Mobility is a hot topic and every day we hear of new productivity improvements that can greatly affect your mobile access to your key business information- from your Mobile CRM.
Mark Price, Managing Consultant from Abilita Telecom Consultants reminds us of common issues that will occur and the importance of a mobile device management solution:
“An employee accidentally downloads malware onto a corporate-owned mobile device. Important data is lost when an employee’s mobile device unexpectedly shuts down due to a low battery. An employee gets frustrated when she doesn’t get the same support on her Android that her coworker gets on his iPhone. Money is wasted on a new mobile device while an identical device sites in storage. These are only a few of the problems businesses face, but they all have one thing in common: They can be solved by effective Mobile Device Management.
Any business that currently uses mobile devices, or intends to implement them in the future, needs to consider Mobile Device Management solutions. While security is a crucial part it’s important that other aspects are not overlooked, such as inventory and device monitoring. With effective and well-rounded Mobile Device Management, businesses can keep customer and corporate data secure, reduce costs, effectively serve clients and increase employee productivity.”
Mark Price outlines 6 main components to a great mobile device management system:
1. Security
As mobile device usage increases, employees, who are by no means experts in security, are increasingly accessing sensitive business data through mobile devices. So why is it that over 75 percent of businesses are leaving security in the hands of unsavy employees? For efficient mobile security, businesses must protect data and control user access both in storage and on the device. Sensitive business data are vulnerable to a variety of threats, including corrupted data, hackers, viruses and lost or stolen devices.
2. Cross-platform Support:
Often, a single platform is not sufficient for all business functions. In addition, many businesses start with one platform and incorporate another. As long as your mobile device management system efficiently supports multiple platforms, there is no reason to waste money on replacing devices that use a different platform. The most efficient mobile device management solutions are able to support many platforms, including Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Windows XP, etc., from one web-based console.
3. Configuration Management:
Configuration management is vital to mobile device management because it allows administrators to maintain settings on software and hardware. These settings include network settings, regional settings, device identification, connection profiles and alerts. Settings can be checked and reset whenever necessary against centrally-defined configurations.
4. Device Monitoring:
A mobile device management solution should be able to monitor and react to a mobile device’s change of state. It monitors files, memory, folders and registry settings. A change in the state of these important functions automatically triggers processes that protect data.
5. Inventory:
A mobile device management solution should be able to monitor and react to a mobile device’s change of state. It monitors files, memory, folders and registry settings. A change in the state of these important functions automatically triggers processes that protect data.
6. Clear Priorities/Efficient Scheduling and Policies:
A mobile device management solution should be able to monitor and react to a mobile device’s change of state. It monitors files, memory, folders and registry settings. A change in the state of these important functions automatically triggers processes that protect data.
Policies: The importance of clear policies that are regularly enforced cannot be stressed enough. Policies are crucial for establishing and enforcing suitable guidelines and absolutely necessary in order for employees to know what is acceptable and unacceptable when using corporate mobile devices
A good mobile device manager will effectively incorporate all the components of a mobile device management system in a way that will support your current business needs, as well as plan for the future needs of your business. Whether you have a small or large business, there is no reason to have a mobile system that cannot meet current needs, plan for the future, reduce cost and increase employee productivity.
I encourage you to review the full content of his article, What to Look for in a Mobile Device Solution.
Interested to know more- please contact:
Frank Smith, Toll Free: (866) 902-8900
The Abilita blog at: http://www.abilitablog.com
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