What is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean?

[AC Question]

what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

I just added my exchange email account to my Motorola Droid Turbo 2 phone and it says "actiating this Administrator will allow the App Email to...: Erase all data etc.

 

[pcmem]

It means the Exchange system admin has the ability to remote wipe your droid.

 

[jonstrong]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

I just added my exchange email account to my Motorola Droid Turbo 2 phone and it says "actiating this Administrator will allow the App Email to...: Erase all data etc.

As pcmem stated, you're basically agreeing to the device policy that your company is requiring if you want to connect your phone to their MS Exchange Server email server. This is standard procedure for people connecting phones to Exchange Server - if you don't agree to this, you won't be able to connect and get your company email on your phone.

In a corporate environment, security considerations generally require that the company has the option to wipe your phone, remotely, in case it's lost or stolen, to block potentially inappropriate access to company email, attachments, etc., and the prevent somebody from using corporate email on your phone to impersonate you.

 

[doogald]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

In a corporate environment, security considerations generally require that the company has the option to wipe your phone, remotely, in case it's lost or stolen, to block potentially inappropriate access to company email, attachments, etc., and the prevent somebody from using corporate email on your phone to impersonate you.

Or, of course, if you quit your job or your position is terminated.

 

[jonstrong]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

Or, of course, if you quit your job or your position is terminated.

Yep... which brings up an interesting scenario in one of the client companies I've consulted to in recent years: companies that DON'T cut off employees who quit or have been terminated, and cut network and application access, company credit cards, access to sensitive data and secure building locations, etc., leave both the company and the former employee at risk. In one case, an employee was terminated after a contentious "counseling out" period - but the next day was able to use his building pass to come onsite, use his network ID to log onto the company network, get into secure applications, delete hundreds of documents from a secure document management system, and then take a week's vacation and pay for it with his company-issued credit card. The off-boarding process was severely dysfunctional at this company. What I describe above is just the tip of the iceberg for these folks.

The risk to the company is pretty obvious: secure and confidential info winds up being available to people no longer affiliated with the company. The risk to the former employee is that he/she can become a suspect if there's any kind of data breach or other security violation that's potentially linkable to the inappropriate access that remained after termination. It's truly to everyone's benefit to cut access to all systems, email accounts with confidential data, etc., once somebody has been terminated.

 

[AaronFyke]

Remotely wipe the email, or remotely wipe all data on the phone (ie, pictures, other email accounts, etc)? The permissions imply the entire phone can be bricked even the the application is only email.

 

[gemery#CB]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

Would be funny to see your phone wiped because you were terminated, and they did all the I. T. Stuff before they told you....

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Pollster]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

Would be funny to see your phone wiped because you were terminated, and they did all the I. T. Stuff before they told you....

Posted via the Android Central App

It would be the best part of your day!
The firm I worked for, we used to do the stuff while they were in the termination meeting

 

[K13mart]

Remotely wipe the email, or remotely wipe all data on the phone (ie, pictures, other email accounts, etc)? The permissions imply the entire phone can be bricked even the the application is only email.

I'd like to know the answer to this as well. I don't want to carry 2 phones (personal and work) but also don't want to lose all my phones personal data/pics if I leave company and message sure sounds like they can basically disable everything.

 

[WalkGood]

So, is there a way to block the server from doing this "delete"?

What exactly can be deleted or reset to factory settings?

 

[Ry]

Remotely wipe the email, or remotely wipe all data on the phone (ie, pictures, other email accounts, etc)? The permissions imply the entire phone can be bricked even the the application is only email.

For clarification, by bricked I assume you mean just factory reset which isn't bricked.

 

[Ry]

I'd like to know the answer to this as well. I don't want to carry 2 phones (personal and work) but also don't want to lose all my phones personal data/pics if I leave company and message sure sounds like they can basically disable everything.

The solution is to not put your work email on your personal phone.

Or if your company allows it, use apps like Nine or Touchdown.

 

[anon(39328)]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

For what it's worth, setting up my work email with the MS Outlook app did not enable a device administrator on my phone. All of the other apps I tried do.

 

[Ry]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

For what it's worth, setting up my work email with the MS Outlook app did not enable a device administrator on my phone. All of the other apps I tried do.

Office 365 shop?

 

[anon(39328)]

Re: what is Activate device administrator Erase all data mean

Office 365 shop?

No.