Tuesday Take-Away: New Google Apps Admin Features

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One of the common criticisms of cloud solutions and Google Apps is the lack of administrative capabilities.  For the most part, this criticism is unfounded as many of these capabilities are no longer needed when you are free from managing the hardware and network resources behind your applications.

Beyond the so-called “paradigm-shift”, Google is aggressively adding administrative capabilities.  Some of the new features include:

  • Restrict users ability to download “native”/legacy (non-Google) format files, such as .doc, .ppt, and .pdf files.
  • Allow delegated administrators to wipe mobile devices
  • Allowing delegated administrators to use non-primary domains
  • Expanded reporting and administrative APIs
  • Expanded Mobile Management, including:
    • Granular policies: Configure mobile settings at the organizational unit level
    • Device activation: Control what devices can connect to your users’ Google Apps data
    • Device console: View all mobile devices in your domain connecting with Google Sync or Android Sync