Managing Corporate Devices Efficiently

More remote workers. More BYOD devices. More managing devices. The workload and management for IT teams have increased dramatically in 2020.

Even before the COVID-19  pandemic, more than 7 million employees were working remotely. As of June 2020, 42% of all employees working from home full-time. That makes it difficult to walk down the hall and update a computer or even access it if the IT team is working remotely.

While the increased number of devices being used gives workers greater mobility it also increases the complexity of the IT infrastructure. Different devices might mean different operating systems or different versions of the same operating systems. BYOD devices, such as smartphones, laptops, and home desktops may contain personal data which creates more security concerns. Data breaches, information leakage, and lost or stolen devices are now even greater possibilities than before.

It is nearly impossible to apply consistent company policies and maintain the entire fleet of devices without Mobile Device Management (MDM). MDM has now become an essential tool for the efficient management of device fleets.

The Essential Benefits of MDM Remote Management

The biggest benefit of MDM is a centralized and remote platform for managing devices.  MDM software gives IT teams the tools to manage every device and apply (and enforce) standards and policies. It provides a consistent approach to security and ensures users comply with company regulations.

Software Consistency

Apps, operating systems, settings, and updates can all be handled through the MDM platform. This makes sure every device in the fleet is running the versions the IT team wants. Patches can be deployed instantly across every device when vulnerabilities are discovered.

Most MDMs can support multiple operating systems, which gives users greater flexibility.

Productivity

For IT teams, Mobile Device Management can improve productivity significantly. Instead of having to get your hands physically on each device, work can be done remotely. Multiple requests can be sent to the endpoint server, such as updates, without having to manually update each device individually.

• Remote provisioning
• Application distributing and management
• Application configuration
• Set organization-wide policies
• Batch tasks and simultaneous workflows

Everything needed for managing devices is available in one central platform.

Remote Help

It can also be a time-saver for IT teams and users when it comes to troubleshooting user issues. If there’s a problem, assistance can be rendered remotely by taking over the device to diagnose and resolve problems quickly. Help can be given regardless of where the device is as long as it has internet connectivity.

It allows IT teams to rapidly diagnose memory, CPU, hardware, or software issues remotely, or walk users through solutions. This can even be accomplished when the user is unavailable.

Enhanced Visibility

MDM also provides enhanced visibility for support teams. You can check on the status of any device at any time or set up triggers when specific conditions occur.

• Real-time visibility of device inventory
• Device reporting (OS, battery health, etc.)
• Asset management

Consistent Policy Application

MDM also provides a central way to enforce consistent policies across devices. When IT administrators make a decision about how users will operate their devices, MDM provides a way to ensure that it’s done that way. This can mitigate the impact of the number cause of security breaches:  human error.

• Standardize company policies
• Restrict applications by user
• Enforce security protocols, such as two-factor authentication

These policies are especially important for companies that have to comply with regulations, such as GDPR, HIPPA, SOC 2, or PCI DSS. Enforcing consistent policies across all devices ensures compliance even on personal devices.

Enhanced Security

MDM software allows IT teams to partition personal data that may reside on a personal device. Company data can be encrypted so that even if a hacker finds a way through the partition, they won’t be able to access the data.

If a device is lost, it can be locked until it’s recovered. If it isn’t recovered, or if the device is stolen, it can be wiped. If someone leaves the company, IT can remotely remove corporate data without affecting personal data on the device. And geolocation tools can track devices and trigger alerts if they are outside prescribed areas.

Because devices can be updated remotely, you can ensure that every device is updating and running the latest versions of operating systems, software, and anti-virus protection.

• Enforce data encryption
• Manage devices settings and configurations
• Remotely lock or wipe devices if lost or stolen

Kiosk Mode

MDM software can switch devices to an encapsulated environment. This limits what users can do to functionalities that have been pre-approved and authorized. External ports, cameras, or other hardware functions can be enabled or disabled.

• Encapsulated environment and pre-configured policies
• Customized desktop environments
• Enable or disable apps, internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.

This allows IT teams to limit software installations or changes to device settings.

In-Depth Reporting

Detailed reports can be used to assess optimal usage across the organization. This allows IT teams and other managers to make better fact-based decisions.

• Track device and web usage
• Measure adoption of company resources
• Create reports manually, automatically, or using triggers and filters

Customization and Flexibility

MDM allows for customization not only to company-specific items and global settings but for individual settings depending on need. For example, certain employees can have access to apps that others don’t. Group or individual security levels can be set for authorization.

The right Mobile Device Management software for your unique business or educational needs can be integrated into your existing flow. Restful APIs can make back-end server-side integration easy. This lets you develop your own apps and allows MDM reporting to flow into your applications.

Radix VISO MDM/EMM for Managing Devices

Radix VISO Mobile Device Management/Enterprise Mobility Management (MDM/EMM) app easily manages all major operating systems and devices. Running on AWS to reduce latency and create end-to-end encryption, VISO MDM/EMM provides a comprehensive device management layer in addition to securing your fleet.

The cloud-based platform provides a global view of the entire fleet while allowing IT teams to drill down to individual devices, users, and applications. The most mission-critical and complex IT infrastructures can be managed through a central interface.

Contact Radix Technologies today for a free trial of the Radix VISO MDM/EMM.