What is mobile device management (MDM)?
Mobile device management is any software that allows IT to automate, control, and secure administrative policies on laptops, smartphones, tablets, or any other device connected to an organization’s network.
Employees have become increasingly accustomed to using the device, operating system, and application of their choice. Because of the diversity of mobile devices, IT departments face a unique set of challenges while deploying and connecting internal content and resources.
Typically, mobile device management deploys an aggregate of corporate guidelines and certificates, on-device configurations, apps, backend software, and hardware to manage end-user devices. The goal of mobile device management is to maximize device support, organizational functionality, and security while allowing a degree of user flexibility, such as the use of bring your own device (BYOD) initiatives.
Segmentation allows IT departments to seamlessly enforce security settings and compliance for specified users, groups, or geographic locations within an organization. To reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and mitigate risks, including data and security breaches, organizations must implement a robust mobile device management framework.
Attention to mobile device management has intensified as the use of mobile devices has increased and grown more complex.
Why mobile device management is important?
Many factors have elevated mobile device management's importance to the C-suite. These include:
- Massive deployment of mobile applications requires tools to protect and manage assets.
- Growing concerns over security breaches stemming from employee mobile device usage.
- Standardization of mobile device management practices and processes.
Since employees now perform many if not most of their duties on mobile devices, organizations require enterprise mobility. Mobile device management facilitates remote work capabilities, tapping into the cloud for data access.
Employees’ mobile devices have become targets of malware, hackers, and exploitation due to the large amounts of data that is stored and transferred on each device. Organizations recognize their responsibility to secure and protect this data from loss while enabling their workforce to access fundamental resources.
As part of this responsibility, mobile device management delivers critical updates and patches for necessary apps and firmware, not only for functionality but also for security. Device management supports employee work and productivity with real-time data backups.
Too, the focus of mobile device management has turned toward a comprehensive view of device management, including desktops and laptops, and away from an emphasis on mobile platforms.
Mobile device management features
Mobile device management allows network segregation – dividing the corporate network into subnets. Along with improved performance, network segregation delivers more secure connectivity since each subnet is dedicated to specific needs and functions. Only those with "a need to know" can access specified domains, protecting data and processes from both internal and external intruders.
Another feature of mobile device management is application management – delivering an enterprise app catalog to employees. An app catalog is a virtual company "play store" that makes secure and compliant apps available for download. They can be accessed on a restricted basis, bypassing IT installation, and automatically updated with new versions that bolster functionality or security.
A related functionality is application monitoring—packet scanning of input/output (I/O) requests in real-time across a cloud network. Mobile device management enables IT support to remotely administer devices, either to correct malfunctions or—should a security breach occur—lock and wipe the device of critical data. IT admins can monitor and audit devices for usage patterns and security vulnerabilities as well as balance loads and perform detailed analytics.
If a disaster event occurs, an organization must be prepared to restore backup data across a variety of devices and platforms. Mobile device management facilitates this process, plus restores corrupted or lost data should a system crash.
How does mobile device management work?
Mobile device management solutions are typically administered with the use of servers and clients through centralized remote management. Mobile device management software platforms automatically identify network devices, manage their configurations, and support ease of use. The process is completely automated and easily allows for scalability.
A mobile device management software suite is configured using organizational management policies for apps and content and is device-OS specific. Basic functions include:
- OS configuration management
- Application inventory
- Hardware inventory
- Content management
- Admin remote actions (e.g., remote data wipe, troubleshooting, device lockout, etc.)
Mobile device management also allows for mobile app configuration, deployment, maintenance, removal and policy management.
What are the top challenges of traditional MDM (mobile device management)?
Security: Mobile devices are inherently less secure than on-premises equipment protected by a hardened network perimeter. Lost or stolen devices can present major exfiltration opportunities for bad actors. Patching and managing devices on an MDM network is extremely difficult to maintain and cybersecurity attacks on mobile devices have been accelerating.
Bring your own device (BYOD): The number of personal devices used for enterprise access continues to increase, with many users relying on multiple personal devices – smartphones, tablets, and laptops – over the course of a single day. MDM is not a magic bullet for solving BYOD access and security policies as many MDM systems do not distinguish between company-owned and employee-owned devices. BYOD can also present compliance issues and users can bypass enterprise password management tools, rendering devices ripe for data loss.
Network access control: Although the number of devices attaching to the network continues to grow, the need to limit each user and device to only the data and applications they need is critical. Enterprises need to implement ZTNA and ensure that the principle of least privilege is applied to limit access rather than granting broad access based simply on department or role.
Heterogeneous device management: As enterprises expand device support across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and other Linux variants, MDM solutions may be inadequate for the challenge of supporting so many different platforms simultaneously. Many organizations have had to procure multiple MDM offerings to cover the growing range of devices and OSs on the network.
End-user experience: Users expect a consistent experience regardless of device, connectivity, or location. Users require easy access to the applications required to get their job done and MDM can impact the ease of access leading to a decrease in overall employee satisfaction.
Mobile application management: With the app store just a click away, many users download either unauthorized or malicious applications that can create an attack vector for cybercriminals. Many MDM systems are ineffective at blocklisting any non-essential application.
Omnissa mobile device management tools
Omnissa Workspace ONE UEM transforms the digital workspace engaging employees with data and apps they require to work across any device. Utilizing cloud-native unified endpoint management (UEM) scalable Workspace ONE solutions provide employees with out-of-the-box, self-service experiences at any location with any platform and device, be it corporate-owned or BYOD.
Workspace ONE UEM
- Ensures all devices – office, remote, IoT – are secure, compliant, and current with organizational policies with minimal IT intervention.
- Systematically manages any app with any endpoint, anywhere.
- Uses innovative device management functionalities to real-time monitor compliance and operations status.
- Delivers a uniform and engaging user experience across any device using self-service processes.
- From one inclusive platform, manage and secure any device on any OS – Windows 10/11, macOS, ChromeOS, etc. – for a variety of use cases.
Benefits of mobile device management with Workspace ONE
An all-in-one mobile device management solution addresses both security and accessibility needs for any enterprise environment:
- Quickly and efficiently add new devices to the enterprise network.
- Save time by deploying mobile devices from one console.
- Send updates and configure new device settings over the air.
- Wipe or lock managed devices remotely.
- Guaranteed performance when using the latest web browsers.
Configure, secure, and monitor all the mobile devices in the enterprise with Workspace ONE. Workspace ONE allows IT departments the control they need for both corporate-owned or bring-your-own devices while giving employees their choice of working environment.
