Summary: This blog explores mobile device management (MDM) and its role in enhancing business efficiency, security, and productivity. It covers MDM’s importance in managing procurement, deployment, and security, reducing costs, streamlining workflows, and supporting diverse devices. The blog highlights benefits like improved IT management, end-user productivity, and visibility, with use cases across industries, emphasizing solutions from Lowry Solutions.
Table of Contents
Why Mobile Device Management Is Important for Businesses
You might be wondering, “What is MDM mobile device management, and why is it important for my business?” MDM is an essential task for ensuring that your enterprise mobility solutions are rolled out and maintained effectively. Research by Dell shows that 60% of employees now use mobile devices for work purposes, so no business can go without MDM to accomplish these critical goals.Proactively Confronting Security and IT Risks
Security (application security) is one of the key benefits that a cohesive enterprise mobility security strategy is absolutely necessary. Ensuring the integrity of mobile devices and the networks they connect to protects your business on multiple fronts. Having your systems compromised could lead to malware or ransomware shutting down your operations. There is also the risk of data breaches. MDM includes data loss prevention policies to ensure that private data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. In industries such as healthcare, such a breach can have catastrophic consequences. Having the right enterprise mobility management and endpoint management solutions in place can reduce security risks. Devices are monitored for irregularities, can have permissions controlled, and are always kept up-to-date with the latest content filtering and security measures.Reducing Costs Across the Organization
The various mobile device management components that form a complete strategy come together to help lower costs for businesses. In many cases, attempting bring your own device (BYOD) arrangements and compensating employees actually costs more because businesses can’t take advantage of economies of scale.Keep Mobile Device Security Costs Contained
Streamlining Workflows
Managing workflows across multiple devices and systems is a significant challenge. Research by McKinsey shows employees can spend up to 19% of their workweek searching for information across disparate systems.
The right mobile management solution simplifies workflows by unifying them on a single platform. This reduces time spent switching systems, allowing employees to focus on meaningful tasks. Mobile device integration highlights the clear need for mobile device management.
-
Managing workflows across devices and systems is challenging.
-
Employees spend up to 19% of workweek searching for information.
-
Mobile management solutions unify workflows on a single platform.
-
Reduces time switching systems, focusing on meaningful tasks.
-
Integration emphasizes the need for mobile device management.
Making Your Internal IT Easier
Internal IT teams managing BYOD or enterprise mobility solutions can face inefficient resource use, especially in smaller businesses. Professional solutions simplify these demands significantly.
Identity and access management (IAM) ensures productivity and security but can be complex for internal IT. The right mobile device management software, like SOTI for Android, streamlines IT workloads, making permissions, support, and maintenance easier.
-
Internal IT managing BYOD or mobility solutions is inefficient.
-
Professional solutions simplify IT demands.
-
IAM ensures productivity and security but is complex.
-
Mobile device management software simplifies IAM.
-
Platforms like SOTI streamline permissions, support, and maintenance.
Setting Up Your Workforce for Success
Businesses succeed when their employees are able to succeed and thrive in their roles. Today, being able to access the tools they need through mobile devices is a critical part of achieving success. The right mobile management systems can free the enterprise workforce from manual data entry and provide your employees with what they need to always perform. Transportation and logistics, for example, is an industry where employees can achieve more with the right solution. A cloud-based MDM solution ensures they have access to the right apps and support wherever they are, meaning they don’t have to head back to a central location every time something unexpected happens. This is true across many other industries as well. Whether employees need to move about on-site or across the country, providing them with the remote troubleshooting and instant support that come with MDM can let them do their jobs better.The Benefits of MDM
Mobile device management solutions cover a very broad range of business activities. If you’re wondering, “What is mobile device management all about” then the answer is that it provides notable advantages in just about every department. With the right solution, your business can enjoy all of the benefits of MDM.Reduce IT Administration Overhead
When you go with an MDM service provider, whether for support with BYOD mobile device management or complete enterprise mobility cloud solutions, you’re offloading a significant amount of administrative work that would have fallen on your IT department. First, having a single platform for endpoint device management means that your IT personnel spend less time searching through disparate systems and files to manage the variety of solutions you have in place. Your team will also be able to manage everything better with access to complete mobile devices lists to keep track of every device and its current status, maintenance requirements, and more. All of this means less time and money allocated to managing mobile devices across your workforce.Improve End-User Productivity
It’s clear that professional mobile device management has notable benefits in terms of reducing the resources that your business devotes to device security and maintenance. However, your employees, the end-users of these devices, might be asking themselves, “What does mobile device management do?” from another perspective. Mobile device management tools are useful for more than handling the back end. Instead, they make working with devices in the office or in the field much easier as well. These solutions make it easy to get apps ready to use whenever they’re needed, along with the great support that comes with enterprise mobility and security solutions. Providing your employees with an MDM solution with the right app management and secure content distribution can improve productivity for end-users. In fact, research from Samsung and Frost & Sullivan has found that the right applications help save up to an hour of time each workday.Providing More Visibility Over Mobile Devices
Visibility is a major challenge for effective endpoint security management. Without a unified endpoint management solution, businesses can’t know where devices are, who is using them, or if anything is out of the ordinary. This same issue is found not just for smartphones but for all IT inventory items. While solutions such as RFID solutions and other tracking methods are essential for certain assets, endpoint management software can take advantage of the built-in wireless capabilities to let businesses maintain full visibility of their devices. This type of monitoring uses either GPS or other device tracking methods to increase visibility into mobile environments. To always know where devices are. Businesses can automate a geofencing policy to limit access based on location & device integrity, providing an unparalleled level of control over mobile device assets.Reduce IT Risks
The way your business handles information is important, and going with the right endpoint management solutions can help alleviate IT risks associated with your mobile device policies. MDM can provide your business with backup policies that reduce one of the most prominent IT risks. Automated backup schedules with a cloud-based MDM is a standard endpoint management practice that can save your business time and money when devices are damaged or compromised. Combined with both app security, network security, and encryption, backup policies can provide the highest level of security for your business. This protects private data from being breached and important operational data from being lost.A Unified MDM Solution Can Handle Any Device with Any OS
Tracking down solutions for every device isn’t easy when you have smartphones, laptops, PCs, iPads, tablets, scanners, and printers of various brands and operating systems to take into account. The right mobile device management software can provide unified MDM solution for any device with any OS. With the right custom solution for your needs, you can handle every aspect of enterprise mobility management through a single platform to save time and money while making workflows that much easier for all employees. You can easily integrate devices from:- Android
- iOS
- macOS
- Windows
Seamless User On-Boarding
Bringing users on-board is one of the biggest challenges in enterprise mobility management, especially if you’re going it alone. If you need BYOD support and are launching a new enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution, on-boarding is much easier with professional enterprise mobility infrastructure solutions. It’s possible to greatly streamline user on-boarding with secure content distribution. You can ensure that employees safely receive content distribution, whether forms or instructional materials and that they can access them whenever they need them. Setting up customizable functions for specific individuals and roles is also easy with the right mobile device management features. Handling device on-boarding and deployment through a single platform can save you a lot of trouble in the long run, especially with access to the dedicated support that mobile device management solutions provide. If you’re wondering, “What should I look for in an MDM solution?” then easy on-boarding is one of the top answers, especially if your business involves the use of multiple types of mobile devices.Optimize Mobile Device Spending
The cost associated with mobile devices is one of the most pressing reasons why businesses need enterprise mobile device management. Research by Samsung highlights the potential cost of mobile devices for businesses, with standard devices costing as much as $1,234 per year. Of course, the individual costs will depend on the specific type of hardware and software being used. How much does MDM cost? Working with a mobile device management enterprise solutions provider can significantly cut costs thanks to economy of scale, unified platforms, and further savings.Lowry Solutions serves many industries including: |
Position Your Business to Enable Enterprise Growth
Technology progresses rapidly, and you need to ensure that your business is situated for maximum growth whenever an opportunity is available. With the right enterprise mobility strategies for businesses, including the adoption of RFID technology, you can be ready to act on any changes in technology, demand, or other criteria that impact your business. One of the key reasons why mobile device management is important is that working with an enterprise mobility partner makes your business more scalable to allow enterprise growth. If demand suddenly picks up for your manufacturing operation and you rapidly need to increase your warehousing capabilities, you’ll need ready access to scanners, printers, and other mobile devices. Already having enterprise mobility service with a trusted provider makes it easy to begin new deployments at any time with a team that already knows your systems and your needs. Without that kind of committed support, mobile devices can become a barrier to scaling your business instead of an asset.How Mobile Device Management Works
Mobile device management services are a clear asset for business, but what is mobile device management (MDM) like in practice? When you work with a trusted service provider like Lowry Solutions, your enterprise mobility management solution will be carefully crafted to your unique needs. Your unique plan could include a combination of procurement, deployment, management, mobile device monitoring, tracking, security, support, on-boarding, and other services. Lowry Solutions can implement a variety of mobile device management components through various platforms and solutions to ensure that all of your business needs are met.Core Mobile Device Management Features
Mobile device management includes a variety of deployment, management, security, and control features integral to managing devices across your organization. In general, MDM compliance is mainly focused on smartphones and tablets. With the right mobile device management tool, businesses can maintain more control over user devices. Physical device security is one key area of focus, with features for compliance, location tracking, real-time monitoring, and methods for stopping unattended access. Network and data security are also some of the most important aspects of MDM, with threat protection (trusted apps/protection/trusted networks), features to block malicious apps, and automatic updates to keep all software and security features up to date. MDM solutions can be implemented for both BYOD and corporate devices, providing significant flexibility. These solutions can save businesses money, improve security, and help improve productivity.Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
Enterprise mobility management is often used to refer to similar practices as MDM but can include a wide range of additional features as well. Enterprise mobility solutions are generally more comprehensive and can include application, content, and mobile device security management, along with greater control over identity and access. Enterprise mobility solutions also include the management of software, applications, and other company resources. Seamless app distribution provides access to these resources when and where they’re needed through the appropriate devices. Businesses can use enterprise mobility management to carefully control the content on their networks with features such as automated device lockdown (time/session/expiration/location) and improved identity and access management. Enterprise mobility management vendors will also provide increased support features to ensure that clients can make the most of the wide range of services provided. Enterprise mobility infrastructure solutions are a comprehensive approach to all of an organization’s mobility needs.Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
Endpoint management is an essential component of any organization’s IT and security needs. Endpoints include a wide range of devices, including PCs, IoT devices, and other equipment covered by (MDM) mobile device management. With a unified endpoint management solution, businesses can take a more holistic approach to all of their needs. Security and other key features are all integrated through a single platform that makes management easier and more effective. Many companies will have unique needs that only unified endpoint management can meet effectively. Working with the right provider to develop a custom implementation is the best route forward for these organizations.Cloud-Based MDM
When answering the question “which MDM is the best?” businesses must consider the benefits of cloud-based MDM vs. strictly on-premises solutions. A cloud-based MDM can be an incredibly versatile tool, providing secure and straightforward access from anywhere. Given that many MDM strategies must account for remote work and off-site device use, going with a cloud-based solution is the right step for most businesses today. A cloud-based platform makes it easier for employees to do their jobs with unrestricted access to the tools they need. While some companies might be concerned about security, cloud-based MDM solutions are generally even more secure. They implement industry best practices to ensure that networks, data, and devices are safe at every level.Manage Any Platform and Any Device
The versatility of MDM software in the number of devices, software, and platforms it can support is one of its key benefits. According to research from HubSpot, companies have an average of 137 apps in use, and that doesn’t even account for multi-version app support. A unified MDM solution can handle all of a company’s solutions through a single platform. That includes:- Smartphones
- Tablets
- Laptops
- Printers
- Scanners
- Industry-specific hardware
- Honeywell Operational Intelligence
- N-Able Remote Management
- Zebra EVM
- Extreme Networks Management Suite
- Getac Device Management System
- SOTI MobiControl