Do Supply Chain Businesses Need Mobile Device Management (MDM)?

Add to this even more complexity.  Today, many companies permit employees to bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to work and use it to access enterprise systems, data and applications. This can be an IT Manager’s worst nightmare!

Technology can come to the rescue of your enterprise.  Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) and mobile device management (MDM) are resources that can be used to manage, monitor and effectively secure mobile devices. The mobile devices do not need to be of the same type or use the same mobile operating system.

Think about it.  One unsecured lost corporate mobile device can be a serious threat against your business.  In these times of frequent cybersecurity alerts, are you really willing to take that chance?

How Mobile Device Management Solutions Help Your Supply Chain Enterprise

MDM service providers use specialized management software tools to secure and manage mobile devices from industry leaders including Zebra, Honeywell, CipherLab and other manufacturers as well as Apple, Android and Microsoft Windows devices. MDM vendors are able to manage mobile devices throughout the entire lifecycle from deployment to retirement.

MDM service providers are able to track physical assets and manage software applications and content for your enterprise on each mobile device.  One of the major concerns voiced by enterprises is cybersecurity.  MDM software helps your enterprise keep both all mobile devices and your data secure.

MDM Solutions Help Ensure Maximum Uptime of Mobile Devices across Your Enterprise

Whether your business operates in a single location or across the nation, relying on an MDM service provider can increase your uptime and enterprise level of control of your organizations’ mobile devices. Mobile device management service helps you keep your devices in the hands of users and provides:

• Help desk-type solutions designed specifically to remedy mobile device problems
• Remote control and device or app information
• Remote access to device configuration information and application settings

MDM Service Simplifies Device Management and Provides Peace of Mind

 Using an MDM service provider frees up your IT resources to take on mission critical business challenges that are core to your operations and enables the use of their skills and experience for other areas of your business.

MDM solutions are adaptable for a variety of key industries including warehousing, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, retail and field services.  Utilizing MDM can give you a “bird’s eye view” of the mobile devices used across your enterprise, in the field, facilities and other locations.  

Using the latest technology enables MDM solution providers to have real time access and remote capabilities so that problems can be diagnosed and resolved and security challenges tackled without delay without taking the mobile devices out of the hands of the users.

Enterprise level reports can be provided to give you a high level view of the mobile devices at work in your business. Types of reports vary among MDM service providers and some vendors can provide dashboards and drill down capability into reporting details.Many MDM services utilize automated solutions in order to expedite services and ensure the highest level of accuracy and service to their clients.

Improve the Cybersecurity of Your Supply Chain Enterprise by Using MDM Security Services 

These days, managing mobile devices can be a time consuming, tricky business for your IT staff.  Aside from keeping a fleet of mobile devices continuously operational, one of the other major concerns of any enterprise is security.  MDM security options can enable your enterprise to ensure that corporate intellectual property remains intact, facilitates the update, distribution and security of mobile apps and helps to protect your enterprise from intrusion.

Here are just a few of the challenges with which your IT team typically has to contend on a daily basis:

• Securing mobile devices
• Providing and disabling access to mobile devices
• Being able to return the mobile device to its original state prior to mobile management
• Locating, locking and wiping lost devices, as needed
• Removing sensitive settings including WiFi passwords, configuration settings, sensitive or protected documents, etc.

The geofencing capabilities can generate alerts and enable action to be taken if a device crosses a specified boundary.

Other mobile security provisions can be enabled.  Here are two of the popular options:

• Mobile devices can be required to lock and/or to open operations with a personal identification number

• Gathering of location, personal information and sensitive data from personally owned devices including Smartphones and tablets can be enabled for employees using their own devices

Conclusion

Enterprises can outsource management and security of their mobile fleet to MDM service providers.  MDM tools help to manage the complete mobile device lifecycle, from deployment to retirement.  Mobile devices can be added and provisioned within your enterprise operation swiftly so that your business can keep your workforce in the facility or field working-not waiting in an office for a device to be repaired.  Mobile users no longer need to be inconvenienced and lose productivity.

MDM service providers use the latest technology to maximize mobile device uptime.  Working remotely, MDM vendors diagnose, troubleshoot and resolve problems, update software and much more. Relying on MDM services can enable your enterprise to permit employees to utilize BYOD mobile devices that they personally own.  The security policies of your business and role-based authentication are used to determine procedures, access to information and more.