To meet the Google Workspace portion of NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 and CMMC 2.0 practice SC.L2-3.13.9, set Google Workspace session length admin console policy by assigning a defined Session duration to the organizational units that access company data, then require users to authenticate again when that session expires. Google Session Control terminates the Google authenticated session after the configured duration; because it is a fixed session-duration control rather than a true idle timer, pair it with endpoint screen-lock and device-management controls to address unattended remote devices.
How do I set Google Workspace session length admin console policy for an organizational unit?
Google Workspace administrators configure this setting in Google Session Control. Apply the policy to a dedicated organizational unit rather than the root organization first, particularly during a remote or hybrid workforce rollout. That approach lets a proposal team describe a phased, documented implementation without unexpectedly expiring sessions for executives, service accounts, shared kiosks, or legacy workflows.
- Create or confirm the scoped organizational unit. In the Admin console, go to Directory > Organizational units. Create an OU such as
Controlled-Data-Users,Remote-Workforce, orCUI-Enclave-Users. Move only the in-scope user accounts into that OU. Do not place service accounts in this OU; service accounts use noninteractive authentication and need a separate identity-control design. - Open Google Session Control. From the Admin console home page, select Security > Access and data control > Google Session Control.
- Select the correct policy scope. In the organizational-unit selector, choose
Controlled-Data-Usersor the OU created for the remote/hybrid population. Confirm that the page shows the intended OU before editing a setting. A common implementation error is changing the root organization when the intended policy applies only to users handling controlled data. - Set the session expiration value. Under Session duration, select the option to set a session duration and choose
8 hours. This means a user must authenticate again after eight hours of Google Workspace session use, including access to services such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, and the Admin console where applicable. - Save the setting. Select Save. Record the effective date, applicable OU, configured duration, approving authority, and business justification in the system security plan or configuration-management record.
- Allow the policy to propagate. Google policy changes can take time to reach all users and browsers. Do not treat the control as operational until a test account in the scoped OU has demonstrated the required reauthentication behavior.
An eight-hour duration is usually defensible for a standard remote workday because it limits a stolen or unattended browser session while avoiding unnecessary mid-shift interruptions. The right duration is a documented risk decision, not a universal number. A workforce that routinely handles sensitive exports from unmanaged locations may justify a four-hour policy, while a tightly managed workforce operating from controlled facilities may support eight hours with compensating endpoint controls.
| Population | Google Session Control setting | Rationale for SC.L2-3.13.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Remote and hybrid staff accessing business collaboration data | Session duration: 8 hours | Ends the Google authenticated session after a defined workday-length period and requires reauthentication. |
| Users supporting higher-risk controlled-data workflows | Session duration: 4 hours | Reduces exposure from an unattended browser session where users handle regulated files or sensitive research records. |
| Privileged Google Workspace administrators | Session duration: 1 to 4 hours, based on approved risk decision | Limits persistence of high-impact administrative sessions and supports more frequent identity revalidation. |
For example, Alder Ridge University, a 9,200-user research institution, created a DoD-CUI-Collaboration OU for approximately 185 faculty, research administrators, and sponsored-project staff working on DoD-funded programs. Those users access Gmail, Drive, Shared Drives, Meet, and a controlled research-project intake workflow from university-managed laptops. The university set an eight-hour Google session duration for the OU, while its endpoint-management policy locks the device after 15 minutes of inactivity and requires operating-system sign-in before work can continue.
How do I verify that the Google Workspace session duration took effect?
Verification should prove both the administrative configuration and the user-facing result. A policy screenshot alone shows intent; a test demonstrates that the configured Google Workspace session length in Admin console is being enforced for an actual account.
- Create or identify a non-privileged test user in the target OU, such as
gws-session-test@organization.edu. - Use a clean browser profile or an incognito window on a managed test device. Sign in as the test user and open Gmail and Google Drive.
- Record the sign-in time, the OU assignment, device name, browser, and network location. Do not manually sign out during the test.
- For initial validation, use a temporary test OU with the shortest approved session duration available in the tenant, rather than waiting through an eight-hour production setting. Keep the production OU at its approved value.
- After the configured test duration has elapsed, refresh Gmail or navigate to
drive.google.com. The user should be required to authenticate again before gaining access to the Google Workspace service. - After validation, restore the test OU to its documented production policy or retain it as a controlled regression-test OU. Save the test result with the date, tester, account, expected result, and actual result.
A second worked example illustrates why scope matters. Harbor Valley Institute, a 3,400-person research university with a 70-user DoD-funded engineering enclave, uses Google Workspace for identity, email notification, and controlled project collaboration, while its CUI repositories remain in a separately managed enclave. The institute applies a four-hour session duration only to its CUI-Project-Team OU, verifies it using a managed Windows laptop over home internet, and documents that the endpoint’s 15-minute screen lock covers idle periods that Google Session Control does not detect.
What evidence should I capture for an SC.L2-3.13.9 assessor?
An assessor needs evidence that the organization defined the period, applied it to the right users, and confirmed that sessions terminate or require reauthentication as designed. Collect evidence close to the review date and protect it as configuration evidence because screenshots may expose usernames, organizational structure, or security settings.
| Evidence item | Google Workspace source or artifact | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| Session Control screenshot | Security > Access and data control > Google Session Control | The selected OU and configured Session duration, such as 8 hours. |
| OU membership screenshot or export | Directory > Organizational units and user directory records | Which users are subject to the policy and whether CUI-access personnel are included. |
| Administrative audit export | Reporting > Audit and investigation > Admin log events | Who changed Google Session Control, what changed, and when the change was made. |
| Test procedure and results | Signed validation record with screenshots before and after session expiration | That a scoped user was required to reauthenticate after the defined duration. |
| Policy and risk decision | Remote-work policy, access-control policy, SSP, or configuration standard | Why the organization selected the duration and how it maps to SC.L2-3.13.9. |
For a proposal response, describe the evidence as an operational process: the security administrator reviews Google Admin audit events after material policy changes, retains the configuration record, and performs periodic account-based tests following major identity, browser-management, or remote-access changes. This is stronger than promising that the setting exists because it demonstrates repeatability.
Where does Google Session Control fall short, and what fills the gap?
Google Session Control applies to Google authenticated sessions; it does not independently terminate every network connection on a user device, detect every period of keyboard or mouse inactivity, lock a workstation, control VPN sessions, or govern sessions in non-Google SaaS applications. Therefore, it should not be represented as the only mechanism satisfying SC.L2-3.13.9 across the enterprise.
- Unattended device risk: Enforce an operating-system screen lock after a defined inactivity period through endpoint management, such as Microsoft Intune, Jamf, or Google endpoint management for supported devices.
- VPN and enclave access: Configure the VPN, zero-trust access platform, or remote desktop gateway with its own idle timeout and absolute session limit.
- Other cloud applications: Set equivalent session-duration and reauthentication controls in the relevant identity provider or SaaS application.
- Manual session termination: Document user sign-out expectations and ensure offboarding procedures revoke accounts, tokens, and active sessions promptly.
- Mobile connections: Address mobile-device access separately under AC.L2-3.1.18, which complements this session-termination requirement.
Use the Google Workspace session-duration configuration, its validation record, and the supporting endpoint and remote-access controls as a single evidence package before finalizing the RFP control response.
