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 Channel Futures

Business Models


SMB Mobile Device Craze Lacks Proper Planning, IT Management

  • Written by Dan Berthiaume
  • February 24, 2012

SMBs are highly mobilized, but not highly prepared to manage their mobile environments, according to interim results of a recent study from mobile security provider MobiliSafe. The study, which mapped 38 million SMB employee mobile device connections, revealed that on average, more than 80% of SMB staffers are already using smartphones and tablets.

The rapid growth of mobile device use among SMB employees appears to be growing faster than management’s capability to control it. For example, 56% of iOS devices (Apple iPad, Apple iPhone) were running out-of-date firmware, and 39% of total authenticated mobile devices were inactive for more than 30 days, prompting concerns and conversations with employees about lost, sold or otherwise misplaced devices with employee credentials and sensitive corporate data.

More generally speaking, the study indicates the majority of SMB’s are highly mobilized, driven by the bring your own device (BYOD) trend of recent years, but SMB IT managers significantly underestimate the number and kinds of mobile devices connecting to their network. In addition,  SMB IT departments lack solutions to map their corporate standard for information security used with laptops, desktops and servers to mobile devices.

Even though there are serious concerns about data risk on mobile devices, SMBs do not feel they have adequate tools to determine those risks and respond to them. And a newly developing risk is that of the burgeoning market for resold mobile devices. Mobilisafe quotes statistics indicating half of mobile devices sold on eBay still contain personal information on them.

MSPs Can Ease Mobile Management Madness

Mobile device use among SMB employees is not going away, and growth is not likely to slow down. Despite the numerous risks and issues associated with BYOD, the fact remains SMBs gain many benefits from this workplace trend, including reduced cost of overhead, increased ability to affordably extend the corporate enterprise, and reduced need to train employees on how to use mobile devices, since they presumably already know how to use their personal devices.

By removing mobile management issues from the shoulders of harried SMB IT managers and turning BYOD into a managed service, MSPs can eliminate the problems associated with mobile devices while retaining the positives. The standard caveat emptor attached to studies conducted by vendors applies here, but the basic notion that managing mobile devices is a huge headache for SMBs has been proven elsewhere. How MSPs respond to that proof is up to them.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Business Models Mobility

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2 comments

  1. Avatar Sajal Sahay February 25, 2012 @ 2:58 am
    Reply

    Hi Dan:

    I wanted to quickly follow-up with you, I read your article and appreciated very much the fair and balanced approach you used for your write-up. I am also very glad that the data we published helped form the basis of your story. I am sure the information you presented is going to be very valuable to all your readers! Congratulations!

    We’re about to initiate the next level of data analysis from our private beta, and will focus on new and unique data that builds from the initial phase. I want to make sure I can reach out to you to fill you in on this material in advance of any overall public release. My e-mail id is attached to this note, please follow-up with me so we can establish direct contact.

    In the meantime, thanks for the strong write-up, it was read with much interest by all of us here at Mobilisafe!

    With Best Regards,

    Sajal Sahay
    VP Marketing, Mobilisafe

  2. Avatar Joe Panettieri February 26, 2012 @ 4:24 pm
    Reply

    Sajal:

    Thanks for your note. Feel free to send news to me and I will loop in Dan and/or the most appropriate team blogger.
    -jp

    Joe Panettieri
    Editorial Director, MSPmentor
    joe [at] NineLivesMediaInc [dot] com

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