5 Reasons why mobile device management is more critical than ever

Mobile devices have liberated today’s employees from the office desktop and paved the way for flexible remote working options. Pre-pandemic, we've already seen businesses implementing bring your own device (BYOD) policies. And when workforces shifted to remote work arrangements, the number of employees using their own devices for work only increased.

While letting staff use their own devices is great for improving productivity and reducing equipment costs, applying security policies across an ever-wider variety of devices and operating systems is challenging. With attackers out in force to exploit remote workers during the pandemic, it has never been more important to manage these devices properly.

What is mobile device management?

Mobile device management (MDM) offers a way for IT administrators to control, secure, and apply policies on employee- and business-owned devices like smartphones and tablets. Most MDM solutions are cloud-based, giving administrators full visibility into their mobile endpoints from a centralized location. MDM solutions also provide identity and access management and enforce backup and disaster recovery policies.

The benefits of MDM

With a powerful MDM platform, you can expect a host of benefits to your company’s security, mobility, and cost management.

1. Increased security

While remote work is nothing new, stay-at-home mandates to curb the spread of COVID-19 have forced many companies to implement remote work policies with minimal time to prepare. This has given cybercriminals new opportunities to exploit businesses by targeting poorly equipped remote teams and vulnerable mobile devices.

One of the main goals of MDM is to improve security by ensuring policies and controls can be enforced across the entire mobile device portfolio. When adding new devices, administrators can quickly apply controls like encryption and application blacklisting. They can also remotely wipe or revoke access rights on lost or stolen devices and automate critical security updates.

2. Workforce flexibility

MDM automates many routine tasks associated with mobile device usage, and not only security policies and controls. For example, when employees need to access files using their mobile devices, MDM can provide them with instant access to cloud-hosted documents from any location.

Because MDM provides centralized control and management over mobile devices, IT support teams can also remotely access and manage devices to fix problems or, in the case of a data breach, lock or wipe the device. At the same time, employees can safely work from anywhere using the devices they’re most comfortable with.

3. Simplified compliance

Almost every business is subject to data privacy and security regulations designed to protect personally identifiable and payment information. Most businesses have already developed the policies they need to uphold their legal obligations, but the challenge lies in enforcing them across increasingly complex operational environments.

MDM software lets administrators apply and enforce compliance policies at scale while making it easier to keep track of potential violations. All compliance initiatives can be managed from a unified, web-based console. MDM also provides reporting capabilities that provide full audit trails of every user activity.

4. Data segregation

Data segregation helps administrators apply system updates or changes without interrupting workflows. This keeps company and personal files separate to protect employee privacy while ensuring security.

For example, there’s rarely any need for employees to store any company data on their own devices, or even mobile devices belonging to the company. Instead, all assets can be stored in the cloud, allowing administrators to retain full control over their assets. Alternatively, MDM can dedicate a separate encrypted partition on the device for storing company data locally.

5. Reduced costs

It’s easy to view remote work as a temporary necessity as the pandemic evolves, but it’s also important to think of its long-term benefits. Allowing employees to work from home using their own devices comes with substantial cost savings, the biggest being reduced hardware and office space requirements.

MDM lets businesses realize these benefits without adding substantial risk. By automating many routine IT management and support processes, it also reduces the burden on IT support to free up time to focus on strategic matters. While MDM might seem like yet another expense, the investment more than pays off by adding value to your business and reducing risk.

HERO Managed Services equips businesses with the IT support and services they need to succeed during these uncertain times. Contact us today to schedule your free IT consultation.