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Computer management

What is Mobile Device Management also known as MDM?

Team Bravas
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4/7/2022
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6
min

Mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets are now an integral part of a company's IS. Practical, flexible, they are above all a target of choice for attacks targeting your company. For this reason, the security of mobile devices is becoming an essential issue, regardless of the size of the company concerned. Discover the benefits of an MDM solution for IT asset management.

The MDM (Mobile Device Management) Solution: Definition

The term Mobile Device Management covers solutions for managing a company's mobile devices. At the heart of this system is of course the requirement to secure mobile devices. 

For the CIO of a company, the MDM solution must be an integral part of a good management of the company's IT fleet. It will harmonize and secure the entire fleet of mobile devices. 

Employees can then be productive while having the certainty that the information that passes through their terminals is perfectly secure.

Understand the structure of an MDM software

You may come across different acronyms related to mobile fleet management. Each of them may cover a different reality. Therefore, it is essential to understand them well in order to choose the right solution:

  • EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) : This is mobile fleet management in the strictest sense;
  • MAM (Mobile Applications Management): This concerns the harmonization of all the company's business applications;
  • MDM (Mobile Device Management): This part allows you to manage the fleet of mobile terminals;
  • MIM (Mobile Information Management): The objective of MIM is to secure information.

The benefits of MDM for your company 

For the IT department, an EMM or MDM solution is a powerful asset management software. It has indeed many advantages to monitor and manage your devices. 

More globally, it can be used to improve the efficiency and profitability of your company by acting on several key elements of your business processes and your organization.

Securing the mobile device fleet

An MDM solution is first and foremost powerful security software. It includes ways to increase the security of your data and protect the company network. This includes password management, limiting access to certain websites and data containerization.

Improve the user experience

The other advantage of MDM is that it makes life easier for your employees. The use of an enterprise application will be more fluid and efficient on recent and regularly updated terminals. In addition, each employee will have a preconfigured device. They will not have to worry about technical details. 

Optimize remote work

By centralizing the management of the fleet of devices via a single platform, you also make the work of remote employees more fluid. Regardless of their location, it becomes possible to keep an eye on the functioning of the terminals. Moreover, data leakage and security risks are greatly reduced by the ability to remotely block or erase a device in case of loss or theft.

What are the main features of a Mobile Device Management? 

An effective MDM solution must include a set of essential functionalities. These can be broken down into two categories: fleet management on the one hand and fleet security on the other. 

Management of mobile terminals

Harmonizing different devices via an MDM platform will allow you to increase the efficiency of your teams. Whether they work in the enterprise, remotely or in a hybrid work environment, centralized mobile management is ideal for increasing agility and performance.

To do this, your MDM solution must allow you to: 

  • Make an inventory of all existing devices;
  • Carry out the onboarding and offboarding of employees;
  • Manage the operating system of the terminals;
  • Deploy essential updates;
  • Ensure remote troubleshooting of devices;
  • Blocking devices in case of theft;
  • Delete data remotely if necessary.

All these features will optimize the work of all teams wherever they are.

Securing the company's data 

Data is strategic for your company, whether it is a VSE, a SME or even a large company. However, the dangers are numerous. Indeed, malicious individuals can be the cause of data leakage, terminal hacking or device theft. Moreover, employees can unintentionally misplace a device during a personal or professional trip. 

For all these reasons, it is essential to keep track of the entire fleet of mobile devices. By using powerful IT asset management tools like MDMs, you can meet these challenges.

However, the solution you select must include the following features:

  • Geolocate fleet devices;
  • Encrypting sensitive data; 
  • Remotely block and reset terminals;
  • Contain personal and professional uses;
  • Prohibit or restrict certain applications or websites.

These elements are essential to secure mobile devices with an end-to-end solution. 

The combination of common sense and expertise

To take full advantage of your mobile device fleet and ensure the integrity of your sensitive data, the integration of an MDM solution is very relevant. In the hands of an efficient CIO, it will allow you to significantly increase the productivity of your teams through optimal device usage.

At the same time, it is obvious that your employees must all understand the importance of data and device security. You must therefore take the time to share best practices with your teams. For example, your employees should never leave computers, smartphones or tablets unattended. Otherwise, you are exposing yourself to hacking attempts or device theft. 

At the organization's management level, decision-makers and the CIO must systematically make their decisions taking into account mobile devices. More than a simple detail of your IT park, these devices are in fact the first vulnerabilities of your company. You must therefore protect them at all times with dedicated solutions.