Mobile device management (MDM) is a clever mashup of hardware, software, policies, and people designed to form a centralized control center for managing geographically dispersed devices like laptops and tablets effectively, securely, and usually with some degree of unbothered ease.
We’d love to end our description here on a concise note, but that would be a fat lie, as MDM is our One True Love. We could bang on about it all day – and we will. But hopefully, during our rant of passion, you’ll find out loads of useful MDM stuff, including what it does and why it’s a vital business asset for any organization.
P.S. MDM isn’t just for remote workers. The device doesn’t actually have to be very mobile. Your office-based 500-gigaton Windows desktop can play, too. Huzzah!
But First, Take the Quick and Not-At-All-Just-Thought-Of-By-Our-Copywriter Quiz
How to play:
- Read the questions.
- If you answer “Yes” or “Maybe” to any of them, call our boss Noam quickly and tell him you read this amazing blog.
Quick MDM Quiz
- Do one/some/all of your employees use their own personal devices for work?
- Do you handle sensitive data, e.g., personal info, secret blueprints, client information?
- Have you sacked someone recently, and they might really, really not like you now?
- Does the thought of onboarding more than one person a month make you sweat vinegar?
- Do you know how many work devices are in circulation? And where they are? And what they’re doing?
- Would you like to stop spending money on stuff you don’t need?
Got a ‘yes’ somewhere? Awesome. MDM will help you take away the pain, and here’s where we’ll tell you what MDM does. Hold onto your hollyhocks because it covers a lot. A LOT.
MDM is one of those business assets (yes, it’s an asset, not a cost) that is super-useful not just for your IT people but for HR, finance, legal, logistics, and also the people in your company that actually do the thing your clients buy from you.
So what does MDM actually do? So many things that we just can’t even. But let’s make a start.
What MDM Does
Centralized Endpoint Management and Control
MDM gets it together. Your fleet of devices – corporate or personally-owned – might be scattered over five different states, countries, or continents, but wherever they’re hiding, MDM sends out its tiny little Over-The-Air feelers, grabs those bad boys, and digitally enrolls them into a perfectly-behaved, centrally-controlled fleet.
And there’s more. Enrolling your devices under one pane of glass gives you a ton of freebies you probably weren’t even looking for. Look at this pretty diagram to find out more:
Let’s dip our tootsies individually into each one of these blessings:
Data Security, Chef’s-Kiss Style
MDM gives you pretty much All The Data Security. Centralized control allows you to enforce data security protocols over the whole of your fleet, whether it likes it or not. If any user or device doesn’t want to play by your corporate security rules, it’s not coming in. But the fun of MDM is that it has subtleties and flexibilities built-in, so you can adapt, automate, and configure different security levels for different roles while still maintaining an overall super-secure IT ecosystem. You’re looking at things like:
- All the encryption. Automated file encryption keeps data safe as it travels the airwaves, which means your people don’t have to remember to encrypt the stuff they send.
- Advanced identity management. MDM supports cloud SSO and multi-factor authentication across multiple platforms to ensure safe onboarding.
- Blocking of dodgy sites, apps, and networks. MDM protects your people from ransomware and its ugly ilk in a variety of ways, with cool stuff like antimalware, DNS filtering, and remotely configured connection settings to keep devices from connecting to unsecured WiFi.
- Automated updates. MDM keeps operating systems and software patched, updated, and secure.
Military-Grade Lockdown Capability
So, say something really, really bad happens, like a very public data breach, and you need to shut down your entire remote fleet. Who ya gonna call? No-one. You can just flip the central switch, and all of your remote devices will be locked and/or wiped immediately, depending on how desperate you are. We’re not saying you’ll need to do this, but it’ll keep your Disaster Recovery person’s blood pressure down.
And if one device goes AWOL? Not a problem. Lock that device and use MDM to track its location. If it’s hiding under the sofa, awesome. Unlock it. Stolen by a bad person? Wipe that data and call the cops.
Real-Time IT Asset Register
Because MDM corrals your herd of free-range devices into a comprehensive, centralized record of said devices, you’ll enjoy all the mouthwatering benefits of an IT asset register. Step on up to the buffet and get a whiff of how much easier your IT asset register can make things – all while making you look pretty dang good to the CEO:
- Gives you complete visibility of your fleet: where they are, what’s on them, and what they’re up to. “Hey, why is Logistics Bob downloading a weird-looking RAM-hungry file? Didn’t you sack Bob last week?” Uh-oh. (You need better offboarding).
- Saves you money. You can see at a glance the devices being used, those sitting around doing nothing, what software is running, and, hey, do you need all those licenses if you’re not using that software? Helps you streamline costs, identify your spares, and manage warranties, as well as better plan for maintenance downtime that doesn’t hit productivity.
- Reduces the risk of data breaches and other nasties. Check your asset register for out-of-date software, godawful security configurations, and other vulnerabilities.
- Keeps you compliant. Need to stay SOC 2 compliant? Got the cojones for ISO 27001 Annex 8? Your IT asset register will see you right. You’ll need one for pretty much any data security compliance framework.
Superfast Onboarding and Secure Offboarding
If you’re scaling up, down, or sideways, MDM is your go-to tool for doing it quickly and securely. Zero touch onboarding will impress the bejesus out of your new hires, getting them up and running with zero errors all within, ooh, say, 20 minutes. If you enjoy the pain of BYOD, MDM makes sure that your new hire’s personal device is up to corporate security standards before it’s allowed to play.
New hire didn’t work out? Use MDM to securely offboard them: removing corporate data safely, revoking access to the glittery corporate stuff, closing accounts, as well as automating the usual exit strategies and policies. All from the comfort of your sofa.
Don’t Got MDM? There’s No Shame, But Here’s Where To Start
We super-hope we’ve answered your “What is mobile device management?” question without getting super geeky with the techsplurt. You can see that MDM is kind of a lot. It’s one of those things, like honey badgers or breathing, that makes you wonder how you ever survived without it. If you’re MDM-curious, we’re here to help. Ask us questions. No obligation because we’re not pushy like that.
Ignition is Silicon Valley’s best (and friendliest) IT security, compliance, and support team. Contact us now – chatting about IT support and cybersecurity is our favorite thing to do!