Google is attempting to bolster Android usage in business, deploying a number of new features that take on Apple and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company rolled out a new version of the "Google Apps Device Policy" app that lets business users secure lost or stolen devices, running Android 2.2 or higher, by remotely resetting the device PIN or password.
The app can also help users find lost devices by sounding the ringer and by displaying its current location on a map. Devices running the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 platform can also encrypt stored data as well.
The new features could help Android gain traction with businesses. While Android has scaled in popularity with consumers, it has lagged behind in terms of enterprise usage.
The new apps should also help close the gap with rival Apple, which has begun encroaching on traditional BlackBerry territory. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company's iPhone already offers device data encryption, phone-finding and remote-lock features and is increasingly raising its profile in the business market with the help of third-party security apps.
Several large corporations have already started using the iPhone as their corporate device. Deutsche Bank, for example, tested Good Technology's secure email app to see if employees could use the iPhone as a corporate device. After the two-month trial, the bank preferred Apple to RIM.
Making Android more business-friendly also takes on RIM in one of its strongest sectors. BlackBerry devices' reputation for strong data security and encryption has made it the go-to for government and big business.
While RIM still holds a lead with corporate sectors, some businesses are responding to employee demands and moving away from BlackBerry devices. Recently, Clorox began offering its employees the choice of Android, Windows Phone 7 or Apple devices for corporate communications.
Google's new business apps are only available to Google Apps for Business and Google Apps for Education customers.
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