IBM is opening up beta availability of a new service called IBM Endpoint Manager for Mobile Devices. Built on the Tivoli Big Fix technology that IBM acquired in the Summer of 2010, the service allows enterprises to manage a wide range of mobile devices brought to work by employees as well as standard endpoint management for desktop computers, all in the same software. The company says the new software will allow remote wiping, encryption and compliance monitoring, in a native mobile environment. Supported devices include Apple iOS, Google Android, Symbian, and Microsoft Windows Phone.
As RCR’s Roberta Prescott reported last month, IBM believes that the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) paradigm is going to be a game changer. IBM research has found that 73% of business leaders surveyed currently allow mobile devices or tablets to connect to their corporate networks. Last month the company announced seven new social networking and collaboration mobile apps specifically designed to address enterprise-class requirements, including social networking, real-time collaboration and online meeting capabilities.
Put it all together and you could have both flexibility and security in enterprise mobile. IBM mobility offering manager Chris Pepin spoke last week about the big picture the company sees in a presentation he’s posted online.
As public schools for children around the United States have begun to feel compelled to adopt BYOD policies, it seems quite clear that the employer of the future will need to be capable of managing a workforce with more sophisticated technology than the employer is likely to buy in bulk and deploy company-wide.
