Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.
With the escalating number of employees using mobile devices to access both personal and professional content on corporate networks, mobile device management is becoming a significant point of discussion among enterprises. At its most basic, MDM works to monitor devices and protect the data on the network that those devices are accessing.
Implementing an MDM solution is becoming commonplace. Ultimately, MDM providers offer a unique set of services. If enterprises have the internal infrastructure, resources and policy, the process of implementing an MDM solution is simple.
Each MDM provider solves similar problems, but different companies go about it in different ways. MDM capabilities vary and ultimately depend on the company’s needs, priorities and business policies. An MDM solution offers a convenient way to manage certain aspects of corporate devices, but each solution is an investment and requires set-up, integration, support and hands-on resources, as well as effort to ensure it is working at its full capacity.
When choosing an MDM solution, an organization should look for a provider that offers the best combination of meeting requirements, integration, management and support. Enterprises often find themselves at a crossroads when the MDM solution doesn’t offer custom workflow or managed service solutions. At the basic level, any high-performance MDM solution can help enterprises quickly resolve connectivity issues, push policy updates, troubleshoot technical issues, monitor device diagnostics and remotely configure devices.
Based on recent findings comparing 12 MDM industry leaders – using technical data sheets, webinars, corporate representatives and Gartner information – there are four key areas that should be considered when searching for an MDM provider:
1. Delivery method: There are several different ways to incorporate an MDM into your existing corporate infrastructure, with SaaS cloud, on-premise appliances and on-premise software. Six of the 12 providers offered delivery through an SaaS cloud solution while AirWatch and MobileIron were the only two providers who offer on-premise applications. Just about all of the top providers offer an on-premise software delivery option, which is the most common approach for businesses.
2. Supported mobile devices: When transitioning into using an MDM service provider, consider the device operating systems within your program and your future device road map. Almost all top providers will support Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows 7 phone and BlackBerry operating systems, but you might find fewer providers when you get out of the mainstream mobile operating systems. Based off research, Symbian and Web OS/Palm seem to have the least MDM providers available.
3. Enterprise integration: Just as considering the operating system in an organization’s mobile devices is important, so is considering the existing corporate infrastructure. Of the 12 providers reviewed, all 12 offered integration with LDAP/AD, PKI infrastructure/certs, SCEP, MS ActiveSync and VPN. Regardless of the infrastructure system, there shouldn’t be much difficulty finding an MDM provider that is compatible with any well-established organization’s infrastructure system.
4. Key supported features: Nearly every key feature on mobile devices will be supported by any of the leading MDM providers. Some key features include Wi-Fi configuration, passcode enforcement, device restrictions, app management and robust device reporting. It’s important to identify and compare the services included in an MDM solution to ensure your business’s needs are met before and after implementation.
With the proliferation of mobile devices in the workplace, a whole new world of security, support and maintenance has opened up and an organization’s effective use of mobile devices can be greatly limited without the support of a top-notch MDM system in place. Pairing an organization’s existing corporate infrastructure and commonly used mobile devices with an MDM that supports the organization’s key features is always the hard part of the MDM integration but, in the end, your mobile efficiency and security can greatly benefit from incorporating MDM into the system.
Mitch Black is a president at Mobi Wireless Management, a company that combines a centralized web-based portal, ongoing expense management, and 24/7 end-user support to help businesses better manage mobile telecom programs. Launched in 2007, Mobi set out to help companies lower wireless expenses, enhance end-user support, enforce wireless policy, and save valuable time. Find him on Twitter (@MitchBlack1) and LinkedIn.
