Why is Mobile Device Management crucial for companies?

March 29th 2016

It is becoming more commonplace for employers to hand out mobile devices to employees in today’s business world yet many companies are overlooking having mobile device management software installed. Mobile device management (MDM) is an industry term for the administration of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers. While many businesses focus on servers, desktop computers and laptops they often ignore mobile devices, to the detriment of the company.

A recent study by the international Association of Information Technology Asset Managers, Inc. has found that thousands of companies have the same kind of "sloppy and dangerous" approach to mobile device management (MDM). This point was exemplified by the recent case in the United States between the FBI and Apple.

An iPhone issued to an employee of the San Bernardino County, Syed Rizwan Farook who was involved in a shooting is at the centre of the dispute. At the centre of the battle is whether Apple can be ordered to provide a specialized software to allow the FBI backdoor access to the man’s phone. Apple are disputing this, however, had San Bernardino County required installation and application of MDM software, FBI investigators could have remotely and legally unlocked the phone and thereby circumvented the legal dispute now underway.

By not having a considered approach to MDM, many companies leave themselves vulnerable to data breaches, theft and even reputational damage to the company.

For more information on how IT Force can help your organisation improve Mobile Device Management you can contact us at info@itforce.ie