Device Management for Google Sync

On Wednesday February 3, Google announced support for basic corporate policy enforcement across a range of mobile devices. Administrators may apply these policies to Windows Mobile, Nokia, and iPhone devices, all of which are Exchange ActiveSync enabled. This is a good move by the Google Apps team and brings them one step closer to parity with myriad Exchange hosters. While, in my biased opinion, this capability does not constitute an enterprise class device management solution, I do think that the recognition that organizations want to connect mobile devices to enterprise IT services means that Google is listening to their customers. It also means that Google Apps is becoming more applicable to a wider variety of users, and end-points. These administrative controls, as Google calls them, allow Google Apps admins to set password policies for mobile devices connecting in via Google Sync. An admin can also remotely wipe a mobile device in case it is lost or stolen. Both of these features are critical security measures for enterprises leveraging mobile technology. An interesting omission in all of this however is lack of support for Google's own Android. I imagine Google will remedy this over time, either by adding deeper support for Exchange ActiveSync to the Android platform, including support for security policies, or by some Google proprietary method.