20th of April 2021
According to the 2021 Mobile Security Report, 97% of organizations faced mobile threats from multiple vectors, that is why setting up a MDM software (Mobile device management) is so important. Beside allowing you to remotely manage any mobile devices used for business purposes, it also helps you significantly reduce cybersecurity risks.
While browsing on the Internet, you may find many MDM softwares, but which one fits your company’s needs? We have listed for you in an objective way, the questions you need to ask yourself when choosing your solution:
What features do you need in your MDM solution?
The first step on your process to choose a MDM is to list the different features you need in order to manage your mobile fleet. Do you need to restrain access to a limited number of applications, to share content between devices, to geolocate the devices, to be able to remotely control them? Setting up this list will allow you to compare different softwares and confirm that all the features are included inside the subscription plans, without any additional fee. The different management sets are also important to compare in order to choose the one that is the most adapted to your needs, and therefore, eliminate the ones that aren’t what you are looking for.
Does the solution offers a free trial period?
Before investing in an MDM solution, it is important to set up appointments for personalized and detailed demonstrations (ideally in one-on-one), where you will be able to ask all your questions about the software. After those demonstrations, see if the solution you are interested in has a free trial to get to know it and evaluate by yourself its simplicity. While testing the tool, don’t forget to check if there is a free technical support in case of issues and if a real personalized follow-up is available.
Does the software offer containerization?
Many MDM softwares offer a fully managed mode made to control corporate-owned devices, but only a few are also offering a BYOD mode. With the worldwide expansion of remote working, we observe a rise in employees using their personal smartphones for business purposes and therefore mixing their private and corporate data. It is important to use a mobile device management solution that is able to create, manage and secure a container with professional data without having any access to the private part of the device.
Are your requests really taken into account?
Beware of famous softwares that may be suitable for large fleets of mobile devices but may not always take into account customer requests and can be complex to use, as explained in this article. If you only need to manage Android devices for example, focus on a dedicated Android software, such as TinyMDM. Indeed, Android has more than 85% of OS’s market shares, which means that you probably won’t need to choose a MDM working with iOS if you have a Samsung mobile fleet, as this type of MDM will be more expensive and complex to use.
Is the MDM solution cloud-based?
There are still companies that want their softwares to be installed on-premise, on their own servers, but this is becoming less and less common. According to a Gartner study, 85% of enterprises should move on to the Cloud by 2025, for security and flexibility reasons. Indeed, a software stored in an encrypted server on the Cloud is as secure as an on-premise one, but way more flexible, with a purchase system per licenses and automatic updates.
Setting up a Mobile Device Management software is essential to manage a company’s mobile fleet and reduce as much as possible cyberattacks on mobile devices. However, it is important to compare the different softwares to find the one that best suits your needs.