Enterprise mobility management (EMM) is essential for organizations looking to streamline their mobile device management strategy. It provides a central control point for managing, configuring, and securing an organization’s mobile devices. It also helps organizations ensure compliance with security policies and other regulatory requirements.
The EMM solutions always use different tools that let organizations manage the mobile device lifecycle. This includes everything from provisioning and configuring devices to revoking access if a device is lost or stolen.
Below is a quick guide to enterprise mobility management.
The Evolution Of EMM
The EMM solutions were implemented as a way for organizations to allow their users to bring devices to the office instead of restricting users to company-issued devices. However, EMM now evolved into a multi-faceted approach that helps organizations control their mobile device infrastructure.
You can click here to learn more about how EMM solutions have evolved and how devices are managed.
Enterprise mobility management started as a mobile device management that allows the IT team to configure and manage devices and enforce security policies. It has since evolved into a multi-faceted approach with the addition of other components such as mobile application management (MAM), mobile content management (MCM), Google mobile analytics, and identity access management (IAM).
How EMM Works
The EMM solutions use a variety of tools, such as mobile device management (MDM), mobile application management (MAM), and mobile content management (MCM). Here’s a quick view of how the tools work:
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Mobile device management is the core of any EMM solution. It allows IT administrators to remotely manage and configure devices, deploy apps, and enforce policies across devices. The MDM solutions also allow the IT team to track the device’s location, manage firmware updates, and revoke access if a device is lost or stolen.
For the devices to be managed and controlled remotely, they need to have vendor-specific EMM profiles installed. Companies like Microsoft, Google, and Apple offer such profiles. This profile is specific to the vendor and enables secure communication between the device and the EMM provider.
Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Mobile application management allows organizations to securely deploy applications to devices, manage access control and permissions, and remotely wipe an app’s data if a device is lost or stolen. The IT team doesn’t access the whole device. Instead, it can access the applications on the device. Employees can also access the company’s application remotely. They can perform inventory management, app configurations, and troubleshooting tasks.
Mobile Identity Management (MIM)
Mobile identity management is an authentication process that identifies and verifies users. This ensures that employees can access the data they need while keeping the organization’s systems secure. Mobile identity management allows organizations to grant access to specific users based on their location, roles, or other criteria. It can also restrict access based on policies such as security threats, suspicious activity, and more.
Mobile Content Management (MCM)
Mobile content management allows organizations to store and share content with employees on their devices securely. This includes documents, images, videos, and other files. The IT team can access the content remotely and enforce security policies such as encryption and password protection. Employees can also access the content securely from any device.
Additionally, MCM can be used to determine access controls that employees have in the company’s data. For example, the IT team can set up policies allowing employees to access content only from specific devices.
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
Unified endpoint management is the unification of MDM, MAM, and MCM. This allows organizations to manage all endpoints from one console. Unified endpoint management provides businesses with real-time visibility and security features such as device authentication, encryption, data protection, and more.
Benefits OF EMM
There are many benefits that an enterprise mobility management solution brings to an organization. Here are a few:
- Streamline IT processes: The EMM solutions allow the IT team to manage and control devices remotely, reducing manual efforts. These provide a central platform to manage devices, deploy apps, and set up access control policies, streamlining your operations.
- Increase productivity: The EMM solutions provide employees with secure access to their data and applications from anywhere, anytime. This helps increase employee engagement and productivity. For example, employees can access their work documents away from their desks.
- Improve security: The EMM solutions allow organizations to enforce security policies on all devices, such as encryption and password protection. This ensures that the data is secure and protected from unauthorized access.
- Cost savings: The EMM solutions provide businesses with a cost-effective way to manage their devices and applications. Organizations can save money on hardware, software, and maintenance fees.
Knowing the benefits helps you decide how EMM can impact your organization.
Conclusion
Enterprise mobility management is a comprehensive tool for managing, configuring, and securing mobile devices in an organization. It includes components such as MDM, MAM, and MCM, which all help organizations ensure secure access to devices and content. This guide has provided a quick overview of how EMM works and what it consists of. With this knowledge, you can determine if an EMM solution is right for your organization.