How to Configure Scalefusion MDM Agent for Windows Devices

Employees worldwide are dependent on mobile devices to complete daily work tasks. However, in a corporate setup, these devices can lead to a series of management and security-related issues. To avoid this, IT departments need to deploy and manage mobile devices, which includes both providing corporate devices or allowing people to use personal devices for business work in a secured framework. 

Simultaneously, the IT staff also needs to ensure all the apps and data on personal devices are shielded against cybercrime or loss. Windows 10 Mobile helps organizations directly address such challenges with flexible, robust, built-in app management and mobile device technologies. 

Windows 10 offers comprehensive end-to-end device lifecycle management. Companies can have full control over the devices and the data and apps on them. 

Using a robust mobile device management solution, IT can easily incorporate devices into standard lifecycle practices, such as:

• Device enrollment
• Configuration
• Application management 
• Monitoring
• Maintenance
• Retirement

What is an MDM Agent?

Mobile device management (MDM) software enables IT departments to implement policies that help secure, monitor, and manage mobile devices of end-users. An MDM agent can be extended on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and even IoT (Internet of Things) devices. An MDM can manage any device that is deployed across multiple mobile service providers and across multiple mobile operating systems.

Using an MDM agent for Windows, IT admins can protect and secure important business data and the company can retain full control over confidential information on all Microsoft operating systems. MDMs allow businesses to gains control over policies and applications.

Companies can keep devices and data secure with MDM-enabled remote locking and wiping capabilities.

Read More: How to Maintain Security When Employees Work Remotely on Windows 10 Devices

Windows MDM Agent

Windows 10 offers its customers a full-fledged enterprise management solution. Using this, IT teams can easily manage business applications and company security policies without compromising the users’ privacy on personal (BYOD) devices. The Windows MDM is a built-in management component that can be used for communicating with the management server.

The Windows 10 management component is divided into two parts:

• The enrollment client: For enrolling and configuring devices so that they can communicate with the enterprise management server.
• The management client: This synchronizes with the management server periodically for the latest updates and also applies all the policies set by IT teams.

As a third-party MDM server, Salesfusion can manage Windows 10 with the MDM protocol. Microsoft’s built-in management client can communicate with a third-party server proxy to perform enterprise management tasks. 

The third-party server will have the same consistent first-party user experience for enrollment. Plus, MDM servers don’t have to download or create a different client for managing Windows 10.

Deployment

Windows agent is common to all editions of the Windows 10 operating system (desktop, mobile, and Internet of Things) and it provides a single interface for MDM solutions to manage any device that runs Windows 10. 

Since identity management can be integrated with the MDM client, it doesn’t take much effort to manage devices throughout the lifecycle. 

Windows 10 offers robust MDM capabilities managed by:

• Microsoft Intune 
• Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager
• Third-party MDM solutions, like Scalefusion

Since all MDM system vendors have equal access to Windows 10 device management application programming interfaces (APIs),  there is no need to install any additional MDM app for enrolling devices. This way, IT organizations have the freedom to select the system that best fits their management requirements, whether Microsoft Intune or a third-party MDM product. 

How to Setup Windows MDM Agent on Scalefusion

Scalefusion MDM Agent helps IT admins perform additional operations on mobile devices that Windows CSP does not yet offer. 

The main areas where MDM agent tracks details are mentioned here:

1. Collecting Device Information 

Tracking User Info like the currently logged-in user, last logged-in user, etc. This reflects under Devices > Full Device Information as User Info.

2. Collecting Users’ Login/Logout Activity

 Tracked under ScreenTime Reports as User Activity

3. Executing PowerShell Commands 

 Executing PowerShell scripts on managed Windows Devices

Installing Scalefusion MDM Agent through Dashboard

Prerequisites

1. Create a Windows Device Profile.
2. The devices should have Windows 10 version 1809 and above, with Windows Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education editions.

Installing Scalefusion MDM Agent from Dashboard

1. Signup and login to Scalefusion Dashboard and navigate to Application Management.

2. Look for Scalefusion MDM Agent (with Windows icon) and click it.

2. Go to the recently opened side panel and click the Publish button.

4. In the following dialog box, select the Device Profiles where you wish to publish the MDM agent. Then, click Publish.

5. All the devices with the selected Device Profiles will have the Windows MDM agent installed on them.  

Checking Installation Status

After publishing, you can check the status of whether the Scalefusion MDM agent has been installed on the devices by using the View Status option. 

If the MDM agent is installed on the device(s), it will show the status as Installed. 

Verification of Scalefusion MDM Agent Service Status on Device

Once published and installed from Dashboard, you can verify on the device if Scalefusion MDM Agent service is running. You can do this through the Services app and Task Manager.

1. Log into the Windows device that has Scalefusion MDM agent published.
2. Open Services app. You will see Scalefusion MDM Agent Service in running mode.
3. Open Task Manager and you should see Scalefusion MDM Agent Service in running mode.

Take Away

Microsoft released a Microsoft MDM security baseline with Windows 10, version 1809; it primarily functions as the Microsoft GP-based security baseline. IT admins can integrate this baseline with Scalefusion MDM to support the team’s operational needs, as well as address security concerns for modern cloud-managed devices.