What is Mobile Device Management (MDM)?

Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions are applications that help organizations manage the mobile device lifecycle for both corporate and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) smartphones, tablets, and other devices.

Emerging in the early 2000s, these tools allow IT administrators to manage all devices that connect to corporate networks, applications, and resources. This allows them to control access, install software, push configurations, manage applications, and more from a single management console.

Without MDM, organizations often grapple with security risks, device management inefficiencies, and productivity challenges. Sensitive data can be vulnerable to breaches, device configurations can be inconsistent, and IT support can be overwhelmed. 

With increased flexibility from an MDM solution, enterprise users get on-demand access to organizational data, information, and services using a device configured and maintained to meet their organization’s needs and requirements.

For IT administrators, MDM can enhance the efficiency of business operations with:

• Up-to-date information on devices including their model, operating systems, installed applications and more. 
• Real-time monitoring of a diverse mobile device fleet including device health, network connectivity, and battery status.
• Confirmation of a device’s compliance status including if a device has been jailbroken or has specific applications installed. 
• Automated, or IT managed, device management, configuration changes, updates, and remote troubleshooting.

For organizations developing a mobile strategy or looking for ways to manage their mobile device deployment, mobile device management offers significant benefits. Using a centralized management platform to manage mobile devices, MDM can improve operational efficiency, productivity, and security.

• Enhanced security: Safeguard corporate data through device encryption, password enforcement, and remote wipe capabilities.
• Increased efficiency and productivity: With centralized management for all enrolled mobile devices, routine tasks like device provisioning, configuration, and software updates can be pushed to the devices more efficiently. This ensures all devices have the tools to complete tasks both in the field and the office.
• Streamlined device management: Allow IT administrators to manage and monitor all devices from a single dashboard. This helps organizations maintain accurate records of devices, their configurations, and software installations.
• Support for various device types: MDM solutions support a wide range of device types and operating systems. This enables organizations to implement a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy that gives teams the flexibility to use their preferred devices. 
• Enhanced support: Enable remote troubleshooting and support that reduces the need for in-person IT support while improving device uptimes. 
• Regulatory compliance: For organizations in heavily regulated industries, MDM solutions help ensure devices comply with industry-specific regulations and standards. This includes maintaining software updates, providing data protection, enforcing policies, and building audit trails. 

While some features can vary depending on the vendor and the tool, there are some capabilities and components that are common to all robust MDM solutions.

• Device enrollment: This is the process of adding new devices to the MDM system. A robust MDM solution will allow IT administrators to enroll devices automatically, manually, in bulk, or via self-service enrollment.
• Policy management: IT administrators use a centralized management platform to create mobile device policies that govern the acceptable use of mobile devices including device security, data protection, and app usage. These policies can be deployed in bulk or individually. IT administrators can automatically monitor, detect, and report violations to take corrective action quickly.
• Inventory management: Tracking and managing information about all enrolled devices, including make, model, operating system, and hardware specifications.
• Security measures: Implementing security features such as encryption, remote wipe, and password enforcement. 
• Remote Management: Controlling and managing devices remotely, including locking, locating, and updating devices.
• Application Management: Deploying, updating, and removing apps on managed devices. This includes app whitelisting, blacklisting, and distribution.
• Compliance Management: Ensuring adherence to industry regulations (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) through policy enforcement and reporting.
• Reporting and Analytics: Generating reports on device usage, app performance, and security compliance.
• Integration Capabilities: Integrating with other enterprise systems such as Active Directory, email, and help desk

• Identify mobile requirements: Work with IT administrators and strategic decision-makers to define the mobile device needs and requirements for the organization. This should include an inventory of all mobile devices already in use, potential deployment models, and any 3^rd party integrations required.
• Perform a risk assessment: Conduct threat modeling and risk assessments to understand the threat landscape and help select security controls and identify MDM solutions for protecting the organization.
• Identify applications and content management requirements: Coordinate with departments to define what is accessible using mobile devices enrolled in mobile device management. Access to non-critical applications should be restricted through block lists and web content filtering. 
• Establish ownership guidelines: Determine whether devices are company-owned, employee-owned, or a combination. 
• Define acceptable usage guidelines: Depending on your deployment model and ownership policy, organizations should define usage policies that govern the use of personal accounts, application usage, data usages, roaming, and international calling. Enterprise restrictions should be clearly communicated to employees to help explain why software and device configurations are enforced.  
• Construct device policies: Using the MDM management console, enforce strong password requirements, multi-factor authentication, and enable device encryption. 
• Outline support and help desk procedures: Provide clear guidelines for employees to seek assistance with device issues. 
• Effective device enrollment: Make it easy for employees to enroll their devices with clear instructions or self-service enrollment. 
• Continuous monitoring and management: Monitor device configurations and keep devices up-to-day with the latest patches for operating systems and applications.  
• Creating and maintaining backups: Regular backups are a critical part of any IT strategy. This is especially true for mobile devices, which can easily be lost, stolen, or damaged. Having a clear process for creating and maintaining backups ensures that important data can be recovered in the event of a device being lost. This process should include regular backup schedules, secure and reliable storage solutions, and procedures for recovering data when needed. 
• Disposal and reuse of devices: Mobile devices often hold sensitive information like passwords, account numbers, and personal information. When devices are no longer required, it is important to have a process in place for properly sanitizing the device’s memory. This often involves a factory reset to ensure all data is wiped from the device. If the device is to be reused or sold, it’s important to ensure no residual data remains that could be recovered.