Google has stepped up security around its Google Apps online services to include Secure Socket Layer (SSL) VPN and stronger password options, it has been revealed.
SSL virtual private networking (VPN) enables remote users to securely access corporate resources over the Secured Socket Layer, just as if they were located on the corporate network and without any need to install VPN client software on remote devices.
The company has given administrators the ability to set password length requirements and view password strength indicators to identify sufficiently long passwords that may still not be strong enough.
Writing on the search engine’s Google Apps site, Eran Feigenbaum, Director of Security said moves to add SSL options, single sign-on capabilities and new administrative controls were needed so that organisations could start to dictate how widely users can share and publish information from Google Docs, Google Sites and Google Calendar.
The company also said that Google’s authentication system can assess password strength in real-time to help administrators spot passwords that are becoming more vulnerable to the latest patterns of attacks.
