Effective enterprise mobility management (EMM) helps organizations secure data and protect their networks. Over the years, the demands for EMM solutions have been growing at an astronomical rate. Mordor Intelligence puts the market value of enterprise mobility management at $5.79 billion in 2020 and forecasts the same to reach $11.96 billion by 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.84%.
The advent of COVID-19 has made working remotely part of the new normal, and many employees rely on a range of mobile devices and apps to execute tasks like never before. That has made EMM mandatory for companies who take their data security, productivity, and competitiveness seriously.
What is enterprise mobility management?
Enterprise mobility management refers to how businesses manage the mobile devices of their employees to protect confidential information and keep track of what users do within the company’s networks. Enterprise mobility management integrates mobile resources, management systems, and services to offer intellectual property protection and more.
EMM, like mobile device management (MDM) encompasses the provisioning and distribution of corporate smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. However, it also gives companies control over how employees access data, provides data privacy safeguards, and minimizes security vulnerabilities. .In addition EMM includes components of mobile content management (MCM) and identity access management.
How enterprise mobility management has evolved
Enterprise mobility management emerged when employees were encouraged to bring their mobile devices to the workplace. “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) and “Choose Your Own Device” (CYOD) policies allow employees to use personal or corporate mobile devices to do their jobs. According to a 2017 Forrester Research, the need to manage BYOD trends drove EMM.
With EMM, companies have control over which apps, email accounts, data, and content employees can access with their devices, so that use aligns with corporate mobile device use policies. EMM can also allow device control from the manufacturer, limiting the ability to reactivate lost or stolen devices.
EMM solutions often include multi factor authentication (MFA) that require a second form of verification, such as entering a code or biometrics to allow a user to access corporate applications and data with the device. Enterprise mobility frameworks also help organizations streamline and secure a blended work environment in which employees work across different locations and time zones.
Benefits of enterprise mobile management
Enterprise mobile management allows IT departments to monitor work-related applications and data on mobile devices owned by their employees. It includes various features that can be used individually or more holistically to achieve a more effective solution for enterprises.
It also enables setting rules and policy enforcement globally within the enterprise. For example, an IT service provider can enroll devices in bulk versus individually provisioning devices and getting employees set up to use them.
For bring-your-own-device organizations, application permissions can be easily managed, controlled, and deleted when necessary from a central server. EMM also allows pushing remote updates and policy, and setting changes to all users.
How to tell if your company needs Enterprise Mobile Management?
International Data Corporation (IDC) projected that the U.S. mobile worker population will grow steadily over the next few years, increasing from 78.5 million in 2020 to 93.5 million mobile workers in 2024. Statista estimates mobile workers would make up 60% of the total U.S. workforce at that time.
There’s no denying the trend. Whether for frontline field workers or employees who occasionally work remotely, mobile devices have become essential parts of productive work. Having a comprehensive EMM strategy is necessary in this always on, connected era. It will equip companies to manage device security while empowering employees to access data in remote locations.
Enterprise mobile device management will help your business to:
Ensure Data and Content Security
Increasing usage of mobile devices, infrastructure, network technologies, providers, and applications for personal and job-related tasks, requires an equal amount of expansion of corporate resources needed to provision, update, track, and support all of it. Enterprise mobile device management helps you address security concerns, including lost devices and data breaches.
Improve Cyber Security
While mobile devices offer flexibility for your employees to perform optimally, they also open up your organization to security vulnerabilities.EMM allows you to limit how devices are used and which websites and applications your employees can access. This control reduces the threat surface and minimizes your chances of malware infecting your network. ,
Enhance the productivity of employees
Your employees rely on having the right technology and processes in place to get things done on time. EMM solutions ensure your employees are focused on mission-critical tasks without distractions from social media, games, or browsing websites, improving productivity.
Facilitate Flexibility and Efficient Workflow
EMM is a necessity for the smooth and efficient operation of your business. It will help you achieve more efficient collaboration and workflow among your employees, regardless of where they work.
If you lack visibility into how your team is using mobile devices and whether they’re following corporate policies intended to keep your network safe and maximize productivity, consider deploying an EMM solution.
Contact DecisionPoint today to learn more.
