Enterprise Mobility Management: The Challenges Of Today's Devices

If you had a nickel for every organization that claimed that it didn't realize it needed enterprise mobility management (EMM), then you'd probably have a lot of nickels. With mobility so prolific in the enterprise, EMM has become a necessity for nearly every organization with devices.

During Enterprise Mobility Exchange's 2018 Digital Transformation Online Summit, Gregory Lowes (a Strategic Accounts Manager with SOTI) delivered a session on, "The Truth (and Myth) Behind Enterprise Mobility Management." The presentation focused on the expectations of EMM and lessons learned from organizations that have already implemented it.

Before EMM emerged, there was Mobile Device Management (MDM) that took care of most endpoints. With new consumer products penetrating the market in recent years, more companies turned to EMM to handle the complexities of the new devices. It is no longer enough for an EMM solution to only handle handheld devices. In fact, these vendors must address the entire mobile and endpoint ecosystem, which includes more rugged devices and an influx of IoT solutions. In fact, Linux is now 85% of the operating systems on IoT devices.

Enterprises are relying on new mobile technologies to set them apart from competitors. Meanwhile, there is an increased interest in automation, connecting data with other devices, and boosting the mobile customer experience. All of these changes are complicating the management of mobile devices, which is facilitating a need for EMM.

"Connecting the mobile world is about to get a whole lot crazier," said Lowes.

The Challenges Of Today's Mobile Devices
Any organization with mobile devices will need EMM to overcome many barriers. The challenges associated with mobile devices in the enterprise include:

Security: These devices represent the easiest ways for business data to be compromised. In fact, 41% of all data breaches occurred because of lost or stolen devices. With more endpoints, such as IoT, there are more opportunities to get hit with malware.
Costs: In addition the expenses related to hardware and maintenance, enterprises have to account for the cost of getting the device to the employee and deploying the right software and security. There are also troubleshooting expenses that can occur. Developing mobile apps can be costly and time-consuming.
Complexity: There are more devices and operating systems than ever within an enterprise, which is creating a complex mobile ecosystem to manage. Nearly half of companies are unable to properly diagnose remote problems without EMM.
Downtime: A complex mobile device ecosystem also means that employees often have to wait a long time in order for their devices to be properly serviced. This downtime could result in a massive loss of productivity for workers.
The Benefits Of Enterprise Mobility Management
As Lowes explained in the session, there are many benefits to EMM. First, there are incredible cost-savings attributed to the increased speed of getting devices up and running quickly. With EMM, devices are more compliant and less likely to deal with numerous security issues. Thanks to the expanding support for remote workers, EMM can reduce downtime and optimize efficiency. Improved remote support from EMM can also cut resolution time by as much as 45%.

When selecting an EMM vendor, enterprises should consider a solution that can: •

Configure devices.
Distribute apps at the push of a button.
Enforce security protocols.
Automatically set up communications, such as email.
Track corporate-owned devices.

More Info: https://www.propelapps.com/enterprise-mobility-management-the-challenges-of-todays-devices/