GACA Instructions.pdf
PDF 268 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 47PK0125R0002
About this file
This is a procedural guidance document from the GSA Office of the IT dated May 13, 2024, regarding the creation and use of GSA Affiliated Customer Accounts (GACA) for Google Drive and Google Sites collaboration.
GACA is a specialized Gmail account process designed to enable secure file sharing and real-time collaboration between GSA and external government customers and business partners who do not use Google in their workplace. GACA accounts are exclusively authorized for sharing information on Google Drive and Google Sites and must not be used for email communications. Collaborative data stored on these GSA systems complies with Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2, utilizing TLS 1.2 encryption for secure access and transmission. Account creation requires the end user to establish a Gmail account at http://mail.google.com/mail/signup with a mandatory username format beginning with "GSA." followed by first name and last name (e.g., GSA.john.smith@gmail.com), complete all required fields, accept Terms of Service, and enable two-factor authentication via smartphone. GACA accounts are explicitly prohibited for GSA employees and contractors, who must use gsa.gov accounts instead. GSA IT Security Staff continuously monitor all shared files and Google Sites activity, notifying users of non-compliance; if sharing is determined to involve a G Suite account user, no further action is required following notification.
View the file
Other files
Show all 27
On GovTribe
Work with this file
- Download the original file
- Contacts named in this file
- Similar government files
- Ask GovTribe AI about this file
Text version
U.S. General Services Administration Office of the GSA IT www.gsa.gov/cio
For Official Use Only
Date:
Subject:
May 13, 2024 Gmail accounts - GSA Affiliated Customer Accounts (GACA) - for sharing in GSA’s
Google Drive and Google Sites
GSA uses Google to provide employees with a way to collaborate in real time, and to create, edit and share work from anywhere. To enable simliar sharing and collaboration in Google with our government customers and business partners, while also ensuring that this shared information is safeguarded and secure, we’ve created a specialized Gmail account process called GACA – short for the GSA Affiliated Customer Accounts (GACA). Collaborative data stored on GSA’s Google Drive and Google Sites systems are compliant to the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2. This standard ensures that access and transmission occurs via a secure web page using the TLS 1.2 encryption standard. GACA is only authorized for sharing information on Google Drive and Google Sites, it is not authorized to be used for email communications.
Applicability – GACA is for those who work for our government customers and business partners who do not use Google in their workplace. Agencies and civilian partners that are using Google in their workplace do not need to create a GACA account. GACA accounts must NOT be used by GSA employees and contractors in lieu of a gsa.gov account.
How to create a GSA Affiliated Customer Account (GACA) in Gmail
The person who will be using the GACA account (the government agency customer or the business partner) must create a Gmail account at http://mail.google.com/mail/signup and follow the process below: • enter their first name and last name,
• enter their username: must start with “GSA.” then first name, last name -example: GSA.john.smith@gmail.com (mandatory),
• complete all required fields, accept the Terms of Service and submit the request, and
• set up 2-Step Verification (also known as two-factor authentication) using a smart phone that can receive simple messages (mandatory).
The GSA IT Security Staff continuously monitors all shared files in Google Drive, and sharing in GSA’s Google Sites. If non-compliance with this process is detected, then our staff will notify users of non-compliance with this process. After notification, if the sharing has been determined to be with a user that maintains a G Suite account, no further action will be required.
http://mail.google.com/mail/signup mailto:GSA.johnsmith@gmail.com
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .