Google announces new BYOD features for Android devices

As more and more companies start allowing employees to bring their own smartphones and tablets into work, Google is obviously looking to capture a portion of that enterprise market. The company on Thursday announced several new features for the growing bring your own device, or BYOD, market.

Comprehensive mobile device management is included with Google Apps for Business, Government and Education. Organizations large and small can manage smartphones and tablets – including Android and iOS – right from the Google Apps Admin console, with no need for special hardware or software.

Administrators now have the ability to remove Google Apps data from a device without totally wiping the device, as well as the ability to wipe the SD card in addition to the internal memory during a full device wipe. They can also now control the WiFi settings for all managed Android devices via the admin console.  Finally, admins can now make sure that security policies are universal across all devices by requiring the newest Device Policy app.

The full feature list is below:

• Selective wipe – Remove Google Apps account data without wiping a user’s entire device.
• SD card wipe – During a full device wipe, wipe SD cards in addition to the internal memory.
• Device Policy app – Ensure that security policies are enforced across all devices by requiring the latest version of the Device Policy app.
• Wi-Fi configuration – Enter wi-fi settings in the Admin console once — and they’ll be automatically pushed out to all managed Android devices.