01 Apr 2021 What is MDM and how does it keep your team safe?
Currently 85% of small businesses around the UK use smartphones to improve productivity for business related tasks on a daily basis. Often these phones are personal devices but others will be company-provided business mobiles. Smartphones can be used for anything from checking your email, to making customer calls, to accessing useful project management apps. The ease of use provided by business mobiles have made them a staple of modern business life.
The use of mobile phones is great for businesses in many aspects. Staff can be more productive and work in a flexible way that suits them. There are risks involved, however. Business mobiles often contain the same amount of sensitive company data as your office equipment. If this datafalls into the wrong hands it could be disastrous. Compromised devices have been used to ransom data back to businesses, costing thousands. These devices even provide an entry point into your company finances and information. There is a way around this though.
Any company now looking to create a comprehensive business mobile plan should begin by looking at MDM solutions. MDM, or Mobile Device Management services allow you to operate any device on your network remotely. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be snooping on your team, rather if their phone is lost, it can be tracked, and the data restored or deleted if necessary. This is not the only benefit of MDM though; in this blog we’ll take a look at some other useful management features that can help your business to work better on the go.
Create a flexible working environment
Many teams have seen the benefit that working remotely can have on a business, especially when they can access their work on the go as well as from home. People are generally much happier when they can work on a device that suits them. This bring your own device or BYOD culture has been something many teams have strived to create but limitations have become apparent from the lack of software available to enable it.
Implementing MDM allows your staff to work with their own devices without the risk of their data being compromised. This allows you to find a healthy balance between allowing teams to work on a device that suits them best, while protecting your business’ information should that device fall victim to hacking or is lost.
With the rise of working from home, home networks are also being relied on for business more than ever. Being able to secure your business devices, even when they’re working on networks that could be more prone to issues, can give you some much needed peace of mind.
Solve issues in an efficient way
There are other ways to ensure that mobile devices stay secure, but MDM makes managing these systems more efficient. Because MDM systems are centrally managed inside your business, you don’t have to spend as much time focussed on managing each device separately.
Though MDM software is fantastic in an emergency, it also helps more day-to-day processes. It ensures that everyone in your team has the latest security requirements installed. This also means you can quickly remove company data from a device if any member of staff upgrades their technology or leaves the business.
It also gives you an accessible way to see who has what. If you notice that someone is running a particularly old company mobile, maybe it’s time for an upgrade? Keeping up to date with modern systems is a great way to boost productivity, morale and to stay safe.
Stay secure without breaking the bank
Cloud based MDM tools are fantastic for small and medium sized businesses looking to access the benefits of mobile working, without having to worry about security or in-house IT management. It allows you to ensure that any of the specialist mobile apps your team uses are up-to-date and working properly.
Security concerns are growing all the time as remote work becomes more commonplace. MDM software provides you with a single portal that allows you to manage security risks with ease. This portal massively speeds up reaction times if something does happen to go wrong. You can simply wipe the device as soon as you are sure that it is irretrievable. This greatly reduces the risk of company data being compromised and saves time on negotiating with your provider.
Finally, MDM software often comes with VPN settings. These can keep you safe on those occasions when your team will have to make use of public internet connections. Network fraud is a continually growing problem and encrypting your devices on the go is a safe and cost-effective solution.
If you’d like to find out more about MDM software or any of our mobile solutions here at One Connectivity, get in touch. Our team will be happy to help you find the service that works for your business. Give us a call here at 01158968860 or visit our website.