Allowing mobile devices owned by employees to access your business systems means exposing your business systems to risk. Implementing a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy will help protect your data, but you need more than a policy that employees might not abide by. You need technology to enforce your policy.

Today there’s a wide range of solutions that provide different kinds of protection. You may need to use one or more of the following:

Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Focus on controlling the device, rather than applications or data, with MDM. You’ll use MDM to provision devices and enforce policies such as encryption, use of passwords, and screen locking. Should the device be lost or stolen, MDM allows you to remotely wipe sensitive data.

Mobile Application Management (MAM)

MAM focuses on the applications, rather than the devices. MAM lets you ensure that applications are downloaded from a secure site and that all required updates are installed.

Mobile Content Management (MCM)

MCM makes sure users can safely access enterprise content while protecting files. Along with allowing users to pull data, MCM provides the ability to push important documents to employees’ mobile devices.

Mobile Identity Management (MIM)

User authentication is ensured through mobile identity management, which uses certificates, signed code, and other authentication measures to ensure that the users and devices accessing enterprise data can be trusted.

Mobile Information Management (MIM)

MIM makes sure that sensitive data remains encrypted and is only accessed by approved applications.

Mobile Expense Management (MEM)

Although BYOD allows employees to use personal devices, companies often pay at least a portion of monthly fees. MEM helps administrators keep costs under control through reporting, auditing, and carrier contract management.

Enterprise Mobility Management Software (EMM) combines these various mobility management tools into a single solution providing a suite of services. As with any software, choosing the right solution requires understanding the problem you’re trying to solve and the risks of both the problem and the proposed solution. You need to find the balance between empowering and supporting mobile workers, protecting corporate information, and minimizing administrative overhead.

Consider these factors as you evaluate a potential EMM solution for your organization: • Does the software support the mobile operating systems your employees use? There are iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices, along with other less common ones. Make sure the software you pick is compatible with the devices you want to allow to access your network.

Does the EMM software offer the features you need? EMM solutions vary in their features and how they implement those capabilities. Make sure the software you select offers the kinds of protection you need.

How will the EMM integrate with your other security software? Make sure the software will work well with the other security measures you have in place in your data center.

Empowering employees to work remotely while protecting corporate resources is challenging. Prescient Solutions’ mobile support helps you make sure employees can use mobile devices safely while providing the necessary security for the business. Contact us to start talking about mobile security solutions that will protect your data wherever employees use it.

Additional BYOD resources

For BYOD Security, Manage Devices, Applications, and Users

Do You Need a BYOD Policy If You Use Mobile Device Management Software?

The 5 Don’ts of Bring Your Own Device Policies