What is mobile device management?

In recent years, mobile devices have been indispensable across all parts of life. In turn, more and more of them are being used for work. On the one hand, this means greater efficiency and flexibility for businesses, who can work across all kinds of devices on the go. However, on the other hand, it also opens businesses to increased security and compliance risks. Here, we explore the need for mobile device management, what it should look like, and its main benefits.

What is mobile device management?

Some key components of mobile device management

Of course, there is wide variety in the way businesses are choosing to manage their mobile devices. Every business is different and has unique IT needs. That said, there are common features to most approaches. Let’s look at some of them now.

Device enrollment

For IT managers, it can be a real struggle to ensure that the IT being used can change quickly enough to cater to the demands of a growing company. Ideally, it should be possible to add new mobile devices to drive efficiency and support growth.

As a result, one of the central features of most reliable MDM solutions is the ability to onboard new devices with ease. If the MDM solution is truly up to scratch, this should all be able to simply onboard, enroll, and provision your devices over-the-air, including all apps and security settings.

Application management

Of course, it’s not only that we have loads more devices though — we’re also using more and more third-party applications to get our work done. If you’re part of an IT team, you’ll know how hard it can be to track what is being used, and by whom.

Being able to update, manage, and remove applications across your IT fleet is a must-have feature of any MDM solution. This will allow you to keep track of what’s being used, if they’re up to date, and if they meet your company security and compliance standards.

Enforce security policies

And now we turn to the elephant in the room: security. Probably the most important feature of MDM is the ability to enforce security measures across all devices and software in your company.

One of the ways of doing this is by introducing conditional access policies. These are automated policies that regulate access to devices or software based on criteria like time, location, or user. One familiar example here is a database that’s only accessible at the company’s IP address.

Other ways of enforcing security policies across your mobile devices might involve security measures to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with security regulations, including password protection, remote locking, and wiping.

The main benefits of mobile device management

24/7 control of your mobile devices

The main benefit of robust mobile device management is clear: You’ll know exactly what’s going on across your IT fleet. Armed with the full picture, you’ll be better placed to make informed decisions about your business.

Not only this, but MDM will allow you to simplify the onboarding, enrollment, and management of mobile devices. All the information is there for you, ideally with a single application.

Security and compliance without the hassle

With this full view comes another huge benefit, enhanced security, and compliance. By being able to track a growing IT fleet, you’ll be able to make sure they meet your security standards. This will help prevent cyberattacks, data leaks and unauthorized access.

IT compliance also becomes more and more challenging with an explosion in devices and software. Many third-party apps do not meet GDPR requirements, but your employees might use them anyway. With a solid MDM solution, you’ll be able to maintain policy and standards across all managed devices. Ultimately, this can help you to avoid punitive fines.

Finally, mobile device management can allow you to safeguard your devices. With it, you can protect yourself from the growing number of threats in the mobile work environment. Device encryption, conditional access, remote lock, and wipe capabilities can help keep your business and clients safe.

Easy deployment of apps and updates

A huge benefit of managing your mobile devices is that you’ll be able to push out apps and updates instantaneously.

For one thing, this can make onboarding processes a whole lot easier. Instead of having to manually download or configure applications, your employees will have everything done for them in advance. Not only that, but you’ll be able to take a personalized approach. They’ll feel at home right away.

Of course, all of this can boost your security too. You’ll also be able to set the settings on all apps and updates, meaning your mobile devices are secure at every point across your fleet.