The mobile is literally everywhere. It has permeated almost everyone’s lives which mean the distinctions between the personal and the professional have narrowed. A personal cell phone is used for a lot of professional work by employees. Think of the number of work emails sent on a day-to-day basis, the conversations about work, the storage of work documents on your phone and so-on.
Business have gotten up and taken notice. To support mobile workforce, companies issue handhelds such as smartphones, tablets and laptops that enable them to work while travelling or while sitting at the comfort of their homes. Some companies also support the ‘Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)’ concept which permits employees to access company network from their personal handhelds.
The need for MDM
Of course, with the proliferation of mobile devices, an obvious risk has risen: cybersecurity. The different operating systems, the customization and variation in hardware, tweaks in the operating system by each vendor have led to a sea of devices. This presents a serious challenge from the security perspective for organizations that support mobile devices. Some of the key challenges that organizations face by supporting a mobile environment for their employees include a lack of physical security, untrusted networks & applications, interaction with other systems, untrusted mobile devices and so on.
Hence, organizations have started to deploy MDM (Mobile Device Management) solutions which is a term used to signify the administration and management of such devices remotely. The major objective of MDM is to ensure that personal and professional data present in the end user devices are ring fenced. This is provided by securing the data using latest cryptographic methods within the device. Over the air distribution is the preferred method for installing, configuring and upgrading the mobile devices. Once the software is installed, organizations need to perform continuous monitoring and take evasive measures for ever-evolving threats. Other features include locking and wiping a device in case of thefts and remote troubleshooting.
A few of the business benefits of deploying MDM solutions are:
Remote management
By allowing remote management, MDM solutions help an organization manage the security and health of every device connected to the network. Unauthorized users and applications can also be blocked allowing network experts to continuously monitor their present security situation
Data Backup
Companies which have MDM solutions have the security of knowing that there is an option of backup if a device containing important data is erased. Data on such devices is backed up in accordance with an organization’s backup policy. That goes a long way alleviating risks such as device thefts or misplacement and also allows business continuity.
Application Control
Increasingly, organizations require employees to install certain applications on their phone for work reasons. These applications can often be a security risk if not managed properly. MDM allows for centralized control, regulation and use of these applications.
Cost-effectiveness by enabling BYOD
The Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policy certainly brings along certain security risks with it but a MDM solution can help substantially towards managing this. Companies get benefitted two-fold through this – MDM allows them to secure their employees devices while allowing their employees to use personal devices. This enables productivity and also has a cost-saving effect – organizations don’t have to provide devices to each employee.
Compliance
MDM solutions enable organizations to stay compliant with regulatory compliance ensuring that they do not have to face repercussions later down the line in the event of a security breach.
Network administrators can consider Seqrite Mobile Device Management, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art solution which offers all basic and advanced features enabling companies to defend themselves from malicious attacks whilst not impacting their resource utilization. The solution can be deployed and modulated over cloud within a very short span of time. Its easy enrollment makes the user registration, setup and policy syncing a seamless efficient experience irrespective of the location of the end user. A unified management console enables the organization to view, manage and synchronize all the subscribed devices through a central GUI.
As an IT security partner for your business, Seqrite provides comprehensive security from advanced cyber threats. To know more
