Four Steps to Optimize Your MDM Deployment

Deploying your mobile device management solution is just the first step in this brave new BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) world. Now you need to figure out how to keep employees happy and business processes running effectively, at the same time managing costs and security. As the trend toward consumerization of corporate IT progresses, it’s clear that new device integration will only increase.

1 – Build Harmony from the Get-Go

It’s important to clearly define and communicate corporate guidelines on which devices and apps are supported. Since employees are the real drivers in this whole process, there will always be exceptions, so think ahead how you’re going to deal with a VP who has a brand new mobile device that’s not on your list of approved devices.

Before making a decision one way or another, first sit down with the VP to get a handle on why she’s so excited by it and the possibilities she sees if the business adopts it. That way, you can develop appropriate usage and application/network access policies around beneficial use of the device without employees feeling as if they’re being boxed in. (You might also want to let her know – in the nicest possible way, of course – that you don’t want to be doing this all again in three months’ time …)

2 – Drive Faster Time to Response

Keep a laser focus on how mobile devices can enhance customer relations by facilitating fast responses anywhere, anytime. If a prospect raises a tricky question during a big presentation, field teams can hook into support databases and specialist assistance at the touch of a button. Staff at a trade show can get instant answers to booth visitors. Once your remote devices are tied into your corporate resources, the perimeter of your network has just expanded to wherever your personnel may be. And you can ensure the devices themselves stay up and running by using cloud-based remote access solutions to deliver instant support over the web.

3 – Reign in Hidden Costs

Who pays for the device? For the voice and data services? For the business apps? Who is responsible for the cost of loss or damage to an employee-owned device while being used for business?  Does your company offer insurance?

If your organization is committed to empowering workers with mobile devices and has effective policies in place for ensuring business use takes precedence over personal use, it’s probably most effective to negotiate a deal with a carrier, allow employees to select a device at their own expense from those supported by that carrier, and set up a controlled in-house app store.  After all, you’re likely going to be supporting the device itself, too.

4 – Be Vigilant About Growing Security Needs

Controlling app access will go a long way towards assuring the security of your employees’ devices – that way, you’ll at least ensure the apps have gone through some level of quality testing and the appropriate usage licenses are in place.

However, a lost device is a network vulnerability waiting to happen, so make sure the data on the device itself – passwords and the like – are encrypted and stored securely, out of the reach of the casual thief. The same applies to any data that might be transferred to or via a cloud storage facility using those devices – make sure your cloud provider takes security seriously and provides appropriate access control as well as data security.

For further research, Gartner has published a number of useful reports and research notes packed with valuable advice for IT managers in a BYOD world. Here are a few interesting ones worth reading:

• View on ‘Bring Your Own’ in Client Computing summarizes the company’s most recent BYOD research findings.
• How Will Users Access the PC Apps They Need on Their Alternative Devices? discusses the options employees might be offered for accessing corporate apps on a personally owned device.

Gartner VP Leif-Olof Wallin also blogged on the topic. Other interesting blog posts emerged from this year’s RSA conference, including this thought-provoking piece from analyst Philippe Winthrop.

Hopefully now you’ll have tools to start designing the basic policies to govern who is entitled to have what device, who pays for what, what constitutes acceptable use, supported apps, approved sources, and consequences for non-compliance.

Tim Hillison is the vice president of global marketing at NTRglobal, a provider of secure cloud-based remote services for mid-sized and enterprise businesses. The NTR Cloud safeguards every point in the remote support delivery chain, from login authentication to communication travel over 256-bit AES encryption. NTRglobal’s global network of relay servers supports the strictest international mandates. Read all NTRglobal guest blogs here.