Grant Project Access step — no roles are required here.

10

Click Continue → Done.

11

From the list of service accounts, copy the OAuth 2 Client ID for the newly created account. You will need this ID later to complete your setup.

Generate a JSON key

1

From the Service Accounts list, click the account name or select the three dots next to your new service account and choose Manage keys.

2

Under the Keys tab, click Add Key → Create new key.

3

Select JSON and click Create.

4

A .json file will download to your computer. Save it in a secure location for use later when setting up the integration in Verkada Command.

Enable required Google APIs

Verkada Command requires access to specific Google Workspace APIs to read users, groups, domains, and audit logs. These APIs must be enabled in your Google Cloud project before the integration can function.

1

Go to the Google Cloud console, and sign in with your Super Admin credentials.

2

From the left-hand sidebar, go to APIs & Services → API Library.

3

In the search bar, find and select Admin SDK API, then click Enable.

4

(Optional) Search for and enable the Reports API to allow audit log monitoring and detect directory changes.


Enable Domain-wide delegation

To allow the service account to impersonate an administrator and access user and group data across your domain, you must grant it domain-wide delegation. This enables the service account to perform read operations on behalf of an admin without requiring manual re-authentication.

1

Navigate to the Google Admin Console and sign in with your Super Administrator credentials for your Google Workspace tenant.

2

From the Admin Console homepage, go to Security →Access & data control → API Controls.

3

On the API Controls page, scroll to the Domain-wide Delegation section and click Manage Domain Wide Delegation.

4

Click Add New and enter the following details:

  • Client ID: Paste the OAuth 2 Client ID for your service account key file (the client_id field in the JSON).

  • OAuth Scopes (comma-separated):

5

Click Authorize.

The new delegation entry will appear on the page, confirming that the service account can now be used by Verkada Command to query user, group, and audit data.

Set user attribute values

Before syncing users to Verkada Command, confirm that key attributes (such as first name, last name, email, and employee ID) are correctly populated in Google Workspace.

1

Sign in to the Google Admin Console using your Super Admin account.

2

Go to Directory → Users.

3

Select the user profile you want to update.

4

Click User information, then expand the relevant sections (for example, Basic information or Employee information).

5

Update the following fields as needed:

  • Primary email address

  • First name and Last name

  • Employee ID (under Employee information)

  • Phone number (under Contact information)

6

Click Save to apply your changes.

The following attributes can be synced from Google Workspace to Verkada Command:

Google Workspace Attribute Name
Command Field

Email

Email

First name

First Name

Last name

Last Name

Department

Department

Cost center

Department ID

Employee ID

Employee ID

Job title

Employee Title

Phone number (Primary Home/Work/Mobile)

Phone Number

To ensure users' phone numbers sync correctly to Verkada Command, enter them in international format, including the country code and no spaces or hyphens.

Example: +14155552671


Enable the integration in Command

1

In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

2

On Org Settings, select Login & Access → User Provisioning → Google Workspace.

a. Enter the email address of your Google Workspace Super Admin. For security and continuity, Verkada recommends using a dedicated service account that has equivalent admin permissions, rather than a personal user account. a. Upload the JSON key you generated in your Google Cloud Console project. b. Once authentication succeeds, click Add to select the Groups and/or Organizational Units you want to sync to Command. c. Click Enable.

3

Upon successfully completing the first sync, a Sync Now button will be available for on-demand updates at any time.


FAQ

Do users sync automatically on a regular schedule?

Yes, users are synced from your Google Workspace account to Verkada Command automatically every 40 minutes.

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