Enterprise Mobility Management is essential for businesses adopting mobility policies. Usage of mobile devices has become ubiquitous in a corporate setting as organizations are confronting the growing need to provide flexible remote work options, which makes it necessary to formalize the approach of Enterprise Mobility.
Enterprise Mobility Management has some important components associated with which define comprehensive end-to-end mobility management for businesses.
Before knowing its components first, let us know what Enterprise Mobility signifies and why it is gaining significance.
What is Enterprise Mobility?
Enterprise Mobility is an approach that allows employees to work from anywhere and anytime using certain smart devices and applications required to complete some specific office tasks. The process is enabled using mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, personal laptops, and technology like personal networks, open wireless networks, and cloud-based systems for corporate data and application access. The idea is to achieve better efficiency and productivity by providing comfortable and on-the-go working conditions.
Before incorporating Enterprise Mobility as a strategic objective of your organization, you must be aware of the challenges to expect, technological considerations, and how to implement it systematically.
In this post, we discuss the pillars that support Enterprise Mobility.
Enterprise Mobility Management and its Key Components?
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) is the infrastructure that helps an organization manage its wide-scale mobility applications and systems.
The mobile landscape is becoming complex and less secure and a majority of employees are accessing (or manipulating) company data from remote locations. It has now become essential to bring into place a holistic and integrated set of methodologies and enterprise-backed policies to manage a broad array of mobile devices, networks, and services and provide a secure and reliable environment (devices and applications) to the employees – which can be defined as Enterprise Mobility Management.
While implementing a flawless EMM strategy, an organization must understand its core components that directly or indirectly determine its performance and overall efficacy.
These components are:
Mobile Device Management
Mobile Device Management (MDM) implies secure monitoring of mobile devices used to access business data and applications – these devices could be owned either by the company or the employees (BYOD). A device needs to be registered with the company’s MDM software for the IT admin to have full supervision on what resources the device is accessing, look out for possible infiltrations and malware, perform app management and distribution and configure security controls to ensure the safety of corporate data and resources. Most MDM solutions also offer containerization to segregate personal and business information and enable selective remote clean-up (wiping) of corporate data.
MDM helps to implement an organization’s security policy for mobile devices used for business purposes. Before investing in an MDM solution, you should evaluate if it can support and ensure your security policy compliance and the kind of devices it supports.
Learn More: What is Mobile Device Management (MDM) and How are Enterprises adopting it?
Mobile Application Management
Mobile Application Management (MAM) provides for more granular policy enforcement, management, and security of apps (a subset or specific apps). MAM will enable the IT or admin to monitor and evaluate the state and health of corporate apps. It may also restrict the installation of apps that can induce threats, risks, and vulnerabilities or hamper user productivity. A typical MAM solution provides features like securing, deploying, configuring, accessing, updating or removing business applications on mobile devices.
Learn More: Mobile Application Management: Definition, Advantages and New-Age Trends
Mobile Content Management
Mobile Content Management (MCM) is a kind of Content Management System that acts as a repository of important corporate documents, information, and data, which can be remotely pushed into mobile devices to support specific word requirements by the user or the employees. It allows only approved applications to access or transmit data and enables the administrator to remotely upload, deploy and manage content on the registered mobile devices.
A sturdy MCM process significantly helps employees to stay informed and productive by letting them access business content securely from any place and effortlessly collaborate across secured networks and MDM-registered devices. Mobile Content Management is one of the important for Digital Signage Kiosks.
Learn More: Mobile Content Management (MCM) Software: What Companies Need to Know
Identity and Access Management
Identity and access management controls refer to a structure of IT security policies that define how and which employees can access corporate data, resources, and apps within a secured environment. In simple terms, it ensures that only the right set of people in a company should have apt access to enterprise and technology resources and maintains a fool-proof system of identifying, authenticating, and authorizing users. It may restrict access from certain hostile networks or locations, and grant access rights based on employee roles and profiles and device compatibility.
It also includes features like password management, single-sign-on, blacklisting and whitelisting, per-app control and settings, etc.
Mobile Configuration Management
Mobile Configuration Management is the strategy that ensures that the local device settings are accurate, secure, and compliant with your organization’s IT security policies, procedures, agreements, and implementation standards. An administrator can track and detect compliance violations, push the latest security controls to mobile devices, trigger alerts in case of any prohibited activity in the mobile ecosystem. It is essentially a part of mobile device management.
Mobile Support Management
A strategic process of providing apt and accurate support for managing a company’s enterprise mobility programs can be defined as mobile support management. Whether it is a simple software for writing tool or a more complex enterprise mobility solution, any solution is incomplete without a support structure. Effective mobile support management ensures that customers can anytime access vendor’s help and support with any issues related to their device infrastructure, mobility deployment, user experience, IT ecosystem, security policies, mobile apps, and so on.
Mobile support management ensures quicker employee onboarding, smoother transition to updates, and enhances productivity by timely addressing and resolving issues.
Also Read: How to Troubleshoot Better With Scalefusion Remote Software Support?
Enterprise mobility management is a complex process, that must continually evolve to fit the dynamic mobility needs of an organization. Different organizations will have different enterprise mobility requirements depending on business size, type of application and data, number of employees and corporate-owned or personal mobile devices. A good EMM will ensure security policy enforcement and compliance, enhance employee productivity while ensuring mobility, data security, flexibility, and employee privacy.
Role of BYOD in emergent of EMM
BYOD has played a huge role in the emerging EMM market. When the first iPhone hit the shelves, the surge of BYOD programs in organizations across diversified verticals was witnessed. To ensure that the personally owned devices are free from contingencies while being used for work and at work, it became mandatory to embrace a solution that can cover all the pitfalls. Organizations turned to EMM as a solution.
However, it is evident that the BYOD program is surging rapidly each year but is also waning drastically. This has a reciprocal impact on the emergent of EMM if we constrain it for a definite purpose. As per a study conducted by Forrester Research, it has been stated that the number of employee-owned devices that are used for work and at work has seen a decline of 5% since the previous year. This is because the companies are willing to compensate by paying an additional stipend to the employees or are themselves buying the devices and deploying them.
To remodel the frameworks in the BYOD program, the organizations are focusing on the advanced security protocols ahead of just remote device wiping to secure the corporate assets. The ability to even restrict the granular settings on the devices being used at work has allowed the organizations to rethink how can they approach and utilize EMM to the maximum potential.
Adept companies across the globe are utilizing EMM as a tool that allows them to manage the BYO devices in a more flexible and agile manner that reduces the employee workload and also compartmentalizes the work and the personal profiles separately for security purposes.
Learn More About BYOD:
What is BYOD (bring your own device) and Why is it Important for Gen-Y Companies
Bring-Your-Own-Device – Pros and Cons in the workplace
Top 5 BYOD Policy for Organizations
How BYOD Solutions Can Reduce Security Risks for SMBsImportance of EMM in an organization?
EMM is prime for organizations that utilize mobility solutions to oil the operational activities along with improvement of employee productivity. Other than that, it also allows the organizations to:
1. Add layers of security to corporate data
With the utilization of EMM software, the organizations can set a predetermined layer of corporate security and policies on all the corporate managed devices to ensure that the critical assets are protected from being compromised.
2. Virtual deployment of critical corporate assets
With EMM, organizations can deploy mission-critical assets or apps on selected devices or device profiles with advanced restrictions preset to avoid unauthorized eye.
3. Provisioning of devices for user management
Organizations can streamline user onboarding with the help of EMM. Organizations can automate the onboarding of the devices deployed with preset mission-critical apps and content that are required to be pushed to a specific user along with stringent defined policies to be assigned. The organizations can, through a central holistic dashboard, also remove the provision applied as soon as an employee deboards so that the device can be provisioned again for a new employee.
How to evaluate the right Enterprise Mobility Management Software?
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) constitutes a framework of services and technologies that are catering the need to secure the corporate assets present on the employee’s mobile phone. It might reflect as an amalgamation of tools that can be utilized in various scenarios, it generally is a suite of mobile management systems and services. With EMM, the protection of intellectual properties, serving of corporate data and assets, and mission-critical integration can execute an enterprise IT system in a streamlined manner.
If we must debate or evaluate what type of EMM system should an enterprise consider, it totally depends on the specifications required on the company’s mobile phone. It will certainly vary between organizations since the need will differ, so will be the solution. There can be instances when an organization demands the entire management of the personal mobile device used by the employees with the authority to wipe out the data if the device is lost or stolen, whereas other organizations might demand the focus on application management or contact management only. The specific mission of EMM is to empower the workers to be highly productive while embracing mobility solutions.
If the devices used by the employees for work and at work are not managed by the organization, they pose a definite threat to the data security of corporate assets. The retrieval of data is almost impossible if the devices are lost, stolen, or is compromised and it also increases the probability of unauthorized access. Other than that, the administrator of the mobile phone can at their discretion download or install certain malicious applications that might have the probability to expose the corporate data on a public network, this can pose a concern for the IT admins. The Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) adds to the layer of security, the corporate assets present on the employee’s mobile phone, and empowers productivity by embracing mobility solutions.
How does EMM software work?
Utilization of EMM solution/software in an organization authorizes to keep data threats on the shore so that optimum productivity is retained along with the security of corporate assets like apps, content, and credentials. The solution of EMM empowers the organizations to structure the security enforcement such as blacklisting of malicious and unauthorized applications, enforcement of keyguard usage and advanced settings, prevention of unauthorized use of corporate data, virtually wiping the data on the devices in case of compromisation.
By doing this, EMM can empower the employees in an organization to work on the go without worrying about corporate data theft.
EMM vs. MDM – a comparison
| MDM | EMM |
| The acronym of MDM is Mobile Device Management. | The acronym of EMM is Enterprise Mobility Management. |
| Mobile Device Management is the administration and management of mobile devices used within an organization for work and at work. | EMM is an amalgamation of policies, frameworks, people, and technologies that together ensure the security of corporate assets present on the employees’ personal devices across an organization. |
| MDM adds a security layer for the IT administrators within an organization with the authorization to manage, secure, and administer the device along with its usage by the employees. | EMM boundaries itself to compartmentalize the corporate assets and personal assets and secure the work compartment to prevent compromisation and leakage. |
| MDM encapsulates the management and administration of the features and usage of the devices only within the boundary of mission-critical execution. | EMM encapsulates the view of how an employee or people are using the devices containing the corporate devices and not the device itself. |
| The features that an MDM offers to the IT administrations generally are content management, application management, location tracking, and geofencing, remote cast and control, implementation of security policies and frameworks, etc. | The features that an EMM offers to the organization include mobile device management, app/browser/content management, corporate assets protection, identity management, etc. |
Learn More: EMM Vs MDM: How Will you Differentiate?
Benefits of Enterprise Mobility Management Solutions
The solution of EMM empowers organizations to secure and manage the devices under a single console. No matter if it’s organization-owned devices or BYO devices, EMM solutions assist the IT admins of any organization to enroll, deploy, track, secure, and manage the fleet of devices deployed anywhere. Other than that, we have listed a few benefits that the EMM solutions provide to an organization:
- Management of a fleet of devices from a holistic and single dashboard console.
- Applying device profiles, groups, policies, frameworks, and restrictions.
- Making separate compartments for personal and corporate assets under the personal devices for management and added layer of security of corporate assets.
- Enforcement of device restrictions for robust security measures.
- Accessing and downloading of all the device vital reports individually or for a group of devices.
- Remove any jailbroken or attempted rooted device by your employees.
- Track the location in real-time of all the devices deployed.
- Manage and schedule all the OS updates for all the devices under a single dashboard.
- Reduce the downtime IT support of your fleet of devices virtually with remote troubleshooting.
- Remotely wipe-off devices in case of compromisation, theft, or leakage of corporate assets.
Why Scalefusion EMM Software is the best EMM solution?
Researching and implementing a dedicated, efficient, and cost-friendly Enterprise Mobility Management solution for your enterprise-owned and BYO devices across platforms such as Android, iOS, Windows and macOS is a daunting task but Scalefusion is one of the most reliable options for enterprises in any vertical.
The solution of Scalefusion is the amalgamation of tools in form of a holistic app package that could instill security, productivity, and yield goodwill from your customers in the simplest manner. No matter how many devices you want to deploy, with the wide range of features and tools available in the Scalefusion dashboard, the rapid over-the-air enrollment can fill the IT admins with desirable access control at ease.
These features would make you want to enroll your devices into the EMM solution of Scalefusion:
1. Kiosk Browser management
Browsing websites for entertainment during work and at work can revamp the definition of mobility as well as decrease outputs in operational activities by your workforce. The Kiosk browser management in the EMM solution of Scalefusion can allow the IT admins to virtually blacklist all the non-business critical domains to ensure that the level of productivity is not tampered with. The IT admins can also enforce advanced browser restrictions and push into selected device profiles or even device groups through a single dashboard console.
Learn More: Kiosk Browser Lockdown for Windows 10
2. Remote Troubleshooting
Reduce downtime IT support and costs with the Remote cast and control feature of Scalefusion EMM solution. Virtually extend support to your workforce in real-time in case of technical crack-ups, device or software errors, and glitches on the mobile devices by troubleshooting it just like you would physically do. The remote workforce can cast their device screen for the IT admin to analyze the issue and the IT admin can then monitor and capture the recordings along with screenshots in the dashboard to make an informed resolution and seamlessly make the device up and running.
Learn More: Scalefusion + JIRA for Troubleshooting Remote Working and Frontline Devices
3. Application Management
With the Application Management feature in the Scalefusion EMM solution, the workforce productivity can be spiked to an unimaginable extent. With Application Management, the IT admins can deploy and push mission-critical applications on the organization’s owned as well as BYO devices virtually either in a single device profile or a group of devices in a single go. The IT admins can also at their discretion update the applications to the latest version or can hold the updates to be implemented for a certain period based on the organization’s framework and policies.
Not only this, the IT admins can blacklist/whitelist the dedicated apps that are necessary to be accessed by the workforce as per their operational input and output expectations.
Learn More: Simplify Mobile Application Management with Scalefusion
4. Remote Wipe
There can be several contingent circumstances when the organization owned or the BYO devices can be compromised, lost, or stolen, hence can invite nightmares for any organizations to find a preventive option of mitigating the risk of leakage of all the organizational assets. With the EMM solution of Scalefusion, the IT admins can perform the action of remote wipe of all the devices compromised to protect and secure the corporate data lying on the devices from unauthorized view or usage.
Learn More: Remote Wipe on Android: Why & How Companies Should Use It
5. Live Location tracking & Geofencing
The IT admins can configure and enforce the location-based settings on all the device profiles, or a group of devices deployed to the workforces to monitor their location as per mission-critical operations set by the organizations. The EMM solution of Scalefusion empowers the IT admins to trace the live location of the workforce to ensure that the devices are at the stipulated locations as per the operational mission.
The EMM solution of Scalefusion also offers Geofencing feature which is a powerful virtual location barrier enabling the IT admins to create a radius of boundary for a specified on-field device profiles used by the organizational workforce and enable to receive a notification in case the device moves out or leaves the geofence boundary.
What type of organizations can use Scalefusion as an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution?
The Enterprise Mobility Solution (EMM) of Scalefusion is an amalgamation of pertinent tools available for customization and usage for all the verticals across diversified domains despite the size be it small or medium enterprises or a large enterprise. The IT admins can seamlessly deploy all the organization’s owned devices with Scalefusion software and restrict the end-user to business-critical function ability to scoop the productivity of the workforce and satisfy the customers.
