Exchange Email - PIN Locking & Remote Wipe

[fshine]

Hi,

I have been trying to get more information on what Android 2.0's capabilities are around its ability to sync with Exchange. My company requires PIN locking and remote wipe in order to sync, but it seems nearly impossible to find out of this is a supported feature within 2.0. Has anyone tried this with a similar set of Exchange policies that may have tested 2.0 or the Droid itself? Help!

Thanks,
FShine

 

[bryantchoung]

I got it to work on the Android 2.0 SDK Emulator:

http://androidforums.com/motorola-d...hange-works-even-activesync-provisioning.html

 

[Redflea]

If you need remote wipe, this should do it:

https://www.mobiledefense.com/

Free now - they state on the site "Mobile Defense is in public beta and we will be launching commercially very soon. In the future, there may be a nominal charge for premium services."

Got this from the Tom's Guide top Android apps list.

 

[Jaxx10]

I would like it too .. I work for verizon and would like access to my corp email and website... spoke to Verizon Tech support and advised its not supported... that doesnt make sense.... blackberry have it ..and i only have mac computers at home and thats not supported either !!

 

[brainyjd]

I work in IT for a company and the email setup can normally be done without IT's involvement. If the company has OWA (Outlook Web Access) all you need to do is enter that information and your email will sync with no issues.

I would like it too .. I work for verizon and would like access to my corp email and website... spoke to Verizon Tech support and advised its not supported... that doesnt make sense.... blackberry have it ..and i only have mac computers at home and thats not supported either !!

 

[amolaver]

I work in IT for a company and the email setup can normally be done without IT's involvement. If the company has OWA (Outlook Web Access) all you need to do is enter that information and your email will sync with no issues.

uh..this is most definately incorrect information. just because an organization has exposed OWA to the interwebs does NOT mean activesync is exposed. additionally, it would appear there are issues with android's implementation of activesync (see iPhone); if your IT department pushes a security policy via activesync, it is unlikely to work. if the security policy fails to deploy, no syncing.

this is a show stopper for me does anyone know the activesync policies implemented in the out-of-the-box client?

ahm

 

[brainyjd]

uh..this is most definately incorrect information. just because an organization has exposed OWA to the interwebs does NOT mean activesync is exposed. additionally, it would appear there are issues with android's implementation of activesync (see iPhone); if your IT department pushes a security policy via activesync, it is unlikely to work. if the security policy fails to deploy, no syncing.

this is a show stopper for me does anyone know the activesync policies implemented in the out-of-the-box client?

ahm

Saying "this is most definately incorrect information" is going a little over board since Google has not actually given detailed specs of the email client in 2.0. In most users cases the method I described will work with no problems. If you company has set strict policies then you should be talking to the company about help with email setup for the Droid.

 

[virtus]

Built-in Exchange support for real corporations is sorely lacking. Remote wipe and PIN locking are not supported. SSL causes problems with attachments in some situations. Most corporations (especially financial and medical) require privacy or HIPAA signatures - which are not supported by Android 2.0.

Apps like touchdown can fix some issues, but overall most serious IT depts are not going to like the droid.

I started this thread which has more info:

http://androidforums.com/how-tips/16214-exchange-faq-solutions-summary.html

Also, at the bottom of the first post are links to google's issue tracker. Please visit each issue and mark it with a star to encourage google to focus on fixing exchange support!

 

[amolaver]

Saying "this is most definately incorrect information" is going a little over board since Google has not actually given detailed specs of the email client in 2.0. In most users cases the method I described will work with no problems. If you company has set strict policies then you should be talking to the company about help with email setup for the Droid.

saying, 'If the company has OWA (Outlook Web Access) all you need to do is enter that information and your email will sync with no issues' is incorrect. period.

OWA and activesync are completely separate features and enabling one has no bearing on another.

the security features available via Activesync (and their lack of implementation in Android) is a seperate issue. for me, not having those features available == no droid sale. i REALLY like the phone, but it simply won't work for me if i can't sync my business mail/contacts/calendar. bummer

ahm

 

[yasuro]

saying, 'If the company has OWA (Outlook Web Access) all you need to do is enter that information and your email will sync with no issues' is incorrect. period.

OWA and activesync are completely separate features and enabling one has no bearing on another.

the security features available via Activesync (and their lack of implementation in Android) is a seperate issue. for me, not having those features available == no droid sale. i REALLY like the phone, but it simply won't work for me if i can't sync my business mail/contacts/calendar. bummer

ahm

you'd have to use touchdown to get all those features that are not currently in the android 2.0 native applications. touchdown supports pin, security policies, private certs, and remote wipe (of just touchdown email data, NOT the entire phone).

 

[amolaver]

you'd have to use touchdown to get all those features that are not currently in the android 2.0 native applications. touchdown supports pin, security policies, private certs, and remote wipe (of just touchdown email data, NOT the entire phone).

i looked at both touchdown and dataviz's product, and while they sort of work, neither really integrates with the rest of the phone particularly well - things like contacts aren't made available outside of touchdown (at least as I understand it).

based on other folks descriptions, it doesn't sound like either 3rd party activesync client really works 'smoothly' enough (for me). additionally, neither product totally implements activesync (ie, neither can browse the Exchange GAL). believe me, i wish they did. i really, REALLY want the phone, but i NEED fully functional activesync integration. me == sad

ahm

 

[tibbst]

i looked at both touchdown and dataviz's product, and while they sort of work, neither really integrates with the rest of the phone particularly well - things like contacts aren't made available outside of touchdown (at least as I understand it).

based on other folks descriptions, it doesn't sound like either 3rd party activesync client really works 'smoothly' enough (for me). additionally, neither product totally implements activesync (ie, neither can browse the Exchange GAL). believe me, i wish they did. i really, REALLY want the phone, but i NEED fully functional activesync integration. me == sad

ahm

This may have been true at the time of this post. But, for anyone stumbling across this thread, more recently (as I did)...

I have used Touchdown for quite some time and it currently supports Exchange access via Exchange 2003 or 2007 (natively) or via ActiveSync (including Push).

I can browse the GAL and sync my contacts with no issue. If I add an entry as a contact, in Outlook, it will be synced to my phone along with the rest of my contacts. And, Touchdown tags the contacts with a special tag, so that they can be cleanly removed and don't get lost among my other contacts on my phone and on my Google account.

Touchdown also supports Wiping of corporate data (the data from Exchange), including the corporate data on the SD card (configurable) via ActiveSync. What's more, the user can optionally configure a special kill code that can be emailed to their account so that the Remote Wipe can be initiated by the user.

Touchdown also supports the deployment of security policies (a topic mentioned earlier in this thread). My company currently enforces password and PIN restrictions via security policies, which TouchDown has enforced on me.

I have no vested interest in TouchDown, except that I appreciate their responsive support and ongoing development, so I am glad to encourage more users to try their product.

More info on the TouchDown website...
TouchDown Security
TouchDown Features
Update History

 

[takeshi]

based on other folks descriptions, it doesn't sound like either 3rd party activesync client really works 'smoothly' enough (for me). additionally, neither product totally implements activesync (ie, neither can browse the Exchange GAL). believe me, i wish they did. i really, REALLY want the phone, but i NEED fully functional activesync integration. me == sad

This is an old thread but for reference purposes I'd say try the apps rather than rely on inaccurate hearsay. You can get a refund even on pay apps. I personally purchased RoadSync and Moxier to test them out and refunded them without issue. IIRC Touchdown has a free trial.

 

[thebeast]

Can anyone tell me if google is coming up with secure Exchange Email Sync feature. I have android device version 2.2.1. I work for a company which does not provide support to android devices for Email Sync, just because its not secure.