Investing some time and money into the right mobile device management (MDM) software can make a significant impact on your business.
The MDM tool you will use depends on your resources, business goals, and personal preference.
What is Mobile Device Management?
MDM platform is designed to provide businesses with the following functions: software distribution, policy management, inventory management, security management, and service management for smartphones and other portable devices.
Why Do You Need MDM Software?
Recently, mobile devices have become ubiquitous in the modern workplace. Businesses and their workforces rely on mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets to carry out a variety of essential tasks. And as employees prefer to work remotely, mobile devices have become essential tools for productivity and efficiency.
But because crucial company information resides in a range of mobile devices, kiosks, and sometimes on partner networks, they pose a security threat if hacked, stolen, or lost. So, a mature MDM Solutions can help you ensure that employees do not compromise corporate data on their mobile devices.
You can provision, manage and secure all of your company’s and employee-owned (BYOD) devices, no matter their type of operating system.
How Does Mobile Device Management Work?
Unlike managed mobility services, device management is device-centric. MDM is a solution that uses software as a component to manage mobile devices while protecting corporate assets, including data and applications.
For example, if you assign a Windows laptop to an employee, pre-configured with a profile (as per your company’s Windows device management policies), MDM offers most control to the employee. In this scenario, the employee has control over the necessary software, applications and content pushed by the MDM. However, using MDM, enterprises can track, monitor, erase, troubleshoot and wipe devices in case the laptop is lost, stolen or identified as a data breach.
How to Choose the Best MDM Software?
Your choice for a device management solutions platform should be in line with your business’s priorities. The MDM best platform for your business is likely a comprehensive, all-in-one solution that gives you all the data and functionality you need. There are several features and prerequisites you should keep in mind before evaluating a solution.
Most vendors provide a limited demonstration during the evaluation period. Make sure that you have free access to complete features of the software. Check if the portal has a cloud delivery model, so you can get started from a web browser. Ask the vendor for an extension on the trial period if necessary.
After you have created an account and logged into the portal, enrolling new devices should be a straightforward process. Creating multiple profiles for policy implementation, enforcing settings, pushing out device and app updates, and overall device control should be uncomplicated. Scalefusion offers a dashboard console that gives you a complete view of all managed devices.
- Supported operating systems
If your company has a BYOD policy to let employees use personal devices to do company work, you will need to support multiple devices with different operating systems. Popular device OS includes Android, iOS, and Windows. The MDM should be able to support multiple operating systems based on the devices employees regularly use for work.
Protecting data, applications, and devices is one of the biggest challenges for organizations. It is important to choose a device management solution that ensures device lockdown or usage restrictions upon breach of security protocols. For example, if a device is stolen or lost, the MDM solution should be able to remotely locate, lock and wipe the device.
Managing the devices of remote workers can be challenging. Traveling to remote locations to fix a device may not be practical every time. Modern device management platforms let you remotely view user actions on the managed devices from the comfort of your own device. It will help you to remotely solve unexpected issues at the user’s end.
If your company adheres to compliance regulations, such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, NIST, SOC 2 or ISO 2700, you will need to ensure that BYOD is always in compliance. Make sure the MDM solution allows you to generate user and device reports and logs for tracking events as well as provide insightful reports for audits.
Every company has a ton of content, which does not necessarily mean all employees can access it. Some MDMs offer content management features, such as uploading data and distributing files to specific users.
Wrapping Up
Providing remote workers access to data and corporate applications is necessary, but ensuring security is of utmost importance. Without an MDM solution, you will have little visibility and control over who accesses what. Remember, a good mobile device management software solution should:
- Save time
- Improve efficiency
- Increase security
When you are ready to try a mobile device management solution to improve your strategy, consider the above parameters before buying.
