Today, almost two-thirds of businesses (62 percent) allow their end users to bring their own devices (BYOD) and use them as their corporate desktops or mobile devices to access e-mail, applications and sensitive data within the organization, according to an independent joint survey conducted by ITIC and KnowBe4.com. But, 71 percent of businesses that allow BYOD have no specific policies in place to support BYOD deployment and ensure mobile security.
“Every firm regardless of size should conduct a risk assessment review and adopt strong security and management policies to deal with increasingly mobile BYOD deployments,” said ITIC Principal Analyst Laura DiDio.
Today, enterprises enabling BYOD programs require a combination of flexible mobile management options based on device ownership, role and security risk. One company, AirWatch (News - Alert), a global provider of mobile security and Mobile Device Management (MDM), has introduced standalone Mobile Application Management (MAM) and administrative flexibility mobile device ownership models, including BYOD. This AirWatch Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution delivers MDM, MAM, Mobile Content Management (MCM), Mobile Email Management (MEM) and BYOD management.
“BYOD flexibility is important to the enterprise because there are now multiple mobile management and deployment scenarios, based on the organizations needs,” Victor Cooper, global public relations manager at AirWatch, told TMCnet.
Organizations empower end-users through BYOD by allowing their associates to choose the device that they enjoy using the most, ultimately increasing productivity. With device choice, associates can be more efficient by using a device that is customized to their preferences.
“AirWatch has a proven track record of product innovation, but we’ve also led the market with transparent pricing, flexible deployment options and now a combination of options to meet the evolving trends for BYOD,” said John Marshall (News - Alert), president and CEO, AirWatch.
The company provides capabilities to ensure regulatory compliance, minimize internal risk and guarantee end-user satisfaction. It supports dedicated or shared devices with full management, personal devices with full management, and now, personal devices with standalone application management.
In addition, AirWatch has been offering the Secure Content Locker to distribute and share content, which features security and audit capabilities, and is integrated to the AirWatch MDM solution or as an independent module. By enabling BYOD, organizations empower end-users by providing access to VPN, Wi-Fi, e-mail, contacts, calendar, apps and content.
The app wrapping engine allows developers to add AirWatch security features to internal apps without writing additional source code. With injected code, developers don’t have to spend time coding for additional features. The wrapping engine allows for forced authentication, enforcement of passwords, compromised device detection, prevention of copy/paste from the app and disablement of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and camera.
Additionally, the AirWatch MAM solution allows IT administrators to manage apps across employee, corporate or shared devices in organizations. Additionally, the MAM solution gives developers options to manage apps by using security capabilities available through the Software Development Kit (SDK), which provides app management that can be controlled from the AirWatch console.
AirWatch ensures regulatory compliance and minimizes internal risk through mobile security with the MDM functions, including the AirWatch Compliance Engine, the AirWatch Secure Content Locker for content DLP and app wrapping for mobile application management.
“We provide end-user satisfaction and privacy by not intruding on the end-user experience, while still allowing the device to be used for personal and professional use,” said Cooper.
By building internal mobile apps and managing with MAM, AirWatch customers are providing flexibility to their associates. “Enterprises now have a variety of deployment scenarios, and AirWatch is the first enterprise mobility suite to offer commercial solutions that align with product requirements,” added Marshall.
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Edited by Allison Boccamazzo