Managing cell phones and tablets has become a huge issue for small businesses. Mobile devices issued to employees are difficult to keep track of and expose companies to a number of security and HR issues.

Large companies can afford to purchase expensive management software and dedicated staff to handle mobile hardware. Small companies obviously don’t have the same resources, which usually means they don’t manage the devices at all.

So what can you do?

If you’re a small business owner worried about managing all your company cell phones and tablets, Mobile Device Management (MDM) may be the right solution for you. Instead of making expensive investments in software and staff, you can pay a low monthly fee per device and access the same tools used by big corporations.

Security

Mobile devices are subject to all sorts of security issues, from mobile-specific viruses to employee misuse. MDM allows companies to configure security policies to protect devices from external attacks and prevent employees from engaging in activities that threaten corporate security.

MDM can be used to erase mobile devices if they’re reported stolen or a terminated employee fails to turn their device in. You can also enforce settings like password complexity and strong encryption. All this ensures that sensitive company information is protected.

Deployment

Preparing phones and tablets for employees can become an all-day task for IT staff when they have to configure each device manually. Using MDM allows each phone or tablet to be configured automatically. Software and settings can be deployed from the management software for both the initial configuration and for future changes.

Deploying a new app or new e-mail settings to all your employees’ cell phones can be as simple as a click of a button. Many companies see a complete return on investment just from the time saved by centralized deployment.

Inventory & monitoring

As your company grows, keeping track of devices gets more and more difficult. MDM allows you to track all your mobile devices from a central console so you always have an up-to-date inventory.

You can also use MDM to monitor cell and data usage, giving you a real-time view of your mobile costs. MDM reporting gives you data to compare against your mobile bill and discover areas for potential cost savings. You can even configure alerts to warn employees when they are using too many minutes or too much mobile data.

If you’d like to learn more about MDM and how it might help your business reign in control of mobile devices, give us a call.