12.04.10 Post By Nelly Clausworth, Vertical Cloud Solutions, Toronto Canada

Now with the latest Android release, v. 2.2, Google is moving into the enterprise mobile cloud computing area with its mobile platform.

Android 2.2 is said to support many of the required security policies enforced in enterprises, especially concerning enterprise email. These include automatic handset lock due to inactivity and administrator remote wiping in the case of lost or stolen handset.

One attractive feature is the latest support for Android, and other Mobile OS through Google Apps, letting users start security features on their handsets from a browser and by installing the Google Apps Device Policy, that will soon be available from the Android Market.

Google is being very bold  with its multi-platform support for its Google App suite on mobile phones for enterprises. This service is free of charge for customers that have the Google App Premier Edition subscription ($52 user/year).

The Google Apps Device Policy can be used to synchronize data (email, contacts, calendar, and Picasa photos) between the supported device and a Google Apps domain.

Also, with Android 2.2. handsets: Using Google Apps Premier and Education Edition administrators can manage their users’ Android devices with a set of mobile device management policies designed to let users access their data while keeping organizational information secure. These policies include the ability remotely wipe data from lost or stolen devices, require a device password, set password complexity, and more.

With this trend, Google is making more pervasive its position in enterprise class mobile cloud computing.

Before, Android users could access their Gmail and Google Apps remotely on their handsets, but enterprises generally haven’t been willing to accept the platforms due to its lack of control and security mechanisms.