Beginner’s Guide to Mobile Device Management
Mobile Device Management (MDM) allows businesses to manage and control mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, used by employees for business. Modern MDM solutions offer businesses a dynamic, flexible and secured approach, all managed from one central location, with zero touch deployment and management across the entire connected business.
Why is MDM important?
The modern workforce is facing more challenges than ever before with mobility enabling employees to work from anywhere, at any time, making it difficult for IT departments to keep track of all company devices and ensure they remain protected. MDM tackles these issues head on, helping businesses monitor and secure mobile devices to minimise threats.
Remote workers
The rise in availability of 4G mobile connectivity has given businesses a greater platform to allow employees to take their work on the road and the recent launch of 5G will further facilitate the agile workforce. The concept of remote working may still be in its infancy for many UK businesses, but the benefits are widely agreed and appreciated. Businesses who adopt remote working can expect to see increases in staff productivity and morale.
The challenges presented by remote working are clear and often prove to be a deciding factor for companies considering a shift in their workforce. With out of the box MDM solutions, powered by one of the major mobile networks, businesses are equipped with the tools they need to make mobile working a reality.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
The rise of remote working will see a greater number of devices accessing, sending and receiving company data. The costs associated with issuing a new or even refurbished mobile device to staff can be a strain on company resources. Many businesses are identifying new opportunities to allow staff to use a mobile device in and out of the office.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) sees businesses allowing staff to use personal devices for work purposes. BYOD significantly reduces the capital outlay for businesses. It also gives employees the freedom to use a device they are familiar with and is already integrated into their daily life, however, control and security remain a concern for a BYOD policy.
Diversity of hardware
The increase in mobility means there is a wider range of smartphones, laptops and tablets on the market, and therefore within a business. Without an MDM solution in place, IT departments are faced with the challenge of updating the diverse range of hardware, software and productivity apps across the organisation. Being unable to configure regular updates cannot only put the business at risk of security breaches, but it can also affect user satisfaction.
With the ability to integrate with a company’s IT infrastructure, an MDM system allows for simple set-up and integration across both personal and company-owned devices, making it essential in any workplace.
Security
Security should be a top priority for any organisation, making an MDM solution vital for modern businesses. Reinforcing the protection of company data, it ensures that mobile hardware is protected against loss or theft. MDM solutions enable companies to react immediately by locating a lost or stolen device and remotely wiping the corporate data.
GDPR compliance should also be considered when rolling out flexible working in a company. To protect customer data, it is especially recommended for SME companies with mobile employees to utilise an MDM solution, even if they only read e-mails on their smartphones and tablets. The solutions available can help businesses implement controls and procedures to ensure separation of business from personal data on the device and protect business data from external threats and unauthorised use.
Deployment
Having an MDM solution saves time and resource. The workflow involved in configuring new devices is complicated, even with MDM, so simplifying this process is becoming increasingly important in business. To help mitigate the issues of setting up new devices within an organisation, major hardware operators, Apple and Android, have adopted their own rollout platforms, making device management and deployment that much simpler.
With cyber attacks on the rise and mobile working becoming increasingly popular, a Mobile Device Management solution has never been more important. Channel partners need to be reactive, making security a part of every mobile communications proposal. It is important that you ensure your customers understand the benefits of MDM and the risks they face when leaving their staff and devices exposed.
Want to learn more about the MDM solutions on offer from Digital Wholesale Solutions? Speak to our teams today about how these products can transform your customers’ business.