Mobile Device Management System Optimization through MDM Updates and Testing for Field Sales

Ensure All Elements of Your IT Environment are Optimized and Secure

Patch and Update Throughout the OS Life Cycle

Direct store delivery (DSD) and field sales operations must always be streamlined and efficient, and ensuring the security and quality of the data that flows to your mobile device management system is key. Recently, Windows Mobile pushed two significant updates to its system: updates to OS versions in Android and patches to fix security vulnerabilities. Pushing these updates — after thorough testing to ensure they don’t interfere with functionality and performance — will enable over-the-air (OTA) updates for specific mobile devices and enable you to use mobile device management (MDM) for devices running on iOS and Android 6.0 and higher.

With a deployment of updated devices that you can monitor and control from your MDM, you can be confident that your mobile service management system is secure and operating on accurate, real-time data.

Use the Most Current MDM Version

Windows Mobile updates can provide you with a greater ability to manage the devices that your DSD or field sales team use — if you are using a mobile device management solution that can leverage those new capabilities.

Again, when you make changes to your IT environment, you need to ensure that they don’t negatively impact your mobile service management system. If you use an on-premises MDM solution, you will need to build a testing environment to evaluate the effect updates will have on your system. However, if you use a Software as a Service (SaaS) MDM version, you may have the ability to test the impact of updates in the product’s development environment, helping you to stay ahead of potential issues before you push the change to your entire organization.

Device Life Cycle

Another factor that can impact your DSD or field sales team’s productivity and quality of customer services is the status of mobile devices. Your MDM platform provides mission-critical data on device health and whether it’s nearing end of life. Android and Apple each have unique challenges that can impact device life, which your mobile device management system can help you manage. Additionally, certain OEMs feed data on device health as a part of the lifecycle services that can help you keep a keen eye on your enterprise deployments. Plus, you should define processes for how you will manage battery life, breakage, and other incidents even when workers are in the field. Selecting the right technology with the correct support mechanisms can make managing your mobile service devices easier and more effective, ensuring you see the greatest possible ROI from your mobile device and mobile service management investment.

Help Desk for Mobile Device Management Software

Depending on your IT team’s level of expertise, you may keep mobile device management and maintenance of your mobile service management system in house.
However, if your company would prefer to focus on your core competencies rather than become an expert in MDM and mobile service management, a partner can help you ensure maximum ROI. An outsourced Tier-2 help desk can be an inexpensive way to develop the testing and upgrade protocols to keep your mobile device management system current with security patches and OS upgrades. They can also help find lost or stolen devices, ensure software versions are up to date, and physically track all of your assets throughout the whole delivery process. Additionally, daily routines can be created, such as a device to reboot at a specific time of day or enabling/disabling native Android settings, such as Bluetooth or volume, at a global level.

Additional help desk services include:

• Hardware troubleshooting
• Software application updates, tracking, and reporting
• Managing mobile devices’ environment, version updates, and patches
• Providing remote support sessions to triage end-user issues
• Providing device compliance reporting
• Customized reporting and alerts for field sales and DSD reps, as supported by specific MDM/EMM platforms

Maintaining, optimizing, and updating your MDM solutions is a crucial, ongoing process to ensure your field sales or DSD organization benefit from your mobile service management system.

Do you have questions about the process? Contact DecisionPoint to help provide recommendations and get your enterprise through all phases of MDM selection, implementation, and management.