How to Use Mobile Device Management Solutions to Support Your Mobile Workforce

 The way we work has changed drastically during the last two years. Global lockdowns and subsequent work-from-home mandates forced many companies to equip employees to work outside of the corporate infrastructure. The surge in remote workers gave rise to complex security issues that taxed enterprises and small business owners alike.

For many industries, mobile devices are essential tools for getting the job done correctly and on time. And the flexibility that remote work provides is incredibly appealing and likely won’t disappear. Using the latest and greatest technology helps enterprises maintain a competitive edge, but the increased resources required to manage and secure devices places more pressure on companies and IT departments.

Issues that had previously existed have been brought to the forefront—issues like vulnerable home networks, poor security behaviors and bring your own device (BYOD) policies. Complete visibility into a company’s mobile operations is crucial to ensure security and experience the equipment’s full range of benefits.

A well-thought-out MDM (mobile device management) strategy is a key ingredient for success. In this article, we’ll highlight how mobility has shifted during the past two years and we’ll explore what technologies are now essential to keep up with changing trends.

Mobile Device Management and Deployment

Business use of smartphones and tablets is widely accepted and was popular even prior to the pandemic. While MDM and unified endpoint management (UEM) solutions have always been important, they have become even more essential with so many employees working in the field or at home. With the number of remote devices increasing, there is a greater need for efficient processes to deploy and manage them.

Because of this, enrolling a device properly and as quickly as possible should be a top priority. Automating tasks such as device setups, app deployments and configurations can save valuable time as you manage a fleet. As you configure these settings, keep in mind your enterprise’s unique needs. Do you need to push uniform settings to your entire fleet? Do you want the ability to let the user control their own settings?

Also remember that managing the device is more than just what's on the device itself. Application and OS updates are important and should be considered in coordination with the overall scale of your enterprise. Having an MDM in your corner can help you configure devices quickly and is critical to maintain efficiency.

The checklists below highlight what to consider during deployment and management.

Device Deployment Considerations

• Determine what’s best for your enterprise: BYOD, CYOD, COPE or COSU

• Simplify device enrollment: Determine if you need user enrollment or administrator enrollment

• Identify specific settings to solve your enterprise’s pain points

• Remotely pre‐configure settings

Device Management Considerations

• Manage multiple devices from a single console

• Customizable dashboard

• Comprehensive inventory management

• Apply profiles, policies, and restrictions

• Efficient app management

• Ability to group devices based on hierarchy or departments

• Out of the box reports vs. customized reports

Enterprise Mobile Security Management

Companies invest significant amounts of money on robust solutions and mobile devices to support their remote workforce, but security often takes a backseat. The last thing companies need when managing an enterprise mobility program is a security breach or incident in which corporate data or other important information is lost.

Cybersecurity is a significant concern for all businesses regardless of whether their employees use mobile devices for work. For those with BYOD, COPE or other similar device policies, it’s an even greater concern and risk—one that requires ongoing management and support.

As the number of mobile devices increases, so does the need for added layers of security. Unmanaged remote endpoints are one of the biggest threats to an organization’s cybersecurity infrastructure. To mitigate these risks, consider what software solutions your enterprise needs to maintain proper security protocols. Do you need additional expert analyst oversight to ensure that device usage and standards are monitored and maintained? Do you need to update policies and procedures for how devices access networks?

While devices and operating systems offer basic security features, MDMs offer enhanced features related to the specific device and/or task that can protect your enterprise.

The checklists below highlight what to consider while keeping your fleet secure.

User Authentication Considerations

• Two‐factor authentication

• Network disconnection authentication

Password Policy Considerations

• Require new password updates every 90 days

• Limit login attempts

Secure Communications Considerations

• Use conditional access to corporate exchange account

• Access to email attachments only using trusted apps

• Allow enrolled devices to connect only to authorized Wi‐Fi networks

• Deploy and manage VPN applications for mobile devices

Device Restrictions Considerations

• Ban applications that pose a risk to your enterprise

• Disable risky interfaces

• Prevent users from accessing unauthorized websites

• Create geo‐fence policies to prevent devices from leaving your organization’s premises

• Ability to enable Lost Mode

• Create containers on devices so personal apps cannot access corporate data (for BYOD)

Data Security Considerations

• Enable geofencing to wipe corporate data when a device is removed from your organization’s premises

• Mandate encryption of data

• Backup/restore: prevent data loss when a device is damaged or stolen

• Ability to enable Lost Mode

Maintenance and Support for Your Fleet

In today’s business environment, speed and efficiency are essential and the ability to quickly troubleshoot/fix mobile devices issues is imperative. Whether you are maintaining a spares pool or have a help desk system for remote troubleshooting, support must be easily accessible to your employees.

Recent labor shortages and high turnover rates have made the ability to remotely maintain equipment even more important to enterprise success. Additionally, new and seasonal employees increase the rate of repairs and troubleshooting required since they are less familiar with how to properly handle equipment.

Mobile device repair strategies require a thorough understanding of your mobile device landscape. What is the bandwidth of your internal IT department? What is your ideal timeframe to have issues resolved? Do you have seasonal employees who are tougher on equipment? Features such as remote access to enroll, unenroll and resolve issues are critical to keep employee devices running optimally.

The checklist below highlights what to consider for maintaining your fleet.

Help Desk Support Considerations

• Shift tasks away from IT to self‐help

• Remote troubleshooting

• Activity reports

• Support hours requirements

• Live of business support requirements

Consider Investing in a Comprehensive Mobile Device Management Platform

As mobility becomes the new norm, technology that was once considered nice-to-have is now essential. Across nearly every industry, mobile devices are essential tools to complete the work on time and under budget. Enterprises must remain on the forefront of emerging trends to maintain their competitive advantage.

Managing enterprise mobility is best when outsourced, leaving internal teams to focus on their enterprise specific tasks. The right partner can help you with device enrollment and configuration, extending device lifecycles and reducing maintenance and support costs. Your MDM can play a pivotal role in supporting your remote workforce, ensuring productivity remains strong.

TRG is the Proven Mobile Device Management Partner You Need

TRG assists companies around the world with MDM/UEM support, ensuring they’re able to take advantage of the benefits described here as well as many others. In every relationship, we customize our program to meet our clients’ needs—from how devices are identified and deployed to how data is managed and security programs are monitored and enforced.

If your organization has been looking for support with enterprise mobility, our managed UEM/MDM services are the solution you need. Contact TRG to get in touch with our team. We’ll be happy to talk through your goals and develop a solution to help you achieve them.

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About TRG

TRG is a global managed solutions provider focused on mobility, point of sale and payments. With facilities across the United States, Canada and Europe, we provide the most comprehensive suite of lifecycle management services – from warehouse to boardroom and deployment to retirement. Our mission is to Make Technology Simple, helping customers accelerate projects, drive application success, improve employee/customer experience and maximize ROI. We’re relentless in our drive to find innovative, effective ways to enhance customer operations and challenge conventional thinking along the way.