OK. You’ve made that decision. You’re going to leap into the wholesome world of Mobile Device Management (MDM) because you know it makes sense on All The Levels: business, compliance, data security, productivity, onboarding, and all the rest. It’s the way forward for you, your busy remote team, and your knackered IT manager.
Choosing your Flavor of Mobile Device Management
So, now you’ve made the dive, what’s next? Maybe you’ve made the mistake of Googling, “Which MDM platform is right for my business?” If so, we’re surprised you’re reading this. You should be lying down in a dark room punching your teddy, because dozens of MDM options are singing to you like Sirens out there. Choosing between them has become pretty much an RPG quest.
The trick is to apply a systematic approach to choosing your flavor of MDM. When you’re choosing, ask yourself:
1. Should I take an In-house Approach?
No. Just no.
In 99.998% of situations, Cloud-based MDM is the way forward, and here’s why:
Speedy Setup
With no fiddly downloads or installation to mess things up, cloud-based solutions get your fleet under control much faster. There’s a fancy array of automation under the hood, and there’s little for your remote workforce to mess up. Sure, there can be implementation challenges, but there are a lot fewer moving parts and people to deal with than an in-house system.
Scalability
Cloud-based options can easily scale up or down, according to how your business matures in the future. It’s easier to adapt cloud-based MDM to new projects, new staff, and new locations, and you can also take advantage of new features and functions as they evolve.
Affordability
Many options are pay-as-you-go or pay-per-device schemes, which means you’re not tying yourself up for years in tiny-font contracts. Costs are easier to estimate, which will make your accountant cry ugly with happy tears.
Better Use of In-house Expertise
With cloud-based MDM, you give your IT experts the tools they need to do their jobs. They don’t have to invent, maintain or fix those tools. They’ll have the time and headspace for a more strategic focus, such as working on compliance, new products, or horizon-scanning.
2. Does it Support my Operating System?
If you’re a single operating system (OS) organization, decision-making is straightforward. One type of OS, one type of MDM. Whoop! Sorted.
But, sadly, life isn’t like that. If you’re a BYOD (bring your own device) business, you can’t always dictate which devices your people should use, and that means you’ll be faced with a cohort of mismatched operating systems. Your team will be working from their iPhones, Macs, Windows, and Android devices. And sometimes, you’ll need a diverse fleet to optimize operations.
There’s a flavor of MDM to support each flavor of OS, but having a different MDM platform for each type of OS might get you jail time for cruelty to IT administrators. If you’re happy with that, go right ahead. Just remember that your people will need to set up an MDM platform for each OS, then duplicate the monitoring, patching, updating, and app-pushing right up until they quit.
Juggling a tonne of asset registers should not be part of their job description, and it’s not making the best use of their time or expertise. A more streamlined solution is to choose a cross-platform MDM solution that can monitor and update all your devices in one spot no matter what operating system they're running.
3. Does it have a Useful App Catalog?
Very few MDM platforms have a built-in app catalog. On the Apple side of things, it's easy to push any app in Apple's app store. However, many common apps like Chrome and Firefox do not exist in Apple's app store. There are certainly plenty of weird business apps (usually intended for niche industries like law, medical, or construction) that you’ll never see in any app store.
For any apps not in an app store, you’ll need to package them, test-deploy them, deploy them, and then continually re-package them as the software developers make updates. If that sounds like an immense pain, that's because it is. Your MDM platform is not a set-it-and-forget-it operation. Before you invest in one, make sure you either have the personnel to babysit it forever or work with a consultant (ahem) specializing in MDM administration.
So, when the options get a little confusing, or you don’t entirely trust the sales guy, sometimes there’s no better way than trying out an MDM solution. Implement it, get a feel for it and see if it works for you. Of course, it might be worth getting a little help choosing a mobile device management system that’s right for your business. We’re not saying it’s best to call in the professionals, but that’s exactly what we’re saying.
We’d bite our arms off to chew the mobile device management fat with you, so give us a call. We’re here to help.