T-Mobile secures Android phones with Good

IDG News Service - T-Mobile is hoping to make it easier for businesses to use Android phones by reselling secure e-mail services from Good Technology.

Good Technology's platform includes software on the phone, a server that resides in the business and the Good network operations center. The system allows end users to securely access corporate information like e-mail.

The phone software is available for all Android phones and tablets that T-Mobile sells, said Marc Rohleder, director of business sales engineering for T-Mobile.

Some businesses may want to buy the system from T-Mobile, rather than directly from Good, because they already have a relationship with the operator, he said. "A lot of our customers want to purchase this directly from their carrier partner in order to have it on the same bill, so it's an easier transaction," he said. Customers pay a licensing fee for the software based on how many people are using it.

The phone software is available in the Android Market so workers who already have Android devices can simply download it from there. They then activate the service via a code provided by the IT administrator.

The offering should appeal to businesses that are feeling pressure from workers who want more choice of phones and who want to use their own phones to access corporate information, Rohleder said.

"Up until Android came out a few years ago, most enterprises that needed security were using BlackBerry devices. Now, with the amazing selection and technology you can get from Android, all their employees are demanding they have a different set of selections," he said.

While Android includes Exchange Active Sync, it doesn't support all of its security policies, many of which IT security departments require, he said. "In the past, they were in this difficult situation where employees wanted to use Android but the policies couldn't support it," he said.

In addition, some workers don't have a corporate-sponsored phone service but still want to use their personal phones to be productive, he said. With Good, IT departments can allow them to securely access corporate information from their personal phones. If an employees leaves the company, the Good Technology lets IT administrators wipe only corporate information from the phone.

The Good Technology system also supports iPhones and iPads.

Nancy Gohring covers mobile phones and cloud computing for The IDG News Service. Follow Nancy on Twitter at @idgnancy. Nancy's e-mail address is Nancy_Gohring@idg.com