Google Apps get Android admin tools

Google will soon roll out tools that let Google Apps shops lord over employees' Android handsets that tap into the web-based business app suite.

The tools will work with any Android 2.2 ("Froyo") device. "Now any employee with an Android device running version 2.2 — personal or company-issued — can access their corporate information while allowing administrators to enforce data security policies," reads a Google blog post.

Admin tools will arrive in Premier and Education Editions of the online apps suite in "the next few days," and they'll work in tandem with a local Android application, also due shortly.

Via a web browser, admins will be able to remotely wipe data from lost or stolen devices, lock devices after a period of inactivity, require phone passwords, and set various password rules. What's more, when an employee leaves the company and they retain their phone, admins can sever access to corporate data.

Google Apps now provides secure management and synchronization tools for several big-name mobile platforms, including BlackBerry, iPhone, Nokia S60, and Windows Mobile. ®