Mobile Device Management Gears up For BYOD

Today, mobile devices dramatically change the way an Enterprise works, enabling

employees to have more speed, accessibility and efficiency for tasks related to work.

BYOD enables the workforce to work with devices they prefer and be connected to the

office anytime from anywhere.

The flip side is that this very ease of accessibility to enterprise resources and networks

from outside brings with it multiple security concerns. Mobile Device Management is a

niche technology to address these concerns and circumvent any threats that may arise

with them.

Addresses vulnerability issues arising for Enterprise resources

Protection of the devices themselves

BYOD a Big Challenge for MDM

Bring Your Own Device gives the workforce a choice to remain in vogue. By being

allowed to use devices that suit their own styles and not what the enterprise dictates;

BYOD becomes the most trending word for the work culture today.

It is a huge challenge for the Enterprise mobility solutions to cater to diverse devices

and their operating systems. Employees would tend to use multiple devices to gain

access into the system and carry out their tasks depending on the scenario or the time

of the day. The workforce, especially the techno savvy ones constantly replace their

mobile devices periodically because of reasons as simple as remaining the latest or even

loss of devices.

The challenges of managing varying devices forces enterprises to develop rules for

BYOD. Some enterprises insist on allowing manufacturer specific devices or only certain

operating systems. This is a restrictive approach and in a way kills the flexibility of BYOD

entirely.

Instead, Enterprises today need to have capable and robust MDM solutions to manage

Multiple devices

Data security of central data repositories

24 * 7 network connectivity & their speed

Stolen or lost devices

The Changing Needs of Protection for Mobile Devices

MDM solutions adapt to the changing needs of the day. The hardware and software for

mobile devices upgrade and change at a much faster pace compared to the computers

within the Enterprise. Protection of both the hardware and software of the mobile

devices today is expected to cater to the very basic as well as more sophisticated

requirements.

Password protection

Access to device features such as cameras

Email account setup

Applications data security

Lost device management

o Device wiping

o Device password enforcement

o Device password reset

Security of Mobile Devices- A Tall Order

Since mobile devices have become the way of life, MDM software becomes indispensable

for strategizing security. BYOD gives the freedom of choice to the employees and the

comfort of working with devices they are familiar with, for assured rise in efficiency and

productivity. An Enterprise faces the challenge of securing the interacting devices, their

networks and the safety of the data exchanged. There is a tight rope to walk between

the independence of workforce and security of resources.

As the devices change too quickly, the Enterprise remains on toes with being ready for a

new one and its special requirements for integration and security. Regular updates to

the operating systems pose their own set of problems too. The only choice for

Enterprises is to have a continuous upgrades to the MDM solution as well.

Managed Security to the Rescue of MDM

Regular modifications to the MDM solution incorporated is no mean feat. Catering to

every new device coming in or every new version of the operating system becomes a

major bottleneck in the functioning of an Enterprise.

Managed security becomes the buzzword today, delegating security of mobile devices to

the experts and proves to be a very practical and cost effective solution for

implementing MDM today.

Controls and manages through back office consoles

Chalks out enterprise device policies

Supervises adherence to compliance policies

Caters to all popular platforms like iOS, Android and Windows Phone

Offloads the MDM tasks from the Enterprise

Designs Lost Device policies

MDM In a Nutshell

With every new advance in technology, comes its own set of challenges. Prudent Mobile

Device Management policies make sure that technology empowers its users and do not

prove to be a handicap in the real world scenario.