Ever feel overwhelmed managing your company’s growing fleet of laptops, tablets, and smartphones? Managing security, app deployment, and user support can exhaust your valuable IT resources. But say no more, there’s a stable solution for this problem. Enter managed mobility services to streamline your operations.
Enterprise mobility is a never-ending hustle, especially when businesses are managing from multiple locations with diverse workforces. According to a recent survey, over 32.6 million Americans will work remotely by 2025.[1] IT admins and business decision-makers are often overwhelmed with the daunting variety of devices available in the market for business use, and making the right call for choosing the devices, provisioning them, extending support, and management becomes a whole new hurdle.
In this blog post, we will explore the world of managed mobility services and discover how they can add value to your business.
What is Managed Mobility Services (MMS)?
Managed Mobility Services, or MMS, entails the end-to-end process of making a business a mobility-equipped enterprise. This involves procuring devices and deploying them with appropriate business apps, tools, and content. Additionally, it entails managing devices, software, applications, and data while facilitating connectivity between remote workers and the enterprise
Managed mobility services help IT decision-makers zero in on the right set of devices, integrations, and applications related to their specific business needs. Android devices, the most popular enterprise mobile solutions, are launched afresh every year with diverse hardware + software combinations in multiple cost ranges, making device procurement a task.
With the requirement of enterprise device inventory varying for each team and task, IT teams have to procure and manage diverse device types remotely. Managing these devices is a challenge on its own, and this is where mobile management services step in.
Managed mobility service providers help enterprise IT teams simplify device management, particularly with diverse device inventories. They also bring frontline or remote workers into the enterprise radar, facilitating communication to keep them engaged and productive and collaborating files and business resources that were earlier limited to exchange over PCs.
MMS delivers integrations, applications, extensions, and rescues over mobile devices via mobile apps, ensuring the security of corporate data and devices.
What Are the Benefits of Managed Mobility Services?
As businesses rely on mobile devices and applications to stay connected and productive, managing these resources effectively has become a significant concern. Adopting managed mobility services offers diverse benefits that can transform how companies operate in modern workplaces.
Enhanced Security
MMS delivers strong security measures to protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access. With features like encryption, remote management, and compliance monitoring, businesses can mitigate security risks associated with mobile devices and applications.
Improved Productivity
Managed mobility solutions can significantly boost productivity by streamlining mobile workflows and providing employees with access to the latest tools and resources. With efficient mobile device management and application deployment, employees can focus on their tasks without being bothered by technical issues or outdated software.
Cost Efficiency
MMS helps businesses optimize mobile expenses by providing actionable insights into usage patterns and enabling better management of mobile assets and plans. By locating and eliminating unnecessary costs, companies can achieve significant savings over time.
Scalability and Flexibility
As businesses scale and evolve, their mobile requirements also change. Managed mobility services offer effective flexibility and scalability to adapt to these evolving changes, ensuring businesses can easily scale their mobile operations without disrupting productivity and security.
Centralized Management
With MMS, businesses can centrally manage all aspects of their mobile inventory, including devices, applications, and security policies. This centralized approach simplifies management tasks, reduces administrative overhead, and enhances overall efficiency.
What Type of Devices, Platforms, and Businesses Do Managed Mobility Services (MMS) Support?
Managed mobility services cater to various types of devices, platforms, and businesses, delivering extensive management solutions specifically made to serve different requirements. MMS can manage smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other mobile endpoints. These services ensure each device is properly configured, secured, and maintained, regardless of the manufacturer or operating system.
MMS supports major operating systems such as iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. This versatility enables businesses to deploy a mix of devices according to their specific requirements while maintaining consistent management and security standards. MMS providers ensure seamless integration and management across different platforms, facilitating smooth operations and minimizing compatibility issues.
Businesses of all sizes and industries can benefit from managed mobility services. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lack the in-house IT infrastructure to manage a complex mobile ecosystem, making MMS a valuable resource for maintaining efficiency and security. Large industries, with their extensive mobile deployments, leverage MMS to streamline operations, reduce costs, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. Industries such as finance, healthcare, retail, and logistics specifically benefit from MMS due to their heavy dependence on mobile technology for daily operations and the significant importance of data security and compliance.
Types of Services Included in Managed Mobility Services Include
Managed mobility services include essential services designed to monitor, manage, and optimize mobile devices and their usage within a business. These services are:
Application and Collaboration Management
Application and collaboration management services focus on deploying, updating, and managing mobile applications used within the organization. This service ensures employees have access to necessary apps, keeps them up-to-date, and enforces security policies at the application level.
Security Management
Mobile security management is critical for protecting sensitive data and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. This includes implementing encryption, managing secure access to the company resources, monitoring for security threats, and responding to incidents to minimize risk.
Finance and Expense Management
Expense management involves tracking and optimizing the costs associated with mobile devices and services. This includes monitoring usage patterns, managing carrier contracts, and identifying opportunities to reduce costs, such as eliminating unused services or negotiating better rates with providers. Integrating a well-defined expense policy into the expense management process can also improve efficiency and cost savings.
Lifecycle Management
Device lifecycle management covers the entire lifespan of mobile devices, from procurement and deployment to maintenance and eventual decommissioning. This service ensures devices are efficiently managed throughout their lifecycle, including handling repairs, upgrades, and replacements.
Help Desk Support
Help desk support in managed mobility services provides technical assistance to employees using mobile devices and applications. This service includes troubleshooting issues, providing user training, and ensuring employees can use their mobile tools effectively without downtime.
Use Cases of Managed Mobility Services
As mobile technology becomes core to business operations across various industries, applying managed mobility services is paramount. Here’s how different industries leverage MMS to enhance their operations.
Healthcare
In the healthcare industry, mobile managed services ensure medical professionals can access patient records and critical applications securely and efficiently on their mobile devices. This improves patient care by providing real-time medical data access and enhancing compliance with healthcare regulations like HIPAA.
For instance, doctors can securely view patient histories, update treatment plans, and communicate with other healthcare providers, all while ensuring sensitive patient information is protected from breaches and unauthorized access.
Retail
Managed mobility services (MMS) streamline retail operations by managing mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) systems and inventory management devices. Retail staff can use mobile devices to process transactions, check inventory levels, and assist customers more effectively, improving the overall customer experience. Additionally, MMS helps maintain accurate and timely inventory management, reducing the risk of stockouts or overstock situations and enabling better supply chain management.
Financial Services
Mobile management services are vital for providing secure and compliant access to financial data and applications. Financial advisors and other employees use managed devices to access critical information, conduct transactions, and perform other important tasks. Strong security measures ensure protection against data breaches and compliance with financial regulations, and financial management, such as those imposed by the SEC or FINRA, maintaining the trust and security that clients expect.
Logistics
In the supply chain and logistics industry, managed mobility service providers can facilitate real-time tracking of shipments and efficient fleet management. Mobile devices equipped with GPS and specialized applications enable companies to track goods in transit, plan optimal routes, and maintain constant communication with drivers. This enhances operational efficiency, reduces delivery times, and improves service reliability. MMS also supports compliance with transportation guidelines and helps manage fuel costs and vehicle maintenance.
Education
Educational institutions utilize managed mobility services to support remote learning and streamline administrative processes. By managing tablets, laptops, and educational applications, schools and universities can provide students and staff with secure access to academic resources and collaboration tools. This ensures a seamless and effective learning experience, whether in the classroom or remotely, and aids in managing devices and applications in compliance with educational standards and regulations.
MMS, MWM, and MDM: The Difference
MMS is often confused with mobile workforce management and mobile device management. The primary difference is that MMS looks after enterprise mobility from stage 1, which is the procurement of devices and software to enable the workforce—remote or on-site. MWM primarily focuses only on field employees working out of office premises.
However, MDM, or mobile device management, is an integral component of both MMS and MWM since it takes care of the IT administrative side of device management for the entire enterprise device inventory.
Let’s understand more from the table below.
| Aspect | Managed Mobility Services (MMS) | Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) | Mobile Device Management (MDM) |
| Scope | Comprehensive management from device procurement to end-of-life | Focuses on managing field employees and their tasks | Manages and secures the enterprise’s mobile device inventory |
| Procurement | Includes procurement of devices and software | Does not include device procurement | Does not include device procurement |
| Device Management | Manages device lifecycle, including MDM, MWM, security, and expense management | Include basic device management for field employees | Core focus on device configuration, security, and compliance |
| Application Management | Manages deployment, updating, and maintenance of applications | Manages applications relevant to field employees | Ensures applications on devices are secure and up-to-date |
| Expense Management | Tracks and optimizes mobile expenses | Not typically included | Not typically included |
| Security Management | Provides robust security measures and compliance monitoring | Ensures security for field operations | Focuses on device-level security, including encryption and remote wipe |
| Employee Management | Supports both remote and on-premise workforce | Primarily focuses on remote and field workforce | Does not directly manage employee tasks, focuses on devices used by employees |
| Integration | Integrates with various enterprise systems and services | Integrates with workforce management and task scheduling tools | Integrates with IT infrastructure for device monitoring and management |
| Support and Training | Includes help desk support and employee training for mobile devices and software | Include support for field employees | Provides technical support for device issues |
| Lifecycle Management | Manages the entire lifecycle, from deployment to retirement of devices | Typically does not cover full lifecycle management | Covers aspects related to device maintenance and updates |
| Primary Goal | Ensures a holistic approach to enterprise mobility management | Optimizes field workforce productivity and task management | Secures and manages the technical aspects of mobile devices |
Crucial Role of MDM and How MDM and MMS Empower Businesses
Mobile device management is a critical component of any enterprise mobility strategy, serving as the backbone for managing and securing a company’s mobile device inventory. MDM surrounds a range of functions, including device configuration, policy enforcement, security measures, and remote management. MDM helps protect sensitive data, prevent unauthorized access, and ensure compliance with corporate and regulatory standards by ensuring all mobile devices are properly set up and maintained.
When integrated with managed mobility services, MDM significantly enhances its effectiveness, creating a comprehensive solution that addresses the entire lifecycle of mobile devices. While MMS covers the broader scope of device procurement, application management, expense tracking, and support, MDM is device-centric. It looks after your entire fleet of device inventory, enabling effective monitoring and seamless management. This MDM and MMS synergy allows businesses to leverage advanced security protocols and maintain seamless operations.
Scalefusion MDM: Effortless Mobility for Modern Workplaces
Scalefusion MDM has established strategic partnerships with various MMS providers, offering businesses comprehensive end-to-end mobility management solutions. By integrating Scalefusion’s strong MDM capabilities, businesses can benefit from a seamless and efficient mobile device management experience.
If you are searching for a reliable MDM solution, your search ends here! Our solution empowers businesses to optimize their mobile management, enhance security, and maintain compliance with industry best practices.
Get in touch with our experts for a demo, or sign up for a 14-day free trial.
FAQs
1. What are the benefits of adopting a Managed Mobility Service?
Adopting Managed Mobility Services streamlines device management, enhances security, boosts productivity, and ensures compliance, offering a comprehensive solution for mobile workforce management. These mobility management services enable businesses to efficiently manage their mobile devices, applications, and security protocols, resulting in optimized operations and improved overall performance.
2. How do Managed Mobility Services help to manage mobile devices and their lifecycle?
Managed Mobility Services handle device provisioning, monitoring, updates, and troubleshooting, optimizing device performance and lifecycle management while minimizing the operational burden for businesses. By integrating advanced management tools, these services ensure that devices remain secure, up-to-date, and fully functional throughout their lifespan, thus delivering efficient and effective managed mobility solutions.
3. What are the alternatives to Managed Mobility Services (MMS)?
Apart from Managed Mobility Services (MMS), businesses can also consider Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to manage their mobile devices. MDM focuses specifically on the technical management and security of mobile devices within the enterprise. While MMS offers a comprehensive solution that includes device management, security, application management, and support, MDM is suitable for businesses looking for a more targeted approach to managing their device inventory. By evaluating both MMS and MDM options, businesses can choose the solution that best fits their mobility management needs and objectives.
4. What are the benefits of adopting a Managed Mobility Service?
Adopting Managed Mobility Services improves efficiency, enhances security, streamlines device management ensures compliance, and optimizes workforce productivity, delivering a comprehensive solution for businesses’ mobile needs. These managed mobility solutions allow companies to focus on their core operations while ensuring their mobile infrastructure is well-maintained and secure.
5. How can I reduce costs and save time with Managed Mobility Service?
Managed Mobility Services reduce costs by optimizing device usage, minimizing downtime, automating management tasks, and centralizing control. This efficiency saves time, streamlines operations, and maximizes ROI for mobile device businesses. By leveraging managed mobility services, companies can ensure that their mobile resources are used effectively, reducing unnecessary expenses and enhancing overall productivity.
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