In case you hadn't heard, mobile employees are a threat to your business. A lost smartphone, or a laptop that connects to a rogue network rather than a legitimate one, can open your company to all sorts of risks. To help match some of the threats and one-up VPNs, Google used its Postini acquisition to create Web Security for Enterprise.It really is amazing how few people take security seriously. Just last night I polled a roomful of IT execs about what security measures they had in place for their smartphone users. Only four people out of 80 raised their hands. That's 5%. Eep.

As powerful as the Internet is for boosting productivity, it also is a gateway into the back channels of your enterprise network. Therefore, locking down the devices that can use the Internet to access those channels (i.e., company-issued BlackBerrys and laptops) is essential. Google gets this.

Today, it introduced Google Web Security for Enterprise. This new tool, which comes from Postini's technology, "protects organizations against Web malware attacks in real time and enables the safe, productive use of the Web, without incurring hardware, upfront capital, or IT management costs. The product enables organizations to control how employees use the Internet, and provides easy-to-use tools to create, enforce, and monitor the right Web policy for your organization. Now, through a new add-on feature, we're extending that security to users wherever they may be working."

It appears that Google doesn't trust VPNs. Even if your users are already tunneling in through a VPN to reach the network, Web Security for Enterprise adds another layer of safety. All off-network users' Web traffic is automatically directed to scanning infrastructure to enforce your policies and protect their computers, requiring no action on the part of individuals. The product is integrated with Google Apps security and compliance messaging services.

Google didn't go into detail about how the product will be disseminated to users. If you are an enterprise user of Google Apps, check with your contact at Google to see how you can sign up.