Google is Bringing Mobile Management and Security to Smaller Businesses

Android Enterprise Essentials is a new Google offering that provides Android-based secure mobile management to smaller businesses.

“Many small and medium-sized businesses believe that because they’re smaller, their security risk is relatively small as well,” Google’s James Nugent writes. “But that isn’t always the case. Some small and medium-sized businesses also worry that mobile security requires a large, complex investment, perhaps beyond their budget or expertise.”

Google’s answer to this problem is called Android Enterprise Essentials, and it’s based on the more comprehensive and expensive security services that it offers to its enterprise customers. Key features include:

• Requiring a lock screen and encryption on devices to prevent unauthorized access to company data.
• Enforcing mandatory malware protection by ensuring Google Play Protect is always on and employees can’t download apps outside of the Google Play Store.
• Providing the ability to wipe all company data from a device in case it’s lost or stolen.

Android Enterprise Essentials is aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses, but Google says it can be used by companies of any size, and it is a good starting point for customers that want the simplest-possible management solution for now, with an option to upgrade in the future.

One question is the cost: I can’t find any data on this, though Google says that Android Enterprise Essentials will be offered by partners, starting with Synnex in the U.S. and Tech Data in the UK, and that the service will be brought global early next year.

You can learn more at the Android Enterprise Essentials website and register for an upcoming webinar.