Going Cloud with Mobile Device Management
In the corporate world, there has been an ongoing “battle” between people who want to use technology and people who want to control it. IT managers want to ensure mobile devices comply with their organization-specific IT policies and
that configuration is pushed to devices.
To place management controls on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones used in business, enterprises have shown preference for acquiring mobile device management (MDM) software where server and management console components are kept on premises. But that’s changing, as companies are more and more interested in buying cloud-based MDM.
The main advantage for cloud-based MDM is the fact that employees can register, secure, and manage their personal devices without needing the IT department. The systems have a simplified Web interface that automates a lot of the management tasks.
However, choosing between an on-premise or cloud-based mobile device management solution is not always as easy as you might expect. The enterprise IT manager needs to consider how much control they ultimately want over their MDM infrastructure and balance that against the advantages of the cloud-based approach.
So here are some arguments that might convince you to go cloud with your MDM.
- Fast deployment – With a cloud-based MDM solution you can get up and running quickly. In a matter of hours you can have your mobile security policies defined, have an enterprise app store configured and be enrolling your mobile devices with that MDM server. No server setup, MDM installation, firewall or networking configuration will be required.
- Simple requirements – If your MDM requirements are uncomplicated (device passcode policies, encryption settings, basic application management), then a cloud-based MDM is definitely the way to go. More control, more sophisticated integrations requirements could lead you to a on premise MDM server. Although even with complex requirements like integrating MDM with your corporate directory or your corporate email, a cloud-based MDM may still be the right option for your enterprise.
- Keeping up with the mobile landscape – The mobile environment is changing very quickly. You don’t want to spend time continuously upgrading your MDM platform every time Apple or Google releases a new version of their platform. So having an MDM system running in the cloud will release the burden of testing and upgrading the MDM application to support the continuously changing mobile device landscape.
- Reduced costs – A cloud-based MDM eliminates up-front investments in a dedicated MDM server. It also removes the ongoing hardware, operating system, database and network costs associated with running an MDM server.
So, IT is ready to say goodbye to hardware and those who have been under the reign of on-premise MDM are ready to get their devices back. Let’s see what the cloud can deliver.
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/63647326@N07/5794264885/
Mark Watson
There one more advantage of cloud-based mobile device management that it takes zero time to set up since the solution is available on the cloud it takes no time or zero time to set up and the initial steps are carried out by the service provider itself.
Rick Blaisdell
Hi, Mark! The truth is there are many more advantages of using a cloud-based environment. What you say is also something to consider when implementing such solution. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
MobiLock Pro
Thanks for sharing this nice and informative article Rick! Enterprises must always strategize to adopt simple, scalable and yet powerful and secured Mobile Device Management Solutions to tap into its benefits. Cloud Technology is fast improving and MDM Solutions are becoming more simplified and intuitive to be used easily by Enterprises. Good MDM Solutions can help Enterprises to manage and secure any number of mobile devices across varied platforms with ease and effortlessly.