Understanding Summarize and Recommendations feature in MaaS360

Administrators currently spend hours in understanding policy configurations that are suited best for their needs. With IBM MaaS360 enhanced AI capabilities, the IT administrators are provided with easy to understand recommendations to align their policies with their goals and better understand the impact of the policy configurations on user devices.

Notes:
  • The Summarize and Recommendations features are currently available for Android and iOS MDM policies.
  • These features are currently available for passcode and restriction policy parameters.
  • These features are currently available for nonfederal customers.
  • These features are currently available for MaaS360 M1 Instance (US East), M2 Instance (EU Germany), and M3 Instance (US South).

To enable the Summarize and Recommendations features in IBM® MaaS360® Portal, login as service administrator of your account and go to Setup > Services > MaaS360 AI and select the Advanced Policy Managenent checkbox.

You can access the Summarize and Recommendations features up to ten times per customer per day. Once the rate limit is exceeded, these features are available the next day.

Summarize

The Summarize feature provides administrators with a concise overview of the policy. Follow one of these methods to view the Summarize page.

  1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal home page, select Security > Policies.
  2. On the policy page, click View
  3. Click Summarize button on the upper right of the details page of the policy.
OR
  1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal home page, select Security > Policies.
  2. On the policy page, select any policy and click Summarize.
  3. On the Summarization page, a summary is displayed based on the policy.
An administrator can perform the following actions by using the Summarization feature.
  • The Summarize feature uses MaaS360 AI capabilities to generate easy to understand summaries from published policy's configurations.
  • You can click a parameter link to view its details in a dedicated mode, which shows the exact location of the parameter within the policy settings.
  • Only parameters that are explicitly set are included in the summary. For instance, if a parameter like the minimum number of digits is not configured, it is excluded from the summary.
  • This feature helps administrators in understanding the implications of the configured policy settings. For example, if the password quality parameter is set to true, the feature helps admins understand how their password settings impact their organizational security and user productivity. It also suggests whether the password quality parameter can be replaced with some other parameters and explain the reason for the replacement.
  • You can also review and share feedback on the generated policy summary through the thumbs up and thumbs down button. Click Submit to submit the feedback.

Recommendations

The Recommendations feature is a valuable tool for administrators, enabling them to align with their goal such as device security, compliance with regulations, or other use cases like managing employee owned or corporate owned devices.

The Recommendations feature assesses the configuration of device policies, such as the device password policy settings, and identifies risks that are associated with noncompliance. Follow one of these methods to view the Recommendations page.

  1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal home page, select Security > Policies.
  2. On the policy page, click View
  3. Click Recommendations button on the upper right of the details page of the policy.
OR
  1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal home page, select Security > Policies.
  2. On the policy page, select any policy and click Recommendations.
  3. On the recommendation page, choose your goal from the drop-down list and click View recommendations.
  • The feature supports various templates for Android and iOS devices. Following is the list of the policies that are supported for Android and iOS devices.
    Android iOS
    HIPPA Compliance STIGS Compliance
    Manage corporate-owned devices HIPPA Compliance
    Manage employee-owned devices Manage corporate-owned devices and Manage employee-owned devices
Selecting the field from the drop-down list helps IBM MaaS360 admins to understand the policy requirements and provide relevant recommendations. An administrator can perform the following actions by using the Recommendations feature.
  • When the administrator shares their intent behind a policy from a template, the system creates recommendations based on it. This includes a summary of the recommendations, focusing on the deviations and the pitfalls of those deviations.
  • The recommendations currently focus on passcode and restriction. Administrators can change their policy goals at any time and view recommendations in line with those goals.
  • This feature evaluates the latest saved version of the policy.
  • This feature evaluates the policy and analyzes the effects of various parameters. It provides administrators with insights into how these factors affect organizational security and user productivity.
  • If the administrator's policies are fully compliant and align with their intended goals, the system indicates no recommendations for that policy.
  • Administrators can export the generated recommendations as a CSV file for further analysis and policy adjustments, facilitating easier management and compliance tracking.
  • Administrators can review the policy details through the Review and Apply tab. This allows administrator to view and edit the policy directly. In the Recommendations page, a list of recommendations is displayed. You can select all recommendations at once, deselect all, or select recommendations individually. Click Apply to apply the selected recommendations.
  • You can also review and share feedback on the generated policy summary through the thumbs up and thumbs down button. Click Submit to submit the feedback.