Google adds admin control for Apps on smartphones

New features will ensure that corporate policies are enforced across mobile devices

A new update from Google will allow administrators to manage and control staff access to Google applications on a range of enterprise devices.

IT staff with Apps Premier and Education Edition administrator rights will be able to manage employee access to applications on iPhone, Nokia E series and Windows Mobile devices from the Apps control panel, without the need for additional software.

Bryan Mawhinney, a mobile software engineer at Google, said in a blog post that the new features are designed to let administrators ensure that corporate policies are enforced across a range of mobile devices.

The new controls allow administrators to remotely wipe data from devices and lock them after a period of inactivity, and to enforce several password options including setting minimum length and the use of letters, numbers and punctuation.

The features will be accessible from the Google Apps control panel. Once a user starts synchronising a device with Google Apps, the domain administrator will be able to remotely wipe data right from the user settings page.

The update follows Google's launch last year of a number of enhancements focused on mobile productivity for BlackBerry users and Android phones.

In related news, Google issued an over-the-air update for its Nexus One handset yesterday to addresses problems with the phone's 3G connectivity.