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Control central to the MDM landscape
February 16, 2012Mobile device management centers around control. Consumerization takes direct control of end-user devices and data away from IT and puts it in the hands of employees. In many cases, these workers are using devices that lack antivirus programs and are easily lost or stolen. This creates too much risk for IT to handle, making technology that gives the company control essential. Mobile device management is emerging as the solution to this need, according to a recent Network World tech primer from industry expert Adam Stein.
Stein explained that MDM provides businesses with the control they need through four phases of operations. The first is giving them the ability to provision mobile devices. This can be somewhat tricky, because the idea of provisioning is different when bring-your-own-device comes into play. Instead of buying smartphones, equipping them with enterprise security systems and giving them out to select users, BYOD asks IT to provision enterprise-enabled systems on employee-owned smartphones and tablets. Because of this, provisioning is about finding a way to equip the personal device with work-specific tools and technologies that give IT the ability to manage the endpoint on some level, even if it only means that the company can wipe data remotely if the device is lost or stolen.
Phase two is all about maintaining devices. The report said that mobile device management needs to enable enterprise IT departments to ensure that the policies set forth in the initial provisioning stage remain active and effective during everyday use. When this is successful, phase three comes into play. During the third phase of MDM, IT focuses on service and application management on employee-owned smartphones and tablets. The final phase of MDM consists of using the software to monitor usage patterns and ensure users avoid overages. The news source explained that this four-phase MDM system needs to be a constant cycle when BYOD is active in the enterprise.
IT help desk software will also play a prominent role in the various phases of mobile device management. As employees familiarize themselves with enterprise tools on their personal devices, they will likely face a higher volume of operational problems because of the new applications and services. While mobile employees tend to be more tech-savvy than most, the help desk still needs to be ready for new challenges when supporting BYOD.