Mobility in the Enterprise : 6 Components of an Effective MDM Strategy

Saturation is becoming a growing theme in the enterprise mobility market. We’ve progressed from ‘bring-your-own-device’ strategies emerging as a disruptive force, to a new epoch where enterprise and personal computing are blending into seamless experiences. The result is new opportunities for workers who smartly combine convenience and computing power, to maximize their productivity – whether they are grabbing a device to complete a key task, or connect with teammates. However, for IT teams, the vision becomes slightly cloudier, especially when it involves planning out an MDM strategy.

In some ways, IT teams can take advantage of the ever evolving mobility environment, to leverage solutions that make life easier. For example, a few technologies that have been emerging for a while are starting to become more mainstream.

• Desktop virtualization options that let IT individuals partition their devices with separate setups for work and personal use.
• Biometric solutions that enable organizations to mandate on dual-factor authentication, and provide access privileges accordingly, without detracting from the user experience.
• Cloud platforms that maintain data and app configurations, to simplify mobile device management across varied usage scenarios.

As mobile-focused technologies continue to evolve, IT users are getting access to tools and solutions that help them create better user experiences. However, the device itself still remains a major point of weakness, and mobile device management (MDM) is evolving as well, to help organizations address the issue. The MDM market is currently poised for expansion at a 25 percent compound annual growth rate for the 2016 to 2021 period, Zion Market Research found. This forecast highlights the need and demand for a clear MDM strategy with optimal device management options – a sentiment TechTarget echoed.

Over time, mobile device management capabilities have escalated to the point that the core technology is being used for end-to-end mobility management, TechTarget explained. Essentially, there is a greater awareness that it isn’t enough to just manage a device and operating system. IT teams trying to keep up with a mature enterprise mobility environment need a more holistic view across the device, data and application environment, and MDM is evolving in response. As businesses explore what they need from an MDM solution, they need to understand their specific needs and the nuanced capabilities of the platform.

6 important components of an effective MDM strategy are:

1. Deployment

What’s it going to take to get the MDM solution running? To address this question, you’ll need to think about how you will get current devices set in the system, identify how vendors supply their platforms and pin down what you expect in terms of training your IT team to use the solution. Those are just the starting points.

Rolling out an MDM platform involves migrating large quantities of data from existing service management systems, configuring permissions and establishing user accounts.

When considering platforms, it is vital that you evaluate what options the vendor offers to streamline and simplify these processes. Common options include cloud hosting for the actual MDM platform and a variety of automation systems to make data migration easier.

2. Inventory Management

How are you going to manage assets housed within the MDM system? Maintaining an effective inventory of configuration items covered by the platform is critical in providing adequate protection for those devices.

The Deep Freeze MDM suite provides a couple of key systems to help organizations effectively maintain controls of their device inventory. A few options include:

• Self-enrollment functionality that makes it easier to get assets into the system and ensure data accuracy.
• Tracking and control tools that offer vital visibility into device disposition.

3. Configuration Profiles

Managing device settings, permissions and rules across an entire user base can be overwhelming when you need to manage each device independently. MDM solutions should give you the ability to create device groups, letting you put users into segments based on their job roles and requirements.

Grouping users in the Deep Freeze MDM setup enables you to manage not just the devices themselves but also the apps and settings on those systems.

4. Management Commands

There may be times when your IT team needs to step in and take a specific management action on a device. When choosing a solution, it is vital to identify the degree of control you want your IT department to have and best practices you have in mind surrounding the process of taking action on endpoints.

Deep Freeze MDM lets managers perform remote wipes, handle lock and unlock procedures through the platform, restrict device functionality, push apps into production and send messages directly to devices.

5. App Deployment

We just mentioned this feature one as one of the key management tasks users can complete with Deep Freeze MDM, but it’s worth giving more attention to it as its own point. The proliferation of mobile apps makes managing updates and patches nearly impossible if IT teams have to access the actual device. On top of this, depending on users to keep apps up to date is unrealistic.

Beyond updating solutions, you may also have times when you need to deploy new apps at scale across your organization.

In any of these use cases, it becomes too cumbersome to ask users to complete a series of tasks or manually access devices. Being able to remotely roll out new app instances is critical.

6. Security and Privacy

Of course, security represents one of the primary motivating points behind an MDM deployment. Standard features you should expect are the ability remote lock and wipe devices. Deep Freeze MDM also lets you restrict network access and limit what device functions can be used based on your specific preferences. For example, shutting off an ability for employees to take a screenshot while using certain apps would limit the attack options for an insider threat.

There’s a lot to think about when seeking an MDM system that can keep pace with today’s demand. The Deep Freeze MDM solution is a comprehensive option giving you opportunities for rapid deployment and streamlined management.

To learn more on how Deep Freeze MDM can help your IT teams take control, contact us today.