As the number of platforms used in business has proliferated beyond the PC, mobile device management (or enterprise mobility management or unified endpoint management, if you prefer) has become a core competency for IT departments. Apple actually kick-started the MDM market back 2010 when it announced that iOS 4 would offer enterprise management via the Apple MDM framework, and focused that framework on third-party vendors.
Today, business gets done on everything from iPhones to Chromebooks, and each device or platform — not to mention the OS or app versions they run — has its own quirks and requirements. So do the MDM tools to secure and manage those devices and platforms.
Apple represents a majority of mobile devices in business, and macOS is the second biggest platform in business computing. Virtually every company today has Apple products used within it, meaning Apple MDM is a crucial component of today’s IT stack. iOS devices, Macs, and even Apple TVs are all managed by same Apple MDM framework. Some MDM vendors build their products specifically around this framework and Apple. Others incorporate support for Android, chromeOS, and Windows. With a truly broad set of options, picking the best one isn’t always easy.
Like many parts of IT infrastructure, MDM needs to integrate with a variety of core disciplines, particularly identity management, user support and self-service portals, network management, and security. Investing in the right platform should make the lives of IT administrators, end users, and anyone in between more friction-free, while choosing the wrong MDM can create headaches, bottlenecks, and support tickets.
So how do you make this selection? More importantly, if you’re already using an MDM platform (Apple-focused or not) and it isn’t the best fit, how do you invest in, and transition, to one of the other options out there? What questions do you need to ask yourself and potential vendors?
1. What devices are in my inventory, and do I need to manage them all using MDM?
If you’re reading this, it’s probably a safe assumption that you have at least some iPhones, iPads, or Macs to manage. But what exactly does that mean? One advantage to Apple products tends to be that they’re long lived, which means they deliver a lot of value. It also means you may have a number of older Macs and iOS devices. Some may be running old OS versions, and some might not be able to run the current versions or be on the chopping block for support in the next year.
Most companies also support a fair number of non-Apple devices, ranging from Android phones and tablets to Chromebooks and Windows PCs.
So you need an accurate count of which devices you’re actively managing or going to manage. At the least, you’ll need basic information like the number of devices, their platform and OS version, whether they’re company-owned or BYOD, and user(s) assigned to them. Ideally you’ll have much more information…
2023-07-15 00:48:03
Source from www.computerworld.com rnrn