Has mobility hit your workforce? Even if yours is not a mobile environment, chances are your employees are bringing their own devices to the office and using them to access work email, shared documents and other applications while outside of your network. When this happens, you could be at risk if you don’t have the right policies in place to govern use.
Beyond policies, however, you may also need to make an investment in technology to protect your users and your network. Mobile device management (MDM) solutions are a great place to start, but do you know what to look for when you’re comparing options? Fortunately, business VoIP providers like GetVoIP can help you narrow the list of viable options. In fact, GetVoIP recently posted a blog on the topic, offering five things you need to consider in the process.
1. The operating system – as you’ve probably noticed, not all operating systems are created equal. Plus, if you’ve embraced a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment, you likely have different users bringing in different phones. Your MDM solution needs to be able to support iOS, Android (News - Alert), Windows, BlackBerry and others if you want it to be fully effective.
2. Define the need – don’t start talking to business VoIP providers or others about MDM until you fully define what you want the solution to do. There are a number of different configurations and deployment options in MDM, a mix that can get confusing if you don’t do your homework ahead of time.
3. Go for balance – are you looking to control all activity, secure the use of the network or provide freedom for your employees? It may seem like all three cannot exist together, but the reality is you can select your MDM based on this desire. Determine the best approach for the optimal outcome and launch from there.
4. Go for future-proofing – while we can’t always see what the future will hold, we do plan for certain things when it comes to the operation of a business. For instance, you project revenues, manage costs, plan for growth, etc. Look for a MDM solution that will work for you now and in the years to come.
5. Ready for the cloud – are you ready to embrace the hosted platform? Do you have the expertise in-house to manage the selected MDM? This is a good time to talk to business VoIP providers to see how their offerings will support your next move to give you the outcomes you need.
Overall, business goals have to be top of mind when examining MDM solutions, but keeping these five points on your priority list will help you narrow the options to find the best choice.
Edited by Alisen Downey