Advantages Of Mobile Device Management
Mobile Device Management Best Practices
The goal of mobile device management is to secure corporate data and improve productivity. Mobile Device Management allows organizations to enforce policies across all mobile devices connected to the corporate network to maintain secure access and avoid data breaches.
In the increasingly distant work environment, more employees are accessing the corporate network from a variety of different mobile devices. Whether these devices are personal or work purposed, in both cases these endpoints are the primary access between the employee and the corporate network. As more workplaces move away from in-office, desktop access and towards a cloud based, mobile access the number of remote access points only increases.
In a recent study, it was found that 39% of employees access corporate data from personal devices. The move to remote working has changed how corporate data is handled which is prone to data leakage and unauthorized access by third-party hackers.
Mobile Device Management allows a business to develop security policies and manage access to ensure that corporate data is being handled by authorized parties in a secure manner. MDM is typically configured using an application downloaded on endpoint devices as well as a server software that will run on the business’s cloud or data system. As the use of personal mobile devices for work has become more common, MDM solutions have transitioned into Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM).
Enterprise Mobility Management
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) is the implementation of policies and technology with the goal of securing and managing the use of mobile devices that access the corporate network.
You may ask, what is the difference between EMM and MDM? Mobile Device Management is considered a part of Enterprise Mobility Management and has largely evolved from one to the other over time. To clarify, any Enterprise Mobility solution can be considered a part of Mobile Device Management but not every Mobile Device solution is a part of Enterprise Device Management.
A notable difference between these two security solutions comes down to the focus on what is being secured. While MDM focuses more on managing and securing the device, EMM draws a focus towards securing the business’s information first. Rather than storing information on the device, the data is store remotely on a secure cloud-based or remote server. This is not to say that the security of the device is not considered as these servers are accessed through employee’s mobile devices much of the time.
Today, most of these security solutions will be interpreted as Enterprise Mobility Solutions offering comprehensive protection that will cover every aspect of mobile and data source protection. Enterprise Mobility Management allows companies to manage and secure mobile devices along with providing security solutions for the network and data sources being accessed by these devices.
MDM & EMM Best Practices:
- Securing mobile devices
- Monitoring and managing different devices connected to the corporate network
- Encrypt data stored locally on mobile devices
- Identification of users and endpoint devices
- Access control of mobile devices
- Establishing what applications should be on the device
- Plan in the case of a lost or stolen device (device wiping, GPS tracking)
Components of Enterprise Mobility Management
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Mobile Device Management, as discussed above, involves managing and securing any corporate or personal mobile devices that are connected to a corporate network. This involves configuring security measures such as a secure operating system, authentication methods, access control, along with other features like remote management and remote wipe in the case of a lost or stolen device.
Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Mobile Application Management involves the installation and patching of mobile applications that employees will access on corporate and personal mobile devices. MAM includes downloading, updating, and deleting apps along with deploying security and corporate policies that separatee business apps from personal apps to control the sharing of sensitive data. In the event of a lost/stolen device or other security issues, removing applications may also play a part in Mobile Application Management.
Mobile Content Management (MCM)
For employees to access corporate data from their mobile device, tools must be implemented to allow secure access. Mobile Content Management allows employees to do just that, carrying out tools that allow secure access, sharing capabilities and storage on their device. MCM also establishes different access rights for different employee identities to parts of the corporate network.
Through these access restrictions, businesses can understand who is accessing what data which helps isolate parts of the corporate network in the case of a data breach. MCM focuses on the business to business and business to employee security, ensuring that information can be accessed in an efficient and secure manner.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Identity and access management is a framework that utilizes the management of digital identities to control the access to important information. Through control methods such as two-factor/multifactor authentication and privileged access management IAM ensures that all identities are accounted for and that only the required data is being shared. The purpose of IAM is to identify endpoints and control the different role of users, establishing the varying levels of access to understand how employees use corporate data.
Mobile Configuration Management
Mobile Configuration Management involves configuring mobile device settings so that they comply with an organizations security policies and procedures. This allows IT admins to implement security controls and take notice to violations that may put the corporate network and data at risk.