Google moved
to fortify security and management for Android smartphones and tablets used in
businesses, with three new software updates designed to improve productivity
for workers using Google Apps for Business and Google Apps for Education.
While Research
in Motion Blackberry smartphones have dominated the enterprise for the last
decade, more businesses are allowing employees to bring their personal
Android and iPhone devices into the workplace.
This has
forced IT administrators to adapt to workers' device preferences and figure out
ways to manage them. Good Technology, Sybase, Mobile Iron and Zenprise are all
offering solutions to help these businesses, but Google offers its own
management applications for Google Apps collaboration software.
Google April 7
launched a new version of the Google Apps Device Policy application,
which will let employees secure a lost or stolen Android device.
The application
will locate an Android smartphone on a map, ring the device, and reset the
device PIN or password remotely through the new My Devices website.
The application
runs on Android 2.2 and later devices. EWEEK downloaded it directly to a
Motorola Droid X in seconds via Google's Android Market Webstore here.
Second, Google
issued a new corporate contacts application called Google Apps Lookup that
makes it easier for employees to contact people in their business.
Users will
type or speak the name or email address of a coworker, and then tap to call, email,
instant message or send a text message. Because Lookup pulls information from
the Google Apps directory, administrators need to enable the "Shared
Contacts" option in the control panel for workers to use this.
Screenshots of
how this works are available here for this application, which works
for Android 2.1 and later devices.
Google also
offers a new perk to help Google Apps administrators manage Android 3.0
"Honeycomb" tablets.
Administrators
can now use an option in their Apps control panel to encrypt data on device,
which will include requiring encrypted storage on Android 3.0 tablets.
Honeycomb slates will need version 2.0 of the Google Apps Device Policy application
to make this work.
The new
Android enterprise perks come more than five months after the last batch of
upgrades for business devices. Google Oct. 28 added enterprise management and sync support for
Google Apps on its Android 2.2 mobile platform.
That upgrade
let Apps administrators remotely wipe all data from lost or stolen mobile
devices, lock idle devices after a period of inactivity, require a device
password on each phone, set minimum lengths to boost password security and
require alphanumeric passwords.
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