Google Apps Mobile Management for Android blessed with four new security features

Bring your own device (BYOD) is more common than ever in the working world and of course Google is looking to capitalize on this opportunity. Today, the company announced four new features for its Google Apps Mobile Management for Android service. First up to bat is inactive account wipe, which clears an inactive user account from a device after a predetermined number of days. An ideal scenario for this feature is a misplaced or stolen smartphone or tablet loaded with sensitive information. Google’s second new feature for people taking their devices into the corporate world is the addition of Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). This will let your company’s admins distribute CA-based certificates for EAP networks.

The third BYOD-friendly admin tool is compromised device detection. This lets your IT team set parameters that identify if a device has been compromised. This can be actions such as rooting a smartphone or installing a custom ROM.

Lastly, there are new reporting fields in the API and Admin console that are available to assist with troubleshooting a device. These new fields include: Serial number, IMEI, MEID, WiFi MAC address, baseband version, kernel version, build number, mobile operator/carrier, language settings, and account ownership/management.

To take to take these new security measures for a spin, direct your IT crew to the Google Admin console to get this party started.