Google allows remote encryption of Android data

SMARTPHONE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Google has updated parts of its Google Apps service to help Android users safeguard data on their devices.

Google has added features to its Apps Device Policy application that allow users to locate a lost or stolen Android device, remotely ring the device and even reset the device PIN or password. As for data loss prevention, administrators can now encrypt data on Android devices remotely, which should allay the concerns of organisations worried about what might happen should an employee lose their phone.

Apart from data security and device location, Google also released a corporate address book called Google Apps Lookup. Essentially an address book geared towards finding others in the same organisation, it will enable administrators to provide an organisation directory to employees on their Android devices.

Google knows that as Android gets put on more phones and tablets, it needs to address security and management issues. Google Apps for Business is the full version of the Google Apps that all Google users can access, with applications that cater for large corporations.

There's no doubt that Google's ever growing suite of applications coupled with the large number of mobile devices supporting them makes for a very persuasive argument to adopt them.

With the volume of data stored locally on mobile devices growing and the ability to access vast storage services through the Internet, keeping business related data secure on mobile devices is a key challenge for all organisations. Software developers like Google need to come up with robust solutions before smartphones and tablets will really become ubiquitous in the workplace. µ