How to Implement a Mobile Device Management Solution
By now, you’ve chosen a user-focused technology that will grow with you and support your business with a vast partner ecosystem. This blog is part two in a three-part blog series that will address concerns for selecting a mobile device management solution, best practices for implementation, and best practices for managing it. Now we will delve into considerations and processes to set up an MDM and make it work for your business.
Planning your MDM Solution
First and foremost, you must determine if you’re going with an On-Premises or SaaS solution. An On-Premises solution can be defined as an in-house hosted solution maintained internally. On the other hand, SaaS is usually hosted and maintained by the same provider. Generally, most IT departments are selecting a SaaS model today due to the ease of maintenance and management. Customers that want a more secure environment will choose a dedicated SaaS environment. Others might use a shared SaaS model that can suit their needs. We suggest that IT technologists review and evaluate both options.
Once you’ve decided what kind of solution you have, it’s time to put together a project plan. You’ll want to put together a list of key stakeholders to decide what will best serve the user community, the operations team, and of course, the IT department. Ensure that you have IT governance (policies and processes) to assist with the solution’s on-time delivery.
Customers need to determine which devices, operating systems, configuration requirements, and apps they will deploy and support. You will also need to determine requirements around data security and define a process for production pushes. Don’t forget to define roles for MDM access; these roles will ensure users will only have the necessary visibility, preventing users from performing unauthorized actions. Finally, you can plan out a deployment schedule, so operations remain organized throughout the implementation.
Gather Software and Device Requirements
You will need to involve all parties, including representation from the end-users, to gather requirements as involving the business will help with user adoption. Upon collecting all necessities, such as black/whitelisted apps, pushed apps, settings, policies, and accessories, you can design the device configuration.
It’s critical to have a full and detailed understanding of your IT environment, such as Development, QA, and Production, to test apps, configurations, and policies. This will lead to a clean rollout and mitigates the risk of deploying your MDM platform and its policies in production, as certain admins will not have access to all environments.
Develop knowledge bases or articles for UEM admins and help desks; this will provide the knowledge needed to support the initiative and keep the device in the field. You’ll also need to build out training, education, and notifications for end-users. These employee education initiatives will make the end-users more knowledgeable, effectively reducing help desk calls.
Once that is sorted out, it is crucial that you thoroughly test your solution to ensure a smooth project implementation. This includes deploying to test/pilot users to ensure all items are working, providing an opportunity to make changes if needed.
Implement/Deployment
Now comes the time to implement your mobile device management solution. Once you have defined and tested the “first article,” it’s time to develop your staging protocols. Our clients ask us to stage multiple components that include devices, printers, labels, and any number of other technologies. This is to provide a seamless and consistent experience when your technology arrives at an end-user’s location. We work to ensure the end-user can open it, turn it on, and go. To reduce downtime due to learning a new solution, have end-users complete any needed training before receiving devices or have training staff on-site when the devices arrive. It will also help to train help desk staff, providing them with all of the knowledge available to support end-users throughout the process.
Implementing your mobile device management solution doesn’t have to be a headache; simply follow along to these steps, and you’ll experience a smooth, efficient transition. Have questions about the process? Look to a systems integrator like DecisionPoint to help provide recommendations and get your enterprise through mobile device management solution implementation.
If you’re looking for an MDM but aren’t sure where to start, look to a systems integrator, such as DecisionPoint, to help provide recommendations and take you through vetting and selecting the correct MDM. Contact our team of experts to get started today.
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.
