I'm working in a Microsoft-dominated environment using Intune to manage Android devices, which are set up as corporate work-only phones. These devices authenticate with a background Google account for Google Play services. I'm concerned about backing up contacts and calendars since it doesn't seem feasible with this setup. On iOS, it's straightforward with Managed Apple accounts for backups, but on Android, I'm thinking a personal Gmail account might be needed. However, I'm worried users could change the password or enable MFA, complicating things. What solutions do others have for this backup issue?
2 Answers
You could sync contacts through the Outlook app. Just have everyone push their contact lists that way. For calendars, you could either manage them through Outlook or add the Exchange account to the phone's default calendar app to keep things unified.
Honestly, it's strange to think about using a personal Gmail account for this. Instead, you should be syncing contacts, mail, and calendars directly with Exchange. That way, if someone switches devices or misplaces their phone, they won’t lose their contacts since everything is backed up across devices. Since Exchange 2003, that's been the standard.
I get that, but getting everyone to make their contacts in Outlook is easier said than done. The issue is that while Outlook can pull over contacts to the phone, it's not aware of new contacts added directly on the phone. So they end up lost and unbacked.