With more than 5.1 billion unique, active mobile users in the world¹, it is needless to say that technology has changed the way we live and work and it is here to stay. It’s fascinating though that while we have adopted mobile technology in our day-to-day lives at a large scale, our workplaces are still undergoing the mobile transformation. Small businesses have adopted technology to speed up business operations and drive productivity but have severe gaps in securing these devices and the vulnerable business data lying on it. Moreso, the corporate data on the employees’ personal devices is unattended and the security risk for it is untamed.
And hence, no matter how small your business is, managing mobile devices with a robust Mobile device Management (MDM) solution is indispensable.
IT teams managing device inventories in SMBs are overworked, there are multiple device issues awaiting their attention. On the other hand, employees utilizing company-owned devices for data-exhaustive applications & websites go unchecked for security and compliance. And then, there’s a huge chunk of the workforce, working remotely or checking business emails on personal phones who seamlessly transfer content from one device to another without any supervision.
Mobile device management for SMBs alleviates the IT pain points, drastically reducing manual IT efforts and enhancing the security on mobile devices deployed for work. A considerable amount of increased productivity is also attributed to managed mobility while significantly reducing data and inventory costs. And there’s more..
Here’s why we recommend MDM for small businesses
1. Centralized device management
Mobile device management that supports device diversity can centralize the device management process, enabling the IT admins to curate a wholesome mobility strategy. The MDM tool can be used to deploy, configure and monitor Android and iOS mobile phones, tablets, mPOS, rugged devices, iPads, macOS, and Windows computers from a single console. IT can centrally manage company-owned, company-shared, and employee-owned devices, offering the much-needed flexibility to the employees to use their favorite devices for work.
Since SMBs do not have large IT teams, ensuring IT productivity is essential. Instead of juggling between different tools, IT admins can utilize one single dashboard to manage the entire device inventory, outside of the conventional office parameters.
2. Iron-grip on data usage
An MDM solution essentially gives the IT admins total control over company-owned devices. IT admins can configure the applications on the devices, can force the device to be running in a single application, can block non-business websites and content using an MDM solution. Small businesses who want to keep a close eye on their data spend can monitor data usage and set thresholds for the same. The IT admins can effectively reduce data costs and maintain device performance by monitoring other device parameters, ensuring productivity and efficiency at all times.
SMBs can thus add to business benefits by ensuring employee productivity and reduced data costs with the help of an MDM solution.
3. Secured endpoints
One of the most important functionalities of an MDM solution is to secure all endpoints in an organization. Along with configuring, monitoring, and managing endpoints, an MDM solution helps the IT admins to secure all the devices and corporate data vulnerable to misuse, unauthorized access, and malware attacks. IT can configure security policies such as enforcing passcode, restricting unknown network connections, and blocking app downloads from unidentified sources. For BYOD devices, IT can effectively block the transfer of data between work and personal apps.
In case of a security threat, IT admins can remotely lock the devices, wipe off the data as well as prevent the device from being factory reset.
MDM solutions for small businesses can aid IT to secure mobile devices deployed for work without any additional security tools.
4. Empowering employees with business resources
Employees feel engaged and motivated when they are offered the flexibility to connect remotely. Engaged employees are more productive and drive more business growth. The field employees need to have access to up-to-date business resources, apps, and content. With an MDM solution, IT teams can empower their employees with business apps and content regardless of the work perimeters. Employees can use either their personal devices loaded with business apps or use company-owned devices to accomplish tasks from anywhere. The field force and frontline workers can stay connected using mobile devices without the risk of technology misuse.
Read more: Frontline worker enablement with Scalefusion
5. Remote Troubleshooting
Using an MDM solution paves the way for IT eliminating manual work and this also is extended for troubleshooting device issues. Using an MDM solution, the IT can monitor device inventory, schedule alerts for performance reports, and can resolve device issues remotely, curbing the costs of fetching the device to a physical service center. Remote troubleshooting also helps in reducing device downtime, especially critical to SMBs that are dependant on limited device inventory.
Using an MDM solution for small businesses is crucial and can help derive a positive R.O.I. from mobility. Using a robust MDM that has the capabilities and features that are easy to use and dynamic and open for customization to fit the desired business needs is the ideal way for managing mobility in a small business. An MDM product with a short learning curve, dependable support can further help the IT admins in SMBs to drive mobile transformation.
Scalefusion MDM mitigates manual IT efforts to manage mobile devices in a business environment. With diverse capabilities of Scalefusion, managing company-owned, as well as employee-owned devices, is simple, straightforward, and highly effective for business growth.
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