I'm leaving my current web designer, but they set up everything for me as far as Google Apps (which includes my email, google docs, calendar, etc) and Hosting, so I have no idea how everything interrelated between my Google Apps account and my Hosting with them. The relationship went sour, so I'm leaving for a better company. My question is-- how can I check if anything from my google apps account is stored on their server? My emails? Etc? Or is it just my site? As far as my email accounts-- it's [name]@rawathletics.com, but I need to verify nothing is going through their server anymore (if it ever was in the first place). I'm going to ask them to shut down my entire hosting account, but want to confirm that nothing is left in their hands, besides my current website (which is being completely redone so that doesn't matter), and I don't want to take their word for it. How can I verify?
Your Google email, Google Docs, Calendar, etc, are all hosted entirely on Google's servers. As long as you control the DNS for your domain and retain the GApps DNS records you 'own' everything.
Where exactly in my GApps Cpanel can I confirm that I retain the DNS records? And as far as controlling the DNS for the domain, you just mean have the access and ability to redirect the domain DNS?
You must have ownership of the domain, including control of the DNS at the domain registrar. If you bought the domain from your web host, you must get them to transfer it to your own domain account. Most of the popular domain registrars (eNom, GoDaddy, etc) will allow you to open up a personal account to register domains. You can transfer the domain to your own personal account to retain control over the domain's DNS. I assume from your response that you don't have a domain registration account. If you do have your own domain registration account, you will control the DNS in the control panel where you register domains.
I do-- it's all through godaddy, so I believe I do control DNS for the domain. Just trying to verify the GApps DNS records-- where can I check that?
you can ask them to shut down your entire hosting account. nothing will be left in their hands. just make sure that you have access to your google apps' administrator account, and the Godaddy domain control panel. but if you shut down your current hosting account, you will need to point your DNS to your new hosting company's, and set the mx records to google's, from your new hosting account's control panel. to check your current mx records, you can use mxtoolbox .com
Google provides that information. You can start here: http://support.google.com Search for "apps dns".