With the increasing availability of online connectivity the business world is going mobile. Many companies are now starting to implement Mobile Device Management policies in support of Bring Your Own Device which allows employees to use their own smart phones, tablets and notebook computers. There are many concerns for companies implementing Mobile Device Management such as security, manageability, and cost. Therefore, Mobile Device Management platforms and solutions need to be easy to deploy as well as cost effective.
Bring Your Own Device.
As the world becomes more interconnected and more mobile, businesses of all sizes are starting to implement Bring Your Own Device strategies. This saves companies money because they don't have to maintain and issue an inventory of mobile devices, instead employees are allowed to use the smartphone, tablet or laptop computer of their choice. By using this strategy companies are able to develop mobile applications to enable their employees and customers to better access company resources.
Research by the SMB Group, Inc in December of 2013 indicates that 67% of small-medium business consider mobile solutions as critical. Further, 83% are using mobile applications for employee productivity, 55% are using mobile applications for business specific functions and 49% are using them for customer engagement. (SMB Groups Top 10 SMB Technology Trends for 2014, 2014) This use brings an increasing need for Mobile Device Management in order to reduce management headaches and achieve more value from their mobile investments.
Manageability and Cost.
One of the first decisions a company must make in implementing a mobile device management policy is to decide which devices to allow and support. Companies can either forbid any devices of a certain type or any that are not company owned, or a company to choose to use a more blended approach, allowing use of company and employee-owned devices.