Mail Forwarding in GSuite

What is Mail Forwarding in G-Suite?

G Suite has a feature in which the Google administrators can forward incoming emails from outside the domain or within it to other specified user email id’s. It is very useful when the user wants that no incoming messages to their inboxes are missed or remains undelivered. It helps the user to designate specific mail addresses to receive incoming mails so that if anytime they are absent or out of office due to any reason, the incoming mails are not missed and reaches the mailbox of the designated user and they can make use of the information in a fruitful manner.

Mail forwarding in G Suite doesn’t only happen or is possible at the admin level but also can be done from the user level in which the user can set specific mail addresses by themselves to forward incoming mails to specific addresses. However admin must give the access of email forwarding to users so that users can perform this task in user level.

This gives more flexibility to the user to handle tasks and operate independently to select and forward important mails to specific users. This is primarily the concept of mail forwarding in G Suite.

How is mail forwarding in G Suite done?

The mail forwarding option in G Suite primarily allows one user to forward incoming messages to his mailbox to other email addresses. This can be done in three ways as follows :

• Forward mail to another account

• Use a filter to manage incoming messages

• Admin Level Routing

What are the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of mail forwarding in GSuite?

• Forward mail to another account

The ability of Gmail users to forward incoming emails from their mailboxes to other email addresses is known as email forwarding in GSuite.

Advantages -

• 1. Easy for users to set up after they follow the instructions and get the forwarding account confirmed with Google.

• 2. Users have control and can make changes to where their messages are forwarded to.

• 3. The risk of missing on important mails while on leave or out of office situations are reduced and thus it gives additional benefit of remaining active on mail reception at all times which impacts productivity.

Disadvantages -

• 1. Users can set up only one forwarding address.

• 2. Administrators have no visibility/control over this feature on a per-user basis. However, it is possible if G Suite admin enables this feature from admin console.

• 3. At the user level, users do not have complete control over their ability to mail forwarding as admins can disable mail forwarding for any user at any time which reduces flexibility at the user level.

• Use a filter to manage incoming messages

A gmail user can manage the flow of incoming messages by automatically taking actions on messages (archiving, deleting, forwarding messages) based on rules.

Advantages -

1. Using a filter allows a gmail user to avail the flexibility that instead of forwarding all incoming messages, Gmail filters can forward messages based on certain rules. For example, one can forward messages from certain addresses or that have a particular subject.

Disadvantages -

•       1. Users can create up to 20 filters that forward to other addresses.

•       2. Administrators have no visibility or control over this feature on a per-user basis. However, this is possible when G Suite admin enables this from admin console.

• Set user-level routing to create additional destinations where messages are delivered for specific user accounts - Routing from Admin Console

As an admin  you can manage where to forward any user's email. By default, email is delivered to the recipient's Gmail inbox and to any additional destinations specified for the domain called domain level routing.

Maximum 12 additional email addresses can be added through mail forwarding from admin.

Advantages -

• 1.  Administrators have control and visibility over where user mail is forwarded.

• 2 . This feature can be controlled from the Google Admin console.

• 3. Admin can setup routing to a specific users without informing that user.  

Disadvantages -

1. This feature can be controlled by the administrator only and thus does not give the user flexibility to forward emails to other addresses from the user level. This is a kind of limitation.