Anyone heard of gsuites.org?

truemagic · 17 Apr 2017, 12:42 PM

Hi,

Recently I come across this and out of curiosity, subscribed one. However I'm very concern over privacy and how legit it is.

The site is gsuites.org which promises 'unlimited storage' to gmail, gdrive, and so on.

On Google it states "It’s important to note that your administrator has access to any data you store in this account, including your email." (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/181692?hl=en)

As I'm no expert on policy published on sites, I would like to seek your advice on this matter, my main concern is privacy.

By the way, my account is active and working perfectly.

n5bb · 17 Apr 2017, 02:43 PM

The domain gsuites.org is owned by "Zambrano Family Enterprises" in Miami, FL. The address in the domain registration is also used by this company:
https://www.yellowpages.com/miami-fl...-llc-479869496
http://thesixgroupllc.com/

I can't tell if they are a proper Google G Suite reseller or improperly reselling a G Suite account they own. See:
https://gsuite.google.com/intl/en_us...s/compare.html
https://connect.googleforwork.com/docs/DOC-2685

G Suite is a renaming by Google of what used to be called "Google Apps".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Suite
G Suite competes against Microsoft Office 365, but there are big differences between these services.

Personally, I would recommend directly purchasing G Suites from Google unless a certified and trained reseller is assisting you with professional business services associated with the account. Does "gsuites.org" have administrative control over your account, or do you? Did they claim to be part of the Google G Suites reseller program?

Bill

truemagic · 17 Apr 2017, 02:54 PM

I'm not sure how to check if I'm administrator myself but I have access to my own google account, gmail, gdrive etc.

I was being told they (the owner) has no visibility on my data whatsoever but Google has this banner on top of my username (top right)

This account is managed by gsuites.org.
Learn more (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/181692?hl=en)

jhollington · 19 Apr 2017, 03:11 AM

My gut feeling from what you've said suggests that they may just be reselling accounts on a domain that they own, rather than being a full G Suite reseller. I'm not completely certain, but I don't believe the "This account is managed by..." appears if you've got your own G Suite account, even if it's being provided by a reseller.

I'm also a bit concerned that they don't seem to appear in Google's Cloud Partner directory, although they might be listed under another name (I searched for GoEz, Zambroni, and The Six Group and nothing came up). However, none of the partners listed in Miami are at the same address either.

I also find it weird that they want an eBay username on their signup form.

One way to double-check this is to try to login to admin.google.com using your account. While a G Suite reseller will often have access to your admin console as well, you should have primary access, and in fact depending on the reseller relationship, you may even be able to disable their access. See Google Reseller access to Resold domains. If you can't login here at all, then you're basically just an end user on their account.

Personally, I'd say that unless they can provide confirmation that they're authorized by Google to be doing whatever it is that they're doing (which in most cases, would require them to be an official Google Cloud Partner), I'd steer well clear. For the buck a month in price difference, you're far better off to just sign up for G Suite directly, as Bill suggests, especially since if they're just reselling mailboxes from their own account, they're in violation of the G Suite Terms of Service, which means that you're taking the risk that Google could shut them down at any point.

truemagic · 19 Apr 2017, 12:10 PM

Thanks for the very detailed and useful reply!

It does look fishy when I'm not allowed access to admin.google.com as you suggested. It says 'admin.google.com is for G Suite accounts only. Regular Gmail accounts cannot be used to sign in to admin.google.com'

In this case I believe they have access to every mail I receive and every photo I store with this account. I decided to never use it because it is too risky.

jhollington · 19 Apr 2017, 10:10 PM

Yup, as I suspected it sounds like they've got their own G Suite account (which anybody can set up directly with Google), and they're just selling sub-accounts off of it. This is definitely against the G Suite Terms of Service, so even aside form the fact that they do technically have access to everything in your account, there's also a high risk of Google shutting them down.

As Bill points out, you can go and get your own G Suite account from Google for $5-$10/month per user (depending on the service level you want), which would be the exact same thing these guys are offering, except that you'd be the one managing it, and it would be legit.

TenFour · 21 Apr 2017, 08:02 AM

My two cents--don't bother with any but well-known and rated services that you can research on places like here. To me, at least, saving even $50 a year is not worth it when one lost email might mean a missed job opportunity, or missing a credit card warning, etc. Email is too important.

17 Apr 2017, 12:42 PM	#1
truemagic Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 121	Anyone heard of gsuites.org? Hi, Recently I come across this and out of curiosity, subscribed one. However I'm very concern over privacy and how legit it is. The site is gsuites.org which promises 'unlimited storage' to gmail, gdrive, and so on. On Google it states "It’s important to note that your administrator has access to any data you store in this account, including your email." (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/181692?hl=en) As I'm no expert on policy published on sites, I would like to seek your advice on this matter, my main concern is privacy. By the way, my account is active and working perfectly.

17 Apr 2017, 02:43 PM	#2
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,926	The domain gsuites.org is owned by "Zambrano Family Enterprises" in Miami, FL. The address in the domain registration is also used by this company: https://www.yellowpages.com/miami-fl...-llc-479869496 http://thesixgroupllc.com/ I can't tell if they are a proper Google G Suite reseller or improperly reselling a G Suite account they own. See: https://gsuite.google.com/intl/en_us...s/compare.html https://connect.googleforwork.com/docs/DOC-2685 G Suite is a renaming by Google of what used to be called "Google Apps". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Suite G Suite competes against Microsoft Office 365, but there are big differences between these services. Personally, I would recommend directly purchasing G Suites from Google unless a certified and trained reseller is assisting you with professional business services associated with the account. Does "gsuites.org" have administrative control over your account, or do you? Did they claim to be part of the Google G Suites reseller program? Bill

17 Apr 2017, 02:54 PM	#3
truemagic Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 121	I'm not sure how to check if I'm administrator myself but I have access to my own google account, gmail, gdrive etc. I was being told they (the owner) has no visibility on my data whatsoever but Google has this banner on top of my username (top right) This account is managed by gsuites.org. Learn more (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/181692?hl=en)

19 Apr 2017, 03:11 AM	#4
jhollington Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 371	My gut feeling from what you've said suggests that they may just be reselling accounts on a domain that they own, rather than being a full G Suite reseller. I'm not completely certain, but I don't believe the "This account is managed by..." appears if you've got your own G Suite account, even if it's being provided by a reseller. I'm also a bit concerned that they don't seem to appear in Google's Cloud Partner directory, although they might be listed under another name (I searched for GoEz, Zambroni, and The Six Group and nothing came up). However, none of the partners listed in Miami are at the same address either. I also find it weird that they want an eBay username on their signup form. One way to double-check this is to try to login to admin.google.com using your account. While a G Suite reseller will often have access to your admin console as well, you should have primary access, and in fact depending on the reseller relationship, you may even be able to disable their access. See Google Reseller access to Resold domains. If you can't login here at all, then you're basically just an end user on their account. Personally, I'd say that unless they can provide confirmation that they're authorized by Google to be doing whatever it is that they're doing (which in most cases, would require them to be an official Google Cloud Partner), I'd steer well clear. For the buck a month in price difference, you're far better off to just sign up for G Suite directly, as Bill suggests, especially since if they're just reselling mailboxes from their own account, they're in violation of the G Suite Terms of Service, which means that you're taking the risk that Google could shut them down at any point.

19 Apr 2017, 12:10 PM	#5
truemagic Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 121	Thanks for the very detailed and useful reply! It does look fishy when I'm not allowed access to admin.google.com as you suggested. It says 'admin.google.com is for G Suite accounts only. Regular Gmail accounts cannot be used to sign in to admin.google.com' In this case I believe they have access to every mail I receive and every photo I store with this account. I decided to never use it because it is too risky.

19 Apr 2017, 10:10 PM	#6
jhollington Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 371	Yup, as I suspected it sounds like they've got their own G Suite account (which anybody can set up directly with Google), and they're just selling sub-accounts off of it. This is definitely against the G Suite Terms of Service, so even aside form the fact that they do technically have access to everything in your account, there's also a high risk of Google shutting them down. As Bill points out, you can go and get your own G Suite account from Google for $5-$10/month per user (depending on the service level you want), which would be the exact same thing these guys are offering, except that you'd be the one managing it, and it would be legit.

21 Apr 2017, 08:02 AM	#7
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,722	My two cents--don't bother with any but well-known and rated services that you can research on places like here. To me, at least, saving even $50 a year is not worth it when one lost email might mean a missed job opportunity, or missing a credit card warning, etc. Email is too important.