MDM, a gift for Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
What is MDM (Mobile Device Management)?
In an enterprise, all management and communication related activities are managed through mobile device with less human intervention. And managing every device separately is a very tedious and time-consuming task. MDM is the technology through which we can overcome these problems. In which an administrator can control hundreds of devices remotely without any human intervention and it became the core component of EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management).
Through MDM we can control access management, file sync/share, update device software, enhancing security over enterprise networks (LAN/WAN) with a single click.
Devices on which MDM works
- All types of mobile phones (Android, iOS, Windows)
- Tablets (Android, iOS)
- All PCs (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
- Enterprise Devices (RFID, BarCode, QRCode Scanners, Entertainment devices installed just as TVs, Vehicle Entertainment systems, and many more)
Need of MDM
In today’s enterprise environment where each and everything is going to be dependent on Mobile devices (phones, tablets, iPad, TVs, POS, etc), the main tough task was to manage all these devices separately.
Suppose one department of an organization wants to send some data or files to all mobile devices currently being used in the whole enterprise then there are two options through which he can do the same, either he will go to every device, connect that device with their laptop or computer then transfer files. In this step, time is wasted enormously. Might be possible that a person can’t send that important file on every device in a single day. Therefore time and money are wasted in this step.
Secondly, he can send those files on the internet (cloud) and every administrator of particular mobile devices has to download that file. But in this step also many concerns could be avoided in an organization such as Security, and Manpower wastage.
Lastly, we can have a software-based process in our organization that controls all mobile devices remotely. That is MDM (Mobile Device Management) through which an administrator can manage the 100s of devices in a single click. He can send/sync files, manage security, install or uninstall software of devices, manage access control on those devices, and many more.
So in conclusion we can say that MDM can help in Enterprise on the below points:
- Reduce Security Risks
- Help Lower Costs
- Improve workflows
- Simplify Internal IT demands
- Low Manpower wastage
Features of MDM
Mobile operating system developers and mobile device manufacturers control what MDM software can and can’t do. They give special permissions to use different core functionalities of the device and OS.
Below are some core features of MDM:
- User Access Management
- Controlling AD (Active Directory)
- Securing network within an enterprise
- Remote Control
- Application whitelisting and Blacklisting
- Secured Data/File transfer
- Many more… (Depend on different MDMs available in the market)
How MDM works
MDM Software consists of a Server and a Client agent and both are connected through APIs. Servers can send and receive commands over an agent App installed on Mobile devices with the help of APIs.
But Server and Agent are always connected through a ping mechanism, meaning the agent continuously pings the server for checking if it is connected or not. Generally, the Server and an agent are connected via socket connection which is a very faster mode of data transfer over the same network.
You can more understand the working between a server and an agent using the below image.
The figure below illustrates Mobile Device Management (MDM) architecture and operations.
The basic operation steps for MDM architecture are described below:
Step 1. Enrollment/Configuration: In this step, the user will register the data for their mobile device in the MDM system.
Step 2. Distribution: In this step, the MDM agent will be distributed and installed in mobile devices.
Step 3. Authentication: After the MDM agent is installed and run the data is sent to the MDM server for authentication and matching if the data entered is correct.
Step 4. Instruction: The MDM server redirects the instruction to the MDM agent following the status of the mobile device.
Step 5. Control/Report: The MDM agent takes care of the mobile device functionality as per the device control policy and sends the outcome back to the MDM server.
IT administrators configure policies through the MDM server’s management console, and the server pushes policies over the air to the MDM agent on the device. The agent applies those policies to the device by communicating with application programming interfaces (APIs) built directly into the device operating system.
Similarly, IT administrators can deploy applications to managed devices through the MDM server.
Benefits of MDM
1. Reduce IT Manpower
Managing 100s of mobile devices in an enterprise separately requires more IT personnel. Because each device needs different support at the same time, this problem is resolved by having one MDM solution. Through an MDM you can control 1000s or more devices remotely by one administrator or an IT personnel.
2. Improve End-User Productivity
End-user in an enterprise refers to the users of enterprise mobile devices. They generally get easily used to the enterprise tasks and software installed on the device. When new technology changes in the device, they are afraid to update the concerned devices, and when technology changes happen they need extra time to get their hands on it. MDM also resolves this problem because updating new policies and software over the device is more simple than ever in it and it generally has full backup support from old technology or software.
3. IT risks can be avoided
When you talk about an Enterprise the main thing that must be always considered is Data and Network Security. Especially when an enterprise allows “BYOD (Bring your own device)”. Through MDM you can implement best security practices and install best policies with one click. MDM also supports Data encryption and decryption. It can also work with BYOD where your personal and organizational data gets separated.
4. Reduce Mobile Device spending
We need 100s or 1000s mobile devices in an organization to automate the process. This will add an expenditure burden. MDM can reduce it by enabling BYOD on employees’ devices. Through this employee uses enterprise-level Data/Transfer, Access Management, and remote sync on the same device he is carrying after MDM sends particular policies to be installed automatically when an employee gets entered into the organization’s premises.
MDM Solution Providers
Below is the list of some best MDM providers in the EMM section:
Conclusion
Through the above explanation, we can say that MDM is a gift for any enterprise. It’s a software solution that is evolving day by day. MDM is an emerging requirement for organizations dealing with various mobile devices. There are two main factors that influence the adoption of MDM. The first factor is organization size and the second factor is BYOD culture. Many big mobile manufacturing giants are also changing their device hardware and operating system according to the current needs of the MDM market. Large organizations are adopting MDM very frequently because of more mobile devices and the need for standard processes and security concerns but small organizations are less likely to use MDM due to less profit margin. That’s why we said that MDM is an evolving technology that is helping organizations to expand their business. This definitely will be more efficient and cost-effective also in the future so that small enterprises also get the benefit of this technology.
