Passwd: A Walkthrough Of The Google Workspace Password Manager

Passwd is designed specifically for organizations operating within Google Workspace. Rather than competing as a general consumer password manager, its purpose is narrow, and business-focused: secure credential storage, controlled sharing, and seamless Workspace integration. The platform emphasizes practicality over feature overload, aiming to provide a reliable system for teams that already rely on Google's tools.

Encryption and data protection are the basic building blocks of Passwd. Every credential, file, or sensitive asset gets encrypted with AES-256, an extremely secure encryption standard that is widely recognized. Encryption happens before storage, keeping data protected throughout its lifecycle.

Passwd is based on a zero-knowledge architecture; only the users, not Passwd, are able to access decrypted data. It does not have any visibility of the stored passwords or secrets.

Security assurance is further supported by SOC 2 and GDPR readiness, through documentation and controls for businesses that need to adhere to regulated compliance standards. Along with encryption and zero-knowledge design, these certifications reinforce the security posture of the platform.

Audit logs and access tracking provide visibility into who has viewed, shared, or changed credentials in the system. This is helpful in a number of ways when it comes to compliance, internal audits, and security reviews.

From a reliability perspective, Passwd has minimal downtime. Though Google updates caused disruptions, they have only been short-lived. There have not been any data breaches to date.

Where most password managers extend across multiple ecosystems, Passwd stays firmly within Google's. The platform connects directly to Google Workspace for identity management, making onboarding and administration easier.

Because authentication is done via Google OAuth, users sign in with their existing Google accounts, with no new master passwords, credentials, or login systems to maintain. This reduces credential sprawl and eliminates separate password databases.

For teams used to Gmail, Drive, Docs, or Google Admin Console, the setup feels intuitively familiar. Deployments take mere minutes rather than requiring IT restructuring.

This focus also creates clarity about the intended environment in which Passwd will operate: Passwd works only inside the Google Workspace ecosystem and cannot be used with external identity providers.

Source: The Hacker News