What is mobile device management (MDM)?

With a mature MDM platform, IT and security departments can manage all of a company’s devices, regardless of their operating system. An effective MDM platform helps keep all devices secure while keeping the workforce flexible and productive.

In recent years, mobile devices have become ubiquitous in enterprise use. Businesses and their workforces rely on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops for a wide assortment of tasks. And as working remotely has become essential, mobile devices have become an integral part of most organizations, being vital tools for productivity and efficiency.

But because enterprise mobile devices access critical business data, they can threaten security when hacked, stolen or lost. So, the importance of managing mobile devices has evolved such that IT and security leaders are now tasked to provision, manage and secure mobile devices within their respective corporate environments.

According to IBM Institute for Business Value benchmarks, 50% of enterprise organizations are not considering, evaluating, piloting or rolling out a comprehensive mobile device management solution. As a result, their mobile devices, along with the associated data and applications, are less secure than they should be.

A common question on the web is: “Is mobile device management a piece of software?” The short answer is “yes” and “no.” MDM is a solution that uses software as a component to provision mobile devices while protecting an organization’s assets, such as data. Organizations practice MDM by applying software, processes and security policies onto mobile devices and toward their use.

Beyond managing device inventory and provisioning, MDM solutions protect the device’s applications, data and content. In this sense, MDM and mobile security are similar.

However, MDM is a device-centric approach, whereas mobile security and unified endpoint management have evolved to a user-centric stance. In an MDM program, employees can receive a dedicated work device, such as laptops or smartphones, or have a personal device remotely enrolled. Personal devices receive role-based access to enterprise data and email, a secure VPN, GPS tracking, password-protected applications and other MDM software for optimal data security.

MDM software can then monitor the behaviors and business-critical data on enrolled devices. And with more sophisticated MDM solutions, machine learning and AI can then analyze these data. These tools ensure that devices are kept safe from malware and other cyberthreats.

For example, a firm might assign a laptop or smartphone to a staff member or consultant that is preprogrammed with a data profile, VPN and the other necessary software and applications. In this scenario, MDM offers the most control to the employer. With MDM tools, enterprises can track, monitor, troubleshoot and even wipe device data if there is a theft, loss or a detected breach.

So, what are mobile device management policies? MDM policies answer questions about how organizations manage mobile devices and govern their use. To configure and publish their policies and processes, enterprises ask questions, such as:

• Do devices need passcode protection?
• Should cameras be disabled by default?
• Is wifi connectivity important?
  
• What customization options will the device provide?
• Do certain devices need to be geo-fenced?

Bring your own device (BYOD) means employees use their personal mobile devices for work instead of company-issued devices. Applying enterprise security to a personal mobile device is more challenging than simply providing such devices. But BYOD is popular, especially among younger workers. Organizations make this compromise to increase employee satisfaction and productivity. BYOD can also make the mobile workforce more affordable because it eliminates the need to purchase extra hardware.

Enterprise mobility management (EMM) describes a broader form of mobile device management. Going beyond the device itself, its user and its data, EMM encompasses application and endpoint management and BYOD. EMM solutions are highly scalable and with new AI-powered security features, these solutions can offer real-time insights and alerts about thousands of behaviors and activities coming in from multiple sources at once.

Unified endpoint management (UEM) represents the integration and evolution of MDM and EMM. It solves more challenges associated with IoT, desktop or other mobile device security. UEM solutions can help enterprises secure and control the entire IT environment and its endpoints, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops. UEM solutions can also help secure their users’ personal and enterprise data, apps and content.

With an agile UEM system, enterprises can choose scalable solutions based on their needs. These solutions can support a single operating system or various devices across different platforms, such as Apple iOS iPhone, Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Chrome OS. Mature UEM solutions are powered by machine learning and AI, which can help an enterprise’s IT department make quick security decision based on real-time data and analytics.

Whether a cloud-based or on-premises model, an MDM solutions should allow an organization to see endpoints, users and everything in between. A good mobile device management software solution will:

• Save time
• Improve efficiency
• Increase production
• Increase security
• Ease of overall mobile management system

Here are three best practices to consider in selecting an MDM solution: