Enforcing device settings for mobile devices

At a computer system that maintains data accessible to mobile devices, a method for enforcing mobile device access policies prior to permitting mobile device access to maintained data, the method comprising:

• receiving a data command from a mobile device, the data command indicating a policy version, the policy version representing the current policy settings at the mobile device;
• determining that the current policy settings at the mobile device are not appropriate for accessing data maintained by the computer system;
• notifying the mobile device that the current policy settings are not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;
• an act of identifying updated policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;
• sending the updated policy settings along with a corresponding updated policy version to the mobile device, wherein the policy settings require a lock activation setting that imposes a locking mechanism on the mobile device;
• receiving a second data request along with the updated policy version from the mobile device, the data request requesting that the mobile device be permitted to access the maintained data, the updated policy version indicating that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the updated policy settings;
• and
• notifying the mobile device that access to the maintained data has been permitted.

A computer storage device encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, performs a method comprising:

• receiving a request from a mobile device, to access data maintained by the computer system;
• determining that current mobile device configuration is not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;
• sending device configuration settings to the mobile device, the device configuration settings comprising a lock activation setting that imposes a locking mechanism on the mobile device;
• receiving an indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device configuration settings subsequent to sending the device configuration settings to the mobile device;
• and
• permitting the mobile device to access the maintained data in response to receiving the indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device configuration settings.