As factors including BYOD and the consumerization of IT are forcing many businesses who didn’t once believe it was necessary to implement mobile device management to think again about the vitality of this solution, sometimes crucial areas such as security can be overlooked as the IT department within in a firm is overburdened trying to provision these devices for both business and personal use. Luckily, mobile device management has been developed specifically to overcome an array of security-related obstacles, helping to keep enterprise safe from all forms of attacks. Let’s take a look at six ways to improve your MDM strategy, shall we?

First, be sure to implement strong company-wide policies. Although you may be thinking “duh” in regards to this first tip, the scary thing is that some enterprise will integrate a policy into their business environment but not fully educate their workforce on what this means to them—including what they are allowed and barred from doing. Ensure your mobile policy is clear and concise and assists employees in truly comprehending what this means to the overall use of their selected device.

Second, establish a list of assets that is continuously updated. Using a robust inventory management system is an important element of any mobile device management system. “While many businesses do have an inventory of fixed and wireless assets, the majority of them are not updated and validated on a regular basis, leading to the potential for security issues to slip through the cracks via unknown devices or inappropriate usage. Businesses with accurate inventories have much clearer insight into their telecommunication environments and as such, more reliable information on which to base policy decisions,” a recent related article revealed.

Next, make sure that all devices are configured correctly. With tons of devices and operating systems currently on the market, a network can quickly slow down due to a large amount of traffic if these smartphones and tablets are not set up accordingly. Hence, it is vital to enroll each newly attained product into the mobile device management server, allowing IT to clearly define a configuration profile and keep settings as they should be.

Fourth, security, security ,security. In a time in history where even the biggest and most profitable companies aren’t safe from sneaky cyber criminals, data encryption has quickly become a mandate within corporations. It is touted as a set of mathematical calculations and algorithms that make regular text unreadable to individuals that have not been given prior permission to view it.

Fifth, application protocols must be regulated. The piece added, “Taking into consideration that there are thousands upon thousands of mobile applications out there, strong protocols need to be instituted for the deployment of any new applications and the management of existing applications. Malware is steadily creeping into the app world, so even applications from the app store need to be checked before they are allowed into the enterprise. Such malicious applications can take over the mobile device and operate in the background without the user knowing, searching for sensitive information such as passwords or banking details.”

Last but not least, training is needed to educate end-users on what is considered acceptable behavior and what isn’t. As new devices with bigger and better capabilities are introduced to the market faster than you can count to 10, it is essential to keep all employees updated on how to most efficiently set up e-mail, personalize their device, as well as understand device functions and shortcuts.

Employee mobility has become something every business needs to better compete against others in its respective industry, and with mobile device management, mobility can occur without IT wanting to pull their hair out.