Google woos enterprises to Android with new security offerings Google is once again trying to coax large organizations into using its Android operating system, this time by giving the end user the ability to remotely secure lost or stolen devices and admins encrypt data stored on tablets. In a blog post published Thursday, Product Manager for Google Enterprise Mobility Mayur Kamat said …
Thanks for the tip of Autowipe, I'll have a look.
I have a selection of apps which do various security things. Lookout does indeed do location (wipe available on the paid for version). There is also where's my droid which works via a trigger text message and replies via text message with a link to google maps.
Last, but not least, if you have an HTC phone, the HTC sense website offers remote location, a loud remote ring and wiping.
SYNC TO OUTLOOK FULLY VIA BLUETOOTH!
How difficult can this be, Noka using old Symbian OS does this perfectly (nokia e71)... and I know about that rubbish looking companion link and that even uglyer office thing.. No, out of the box, bit of config and I want contacts, notes, todo & calendar all 2-way syncing to outlook. Sort that out and I will snap an android phone up. Till then its a none starter..
Being an enterprise user, then surely you are using Exchange to deliver all your data. Therefore most Android phones - certainly the HTC ones right back to at least the Hero have support for Exchange syncing of E-mail, Contacts and Calendar over WiFi or network data. You can also VPN via the phone.
This is a lot better than using a sync straight via Bluetooth surely? Having both could cause of problems.
But for general privacy/security what Android really needs is a firewall - including per app settings (allow/deny/allow access only to specific site). Then rather than aftre the fact wipe/recovery tools, we would have a chance to stop all the data leakage in the first place.
Better - each App has a list of features it wants permission to use - let us select which features we want it to have access to - not just "take it or leave it"! Then the app has to cope with "oh, no camera (access) or "no location data" or "no internet". They have to deal with these situations anyway (network is off, gps out of range, no on board camera, etc). So just let us tick a box tellign the app it can't use a function of our device.
wish list!
...most of them are required for the App to function properly. For example, a barcode scanner is useless without camera access. Similarly, programs that search the Internet for information can't work without the Internet. Sure, some apps (particularly ad-supported ones) abuse the permissions list, but most ask for the permission because they NEED the permission. So you could say it IS all or nothing. Either allow ALL the functions or your app doesn't work.
Remote wipe and the like are usually considered tools of last resort to be used than a phone gets lost or stolen. Wiping the phone ensures compromising or personal data can't be read after that point, and locators help you find the phone: to see if you just dropped it or it actually got carried away.
It does not support changes to contacts (Make a change to a contact on PC or phone and it does not sync)
Also, changes to mail (Delete or refile in another folder) are not synced.
About the only thing I am disappointed with on android, otherwise it is great!
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