Best Practices for Managing Your MDM Software
Selecting a Mobile Device Management (MDM) software and implementing it are only the first two steps in a three-step process. Once you’ve selected and designed your MDM solutions, it’s time to focus on managing it. This blog is the final part of a three-part blog series in which you’ll learn the best practices for managing your new MDM software moving forward.
Stay Up-To-Date On MDM, Device, and OS Life Cycle
OS Life Cycle
Two significant changes from the Windows Mobile days are the incredibly rapid updates to OS versions in Android and the security updates released to negate new threats. To stay up to date on the OS version and security updates, testing is an integral part of the process. Ensuring a complete and thorough test bed for new OS upgrades is a critical element of keeping your users operational and happy. Once you’ve pushed out the update, the device will give the necessary data to allow an over the air (OTA) updates for specific devices or restrict the update (iOS and Android 6.0 and higher) via MDM. Thus, keeping your fleet up-to-date.
MDM Version
If your MDM is on-premise, testing out available updates will provide the necessary data if you want to upgrade or update your Mobile Device Management software. If your MDM is SaaS, testing will help the organization stay ahead of potential issues and provide bugs to your MDM for resolution. If your MDM is dedicated SaaS, testing the upcoming release in a Dev environment will help your organization stay ahead of potential issues and allow you to assess any issues before the update is released.
Device Life Cycle
The MDM platform provides mission-critical data as to when a device is nearing end of life. Android and Apple both have their unique challenges, which your MDM can help you manage. Certain OEMs also feed data on device health as a part of the lifecycle services that can help you keep a keen eye on your Enterprise deployments. Defined processes for how you will manage battery life, breakage, and other common occurrences will determine a course of action. Selecting the right technology with the correct support mechanisms can make your investment in technology last for years and ensure making the productivity your company has invested in happens.
Keeping Your Knowledge Base Updated for MDM Admins and Help Desk
To successfully manage your Mobile Device Management software, you will need to invest in employee training, education, and all of the elements that go into managing both the platform and the devices under management. Properly managed, an MDM solution can help you be proactive and will reduce the workload on your help desk by identifying issues before they bubble up to become a problem.
Help Desk for Mobile Device Management Software
If your company would prefer to focus on your core competencies rather than become an expert in MDM and device management, a partner can help you ensure maximum results from your investment. An outsourced Tier-2 Help Desk can be an inexpensive way to develop the testing and upgrade protocols to keep you current for security patches and OS upgrades. They can help find lost or stolen devices, ensure software versions are up to date, and physically track all of your assets. Additionally, daily routines can be created, such as wanting a device to reboot at a specific time of day or enable/disable native android settings, i.e., Bluetooth or volume, at a global level.
Additional services include:
- Hardware Trouble Shooting
- Software Application Updates, Tracking, and Reporting
- Maintenance of MDM environment, version updates, and patches
- Provide remote support/session of customer deployed mobile computers to triage end-user issues
- Provide device compliance reporting
- Customized reporting and alerts as supported by specific MDM/EMM platforms
After selecting your MDM and implementing it, managing your mobile device management software is a crucial ongoing process to ensure your operations benefit from your new MDM technology. Have questions about the process? Look to a systems integrator like DecisionPoint to help provide recommendations and get your enterprise through all phases of MDM selection, implementation, and management.
About DecisionPoint:
DecisionPoint is a leading provider and integrator of enterprise mobility and wireless applications solutions that delivers improved productivity and operational advantages to its clients by helping them move their business decision points closer to their customers. We do this by making enterprise software applications accessible to the front-line worker anytime, anywhere. DecisionPoint utilizes all the latest wireless, mobility, and RFID technologies. DecisionPoint is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information about DecisionPoint Systems, Inc. Learn more about how DecisionPoint and Wavelink can improve efficiency and profits. Visit www.decisionpt.com.
