What is Access Transparency?
Access Transparency is a Google Cloud feature that provides complete visibility into access by Google personnel to your cloud resources. Every support or engineering access is logged and viewable through Cloud Audit Logs.
Unlike Access Approval which requires active approvals, Access Transparency works passively. It does not block access but documents it completely. This is particularly valuable for compliance evidence and audit documentation.
Core Features
- Logging of all Google employee access to your resources
- Near-realtime logs with detailed access information
- Integration with Cloud Audit Logs and SIEM systems
- Immutable audit trails for compliance evidence
- No performance impact on your workloads
Typical Use Cases
Compliance Monitoring: Regulated industries like financial services or healthcare require evidence of all data access. Access Transparency provides this documentation automatically.
Audit Preparation: During external audits, you can prove all Google access from recent months without gaps. The logs show exactly who accessed which resources and when.
Zero-Trust Verification: Even if you trust Google, Access Transparency enables verification that only expected access occurs.
Benefits
- Complete transparency without additional effort
- Automatic documentation for audits
- No impact on support speed
- Export to external SIEM systems possible
Integration with innFactory
As a Google Cloud partner, innFactory supports you with Access Transparency: setup, integration with SIEM systems, compliance reporting, and audit preparation.
Available Tiers & Options
Premium Support and higher
- Full transparency over Google access
- Audit trail for compliance
- No performance impact
- Integration with Cloud Audit Logs
- Requires Premium Support or higher
- Passive observation only, no blocking
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Access Transparency?
Access Transparency logs all access by Google personnel to your cloud resources. Unlike Access Approval which requires approvals, Access Transparency passively documents access without blocking it. The logs show who accessed which resources and when.
Which accesses are logged?
Access Transparency captures support access during tickets, engineering access for maintenance and troubleshooting, and automated system access. Normal API calls from your applications are not captured as these are already documented in Cloud Audit Logs.
How does Access Transparency differ from Access Approval?
Access Transparency is passive and only documents access. Access Approval requires active approval before each access. Access Transparency is available in Premium Support, Access Approval only in Enterprise. For maximum control, enterprises combine both features.
What information do the logs contain?
The logs contain timestamps, affected resources, access reason, the Google employee's role, and actions performed. These details enable complete traceability for audits and compliance evidence.
Is Access Transparency GDPR compliant?
Yes, Access Transparency supports GDPR compliance through documented traceability of third-party access. The logs can serve as evidence for Art. 28 GDPR, which requires transparency with data processors.
