UserAuthGuard vs Gopher for Chrome
Gopher for Chrome is a Google Sheets add-on for bulk work on a Chromebook fleet. UserAuthGuard is a standing rule: this device belongs to this student, enforced by Google at the sign-in screen, with the record kept. The closest category to ours, and still a different job.
The Short Version
Gopher for Chrome comes from CDW's Amplified for Education team. As its own Marketplace listing describes it, it is a Google Sheets add-on that bulk-updates Chromebook status and metadata from a sheet and produces device, ChromeOS and Auto Update Expiration reports, with a Premium tier that adds the Gopher Buddy extension for session details. For current detail, read the Gopher for Chrome listing, published by CDW Amplified for Education.
That is a bulk-action tool: it does what you tell it, at scale, from a spreadsheet. UserAuthGuard is built around a rule that stands on its own. Each Chromebook gets its own organizational unit in Google Workspace, with a sign-in restriction naming the one student allowed to use it. Google refuses anyone else before the desktop loads. Around that rule sits the record: who has which device, its history, check-in and check-out, repairs, and end-of-year collection. Bulk operations are in there too, because a fleet this size needs them, but they are not the point.
You will not find a list of what Gopher cannot do on this page. Vendors ship features, and a checklist of someone else's gaps is wrong the day after it is published. This page describes what a bulk-action admin tool is for and what device assignment enforcement is for, so you can place any product, Gopher included, yourself.
Side By Side, By Question
The questions a technology office actually asks, and which kind of tool answers each one
| The question | UserAuthGuard | A bulk-action admin tool |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk work | ||
| I need to move 400 devices to a new unit, or disable a batch. | Bulk operations from the dashboard or a CSV.Moves, disable and re-enable, annotated fields | This is the job.Rows in a sheet become actions in the Admin console |
| Which models hit Auto Update Expiration next year, and how many do we buy? | The Fleet Lifecycle Planner.Count, age and AUE date per device, turned into a purchase forecast | Reporting from Google's device data is typical of the category. |
| Access | ||
| Who can sign in to this Chromebook? | The one student named on the device's unit.Google refuses everyone else at the sign-in screen | Whatever your units and policies say.A bulk tool acts on command; the standing rule is yours to define and maintain |
| A student picks up a classmate's device. What happens? | Sign-in is refused.The device stays tied to its assigned student | Depends on the policies you have set.Nothing in a bulk tool's job description refuses a sign-in |
| The record | ||
| Who has this serial number, who had it before, and in what condition did it come back? | The assignment record, with history, timestamps and check-in condition. | Whatever the sheet you keep says.The record is yours to maintain |
| Is this device out on loan or in repair, and what did the repair cost? | Loaners and a repair queue.Parts, warranty, technician and cost on the same record | Not what a bulk tool is for. |
| How many came back in June, and from whom? | Scan-in collection, reconciled by student. | Not what a bulk tool is for. |
| The session | ||
| What is on the screen right now, and is anyone at risk? | Optional.A classroom and safety extension is included if you want it; the sign-in lock does not depend on it | Not what a bulk tool is for. |
How the Lock Works, and What Sits Around It
One unit per device
Each Chromebook is moved into its own organizational unit in Google Workspace. The unit becomes the device's identity in your domain, and any unit-level policy you apply stays with that device.
Step 1One name on the unit
A sign-in restriction on that unit names the one student allowed to sign in. Reassign the device in UserAuthGuard and the name on the unit changes with it.
Step 2Google does the refusing
Anyone else who tries is turned away at the sign-in screen by Google itself. There is nothing on the device to uninstall for this to hold. This is what OU-Lock is.
Step 3The record rides along
Assignment history, check-in and check-out, loaners, repairs and collection all hang off the same device record, so "who has this?" is a lookup, not a search through a sheet.
Step 4Repairs on the same record
A repair queue with intake, parts, warranty lookup, technician assignment and cost, tied to the device and the student who had it. Damage traces to a person, not a serial number.
IncludedLost and stolen, with care
A recovery workflow for devices a district has marked lost or stolen, including a kiosk mode that captures location and screenshots only on those devices, never in normal use. See the Theft Recovery Privacy Policy.
IncludedWhat UserAuthGuard Costs
Published, so you can put it next to whatever quote is on your desk
Free plan
- ✓ Every device, user and organizational unit in your fleet
- ✓ Assignment gaps and fleet reporting
- ✓ No device cap
- ✓ No credit card, no trial clock
Enforcement
- ✓ OU-Lock on every assigned device
- ✓ Bulk operations, repair queue and collection
- ✓ Classroom and safety extension as an add-on
- ✓ No multi-year commitment required
In a Customer's Words
"I would absolutely recommend UserAuthGuard to other districts. If you need to keep track of your devices and you're using Google Admin, it's a no-brainer."
Matt Miller, Technology Coordinator, Southeast Delco School District
Read the case studies →Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gopher for Chrome?
Gopher for Chrome is a Google Sheets add-on from CDW's Amplified for Education team. As its own Marketplace listing describes it, it bulk-updates Chromebook status and metadata from a sheet and produces device, ChromeOS and Auto Update Expiration reports, with a Premium tier that adds the Gopher Buddy extension for session details. For anything current, see the Gopher for Chrome listing. We describe Gopher only by what its maker says about it.
Can I keep using Gopher alongside UserAuthGuard?
Yes. Both work through the Google Admin SDK on the same Workspace, and a bulk move made in either shows up in Google. One thing to know: UserAuthGuard's rule is that each assigned device lives in its own unit. If another tool moves a locked device out of that unit, the sign-in restriction on that unit no longer covers the device until it is moved back. Make assignments in UserAuthGuard, and use other tools for work that does not touch a locked device's unit.
Does UserAuthGuard do the bulk work I use Gopher for?
UserAuthGuard has bulk operations: moving devices between units, disabling and re-enabling, editing annotated fields, CSV import and export, and Auto Update Expiration reporting through the Fleet Lifecycle Planner. Whether that covers everything you do today in a sheet is for your own evaluation. Start the free plan and try your usual tasks against your real fleet.
What is OU-Lock?
Each Chromebook gets its own organizational unit in Google Workspace, and that unit carries a sign-in restriction naming the one student allowed to use the device. Google enforces it at the sign-in screen, so anyone else is refused before the desktop loads. Reassigning the device updates the restriction. Nothing is installed on the device to make this work.
Why doesn't this page list what Gopher can't do?
Because we cannot keep such a list true. Vendors ship features without telling competitors, and a comparison table full of crosses is a snapshot that ages badly. We would rather tell you what a bulk-action tool is for, what device assignment enforcement is for, and let you place the products. If you want to know what Gopher does, ask CDW. If you want to know what UserAuthGuard does, start the free plan and look at your own fleet.
Is UserAuthGuard really free?
Yes. The free plan is read-only visibility of your whole fleet: every device, user and organizational unit, assignment gaps, and fleet reporting. No device cap, no credit card, no trial clock. Enforcement (OU-Lock, bulk operations, and the classroom and safety extension) is paid, with published pricing and no multi-year commitment required.
How long does it take to get started?
Connect Google Workspace and the free plan shows your whole fleet the same day. UserAuthGuard works through the Google Admin SDK, so there is nothing to install on devices for the sign-in lock. Add enforcement when you are ready.
From bulk actions to a standing rule
Start free. No device cap. No credit card. Add enforcement when you are ready, at a published price.