Mobile Device Management (MDM) is becoming exponentially more important to organizations in the year 2015. Finding the best ways to protect and manage smartphones and tablets can be a daunting task, but with the increasing population of mobile employees, security is pivotal.
TechTarget’s Matthew Pascucci outlines six key questions that are necessary to ask when looking into MDM products in a recent article. He also emphasizes the importance of an established set of “organizationally specific criteria” prior to comparing and contrasting MDM solutions.
ARG’s Management Services Director, Patrick McGugan, echoes Pascucci’s concerns surrounding MDM solutions, so we have pulled some of the key sections of Matthew’s answers for our readers. You can check out Matthew’s full article on TechTarget’s website, but here’s our take on it all.
Pascucci’s six questions touch on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), on premise vs the cloud, custom apps, containerization vs containerless, profile options, and pricing.
If personal mobile devices are a factor in an enterprise’s MDM, the task of protecting company data can become quite tricky. Company wide security policies will need to be put in place that will allow for all company data permitted on those devices to be protected, most likely through a secured app.
MDM systems that are on-site require man power and time to manage on a daily basis, while “cloud-based MDM products are SaaS (software as a service) implementations that allow administrators to no longer manage physical appliances or have the need to make firewall changes to allow access back into their networks.”
ARG employs apps on mobile devices to allow users to work remotely and at any time. The ability to run this app or any app that an enterprise wants its employees to use is an incredibly important factor when choosing MDM products. These business apps allow for more security on mobile devices, and alternatively, being able to limit what other apps are installed is a bonus.
In terms of containerization vs containerless, let’s pull from Pascucci’s definitions:
“Containerization installs all MDM data within a dedicated agent container on mobile devices.”
“Containerless, on the other hand, allows for a more native experience to end users because they don’t have to adhere toward using the container app to perform all job activities (i.e., email, file storage).”
With the ability to confidently monitor and access company data, companies that want their end users as mobile as possible should consider containerless MDM. If the company prefers that all data and apps are separated from the rest of the mobile system, containerization would be ideal.
Profiles are equally as important as where company data is stored on mobile devices. Passwords/PINS, VPN tunnels, and certificates of authentication are just three of the security features Pascucci highlights, and ARG couldn’t agree more.
ARG also knows that MDM products vary in pricing, and depending on a company’s preference on the aforementioned topics, an understanding budget may be important.
Phew! That was a lot of MDM information wrapped up into one blog. These topics are only six that you could have questions about when deciding on the best MDM products for your company. The great thing is, ARG is here to help with everything else you want to know!
If you want to look into the best MDM options for your company or have any questions at all on MDM for your enterprise, please do not hesitate to reach out to Patrick McGugan directly at pmcgugan@myarg.com.
The full TechTarget article, “Six questions to Ask before Buying Enterprise MDM Products”, can be found here. Matthew Pascucci gives a ton more great advice on MDM, but ARG can help you with your business’s Mobile Device Management and any questions you may have immediately.
