With many small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) providing smartphones and devices to their staff, and more than 75 percent of all business phones shipped in 2019 running the Android (News - Alert) operating system, Android device management can be an arduous task for SMBs. Many struggle managing their devices in bulk, managing and updating devices remotely, and of course, doing all of this in a cost - and time - effective way.
This struggle is layered with many users failing to update their device operating systems. In fact, A study found that 14 percent of users never update their operating systems, and as much as 42 percent only update when it’s convenient to them, despite updates addressing potentially significant security risks, which can involve data and privacy breaches.
So, how can an SMB effectively overcome these device management issues?
The answer lies in Mobile Device Management. Mobile device management (MDM) allows businesses to control, secure, and enforce policies on devices. The problem is, most MDM platforms are developed for businesses that operate at a larger scale, and are priced as such.
In short, the complexity and cost of most MDM platforms overshadow any potential benefits for SMBs.
“Our research has shown that small and medium businesses cringe at expensive enterprise mobile device management solutions that offer far too many valueless features.” says Anson Shiong, CEO of Sand Studio, the developer of MDM platform, AirDroid Business. “The fact is, many SMBs don’t require the same features as large enterprises. So it’s important that before committing to an MDM platform, SMBs research and educate themselves on what features they require.”
“Factors SMBs need to consider include the devices they use, whether they require remote access and monitoring capabilities, whether they require the ability to transfer files or manage apps - or whether they require surveillance capabilities.” Says Shiong.
AirDroid Businessgives SMBs the functionality of an MDM with features they actually need. The platform allows businesses to be in complete control of their Android devices across multiple locations, enabling administrators to manage, perform maintenance and monitor remote devices.
“This control enables users to minimize the maintenance costs associated with having multiple devices in remote locations - whether it’s through ensuring important software updates are installed in a timely manner, to monitoring employee activity, work status and working processes.” Says Shiong.
The ability to monitor employee activity is especially important, with more and more businesses utilizing remote workers - 3.9 million US employees, or 2.9 percent of the total workforce working from a location other than a businesses’ headquarters, and that number is growing. Using AirDroid Business, users are able to ensure remote teams are focused and on track to deliver important projects, in turn boosting productivity.
“Efficiency is also a focus with AirDroid Business,” says Shiong, “Many businesses with devices across remote locations experience issues when they try to simultaneously transfer files in bulk to all devices. Usually, it’s a monotonous task that costs smaller businesses valuable time when files must be sent manually to each remote device. We created the bulk file transfer functionality in AirDroid Business to combat this and save time for our users.”
The platform also offers surveillance and control capabilities to deliver enhanced security and monitoring for businesses that have unattended devices including kiosks, digital signage or vending machines. Cameras on these devices are able to be viewed remotely, helping users assess any potential damage or risks to assets without having to send out an engineer, and maintenance or upgrades to software can be deployed through the platform.
“This is all done through a vibrant and easy-to-use interface with a multi-role design,” says Shiong, “roles are assigned to employees and have three tiers for greater security and control: administrators, who have complete control, team members, who are able to manage assigned remote devices, and viewers, who can access assigned devices in a specific timeframe.”
