If you’re like many entrepreneurs, you’re aware of these risks but struggling to implement an effective system. This problem is especially common among small enterprises that lack dedicated IT staff. Without an IT department, outsourcing becomes vital — but many business leaders try to do it all on their own.

Thankfully, a realistic, comprehensive solution is available: mobile device management. Keep reading to learn what it is, how it works, and how your business can benefit from this approach.

What Is Mobile Device Management?

Mobile device management (MDM) is a broad term that encompasses the administering and securing of smartphones, tablets, and other devices at the organizational level. It involves storing data about mobile devices, selecting apps to be deployed across the enterprise, maintaining location status information, and, when necessary, locating lost or stolen devices.

MDM can look dramatically different depending on where and how it’s implemented — and for what reason. At its most basic level, however, it involves the broad oversight of enterprise-related mobile devices.

By adopting a strategic MDM solution, your organization can simplify mobile protocol and ensure that devices are used as efficiently and securely as possible.

Benefits of Mobile Device Management

In today’s mobile world, a haphazard approach will no longer cut it. From bring your own device (BYOD) workplaces to point of sale systems in retail and even electronic logs in transportation, mobile endpoints are increasingly the preferred option in nearly every industry and work setting imaginable. A solution that takes all these opportunities into account is essential.

Specific benefits of MDM may vary from one organization to the next, but enthusiasts rave about these key advantages:

Reduced Service Calls

If service calls represent a top challenge for your organization, MDM may present a viable solution. Detailed information regarding device usage and status will help you determine where, when, and under what circumstances service calls are required. This, in turn, will enable you to reduce the frequency of calls, and, when they are required, ensure that you make the most of each occasion.

Minimized Downtime

Even a few minutes of downtime can prove devastating, given the current reliance on mobile devices for so many corporate functions. MDM solutions offer a proactive means of addressing emerging problems before they lead to outages. Additionally, this approach ensures that, in the worst-case scenario, you’re instantly aware of compromised devices and capable of initiating a swift response.

Transparency

How do employees, clients, and other parties use the devices that make up your mobile system? What do usage patterns say about your organization’s general productivity or security? This data can be difficult to track.

MDM software offers much-needed transparency to help you understand the context in which devices are used — and where improvements can be made to produce better results.

Security

Smartphones and tablets offer much-needed flexibility in today’s increasingly mobile workforce — especially as remote solutions take on a greater degree of importance. Unfortunately, these devices also prompt additional security vulnerabilities that, if not addressed on an upfront basis, could prove devastating.

MDM provides a variety of much-needed security initiatives that account for everything from lost devices to employee error. From strong encryption to automated device updates, these efforts limit the potential for falling victim to mobile phishing campaigns, application-based malware, or fraudulent access points for Wi-Fi.

For BYOD or CYOD workplaces, MDM can address the potential for personal use by creating separate and secure digital environments that employees can use as needed.

Reduced Business Risks

In addition to the cybersecurity concerns referenced above, poorly managed mobile phones can present a variety of other risks for your organization. Data loss, for example, can occur not only due to breaches, but also, as a result of carelessness or because of factors outside of your control.

The backup solutions offered through mobile device management allow for a better response in the event of a company data breach. The functionality enables remote wiping for stolen or lost devices without risking business data loss. This, coupled with strict protocol for handling corporate information, could make a world of difference.

Beyond addressing the threat of corporate data loss, MDM services help you maintain regulatory compliance. Company-wide audits can be performed to ensure that your entire network is compliant with current rules and regulations. This could save you considerable trouble as you strive to keep up to date with evolving protocol on a federal and local level.

Real-Time Knowledge of Device Location

Depending on the nature of your mobile strategy, your organization’s devices may travel hundreds or even thousands of miles. Even when devices remain within a narrow radius, a variety of concerns can make them difficult to track. MDM offers real-time insights into their location.

Real-time location data can prove valuable in a variety of contexts. With transportation and logistics, for example, this insight delivers better implementation and compliance for electronic logging devices (ELD) while also offering a powerful solution for modern fleet management concerns. With warehousing, MDM streamlines numerous processes — even when devices are deployed across several locations or within a vast campus.

Improved Efficiency

Whether your organization operates on a BYOD basis or utilizes company devices, setup and maintenance can prove time-consuming. MDM streamlines these processes to ensure that employees promptly receive devices, software, and applications when they need them. Strategic mobile solutions also deliver a streamlined workflow and more effective collaboration, both of which lead to further improvements in efficiency, and, over time, significant cost savings.

Why It’s Important

Mobile device management can play a valuable role in virtually any industry imaginable, but it’s especially vital for logistics and supply chain management. Mobile devices represent a natural solution for these sectors’ most long-held challenges. This is especially true as the government enacts new requirements for electronic logging devices (ELDs) and other digital systems.

With increased mobile reliance comes the need for additional security protocol and compliance efforts. This is where MDM comes into play. This type of solution solution can help your enterprise harness the many advantages that mobile devices have to offer without falling prey to the noteworthy concerns they present.

Working With an Enterprise Mobility Management Partner

If you’re ready to implement a mobile device management solution but feel a bit overwhelmed, don’t worry — you don’t need to go it alone. An enterprise mobility management (EMM) partner can help you step up your approach and gain the myriad of benefits outlined above.

Your provider should configure a personalized solution that takes the unique realities of your industry and company into account. In addition to assisting with deployment, your EMM partner can provide insight with an online portal, as well as support services to ensure that you feel confident every step of the way.

Peak Technologies offers targeted MDM solutions and management tools aimed at improving efficiency, security, and innovation. Our team will work hard to address your concerns. With our guidance, you can implement a solution that accounts for the mobile realities of your organization. Reach out today to learn more about our approach to MDM and other enterprise managed mobility services.