In 2012, Gartner predicted that two-thirds of companies would be using mobile device management
(MDM) by 2017. At its core, it is the process where IT administrators configure policies to optimize the
security and functionality of mobile devices within their organization. This is achieved through the MDM
server’s management console. The policies are then pushed over the cloud to each agent, on each
mobile device. In this article, we’ll review some of the features and benefits of MDM and then compare
Office 365 to Microsoft Intune.
Is your Office 365 instance safe? Click here to learn more about Office Protect and how it can help
secure your data from hackers.
Key features
Today’s products support a variety of mobile devices, including smart phones, tablets, and even laptops.
Features are controlled through APIs. Generally, the solutions offer the following key features:
Remote data wiping
Password enforcement
Data encryption enforcement
Device tracking
Device inventory
App distribution
Why successful companies embrace MDM
For starters, it’s important to keep track of your assets no matter what business you’re in. By utilizing
these solutions, organizations can always have up-to-date information on every device, from any
location. Second, mobility comes with its own inherent risks—devices can get lost or connect to
unsecured networks, potentially exposing your company’s confidential data. As a result, many
companies today are investing in MDM solutions to ensure device encryption.
There’s also the fact that it frees the burden of responsibility from the end user by systematizing device
management. MDM also improves productivity by allowing employees to simply focus on their work
without worrying about getting approval from supervisors or checking whether they’re abiding by
organization protocols. With an MDM solution, you can easily comply with any industry, financial, and
government regulations without any issues.
On top of all this, MDM caters to a growing mobile workforce. You can still easily collaborate with your
remote colleagues—but with the right mobile device policies and software solutions in place. With the
popularity of mobile devices and the growth of remote employment, many companies today are making
MDM a trending priority.
What to look for in a solution
Once you see the value of implementing an MDM solution, the next step involves determining what
types of features make the most sense for your business. While there are many options, an MDM
solution will only be beneficial if it aligns with your mobile security goals.
As such, you must thoughtfully evaluate a platform to see if it is the relevant choice for your company’s
policies. For instance, what happens to cached data when an employee is terminated? How are business
and personal data separated? Note that policies must be first put in place by your organization before
you can even begin considering a solution. Here are some essential features to look for as you explore
solutions:
Cloud support
24/7 monitoring
Geofencing
Passcode enforcement
Remote monitoring
Remote configuration
Functionality restoration
Jailbreaking alerts
Scalability
Compliance reporting
Implement an MDM the right way
When it comes to data breaches and thefts, it’s crucial to balance security and convenience. This starts
with understanding the scope of all devices that may have access to, or store, sensitive data. With an
MDM solution, devices can be instantly wiped if they are lost or stolen.
In this regard, it is imperative to consider what your company wants. Don’t give users access to every
capability just because you can. Think of who needs access to what and how. Only offer specific
capabilities to users who need them to successfully perform their duties.
Then, determine how many devices, apps, and users there are throughout your company. With this key
information, you can make more prudent decisions.
Next is selecting the right platform for your company. After that, it’s important to continue investing in
reliable IT support—you won’t be able to face mobile usage challenges without it.
Explore the legal side
When implementing MDM, you also need to ensure that the solution you’re considering will help you
abide by local, state, and federal laws. In many cases, there are no laws that outline the difference
between personal information and business data. And lawmakers are still trying to evaluate the legal
implications of BYOD and MDM. However, it’s worth noting that the GDPR regulations issue stringent
fines to any company that experiences a data breach and has EU residents as customers. This is also
something to keep in mind when designing your policy.
There are also gray areas in highly regulated industries such as finance and health care, where federal
and state laws have been implemented to define what types of data employees can manage and how
they access those data. These laws do not explicitly state the types of information companies are not
allowed to manage or control.
When drafting your MDM policy, you should consult an experienced technology expert or lawyer to
avoid running into issues down the road, such as an employee suing you for invasion of privacy. It’s also
a good idea to inform your employees of your policies when you hire them.
MDM for Office 365 vs Microsoft Intune
In 2015, Microsoft embedded Intune’s MDM capabilities into Office 365. This was part of Microsoft’s
announcement post:
You can now activate and use both MDM for Office 365 and Intune concurrently on your tenant and set
the management authority to either Intune or MDM for Office 365 for each user to dictate which service
will be used to manage their mobile devices.
Users’ management authority is defined based on the license assigned to the user. If the user is assigned
with the EMS or Intune license, Intune will manage user’s devices and apps. If the user is assigned with
the Office 365 license (without the EMS or Intune license), then MDM for Office 365 will manage user’s
devices. Stay tuned for a detailed blog post on this topic in the coming weeks.
This was great news for clients who already used MDM for Office 365, which is included with an Office
365 subscription. Since Microsoft Intune coexists with MDM for Office 365, you can assign a set of end
users for Intune and a set of end users for MDM for Office 365. But there are a few differences.
MDM for Office 365
With this Microsoft MDM option, you have several native MDM capabilities from Exchange ActiveSync
(EAS) that let you:
Manage all mobile devices connected to Exchange Online
Remotely wipe emails from any device
Enforce passcode requirements
Prevent access to emails and documents in alignment with company policies
Report devices that do not subscribe to the policy
Access reports on jailbreaking
Plus, MDM for Office 365 utilizes Intune to help deliver these features.
Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune is a PC and cloud mobile management platform. Intune lets you:
Implement full MDM beyond Office 365
Manage and enroll corporate-owned devices, including traditional PCs
Manage Linux and UNIX servers
Use Mobile Application Management to protect customer-built business apps
Use Office Mobile to protect access to corporate data
Provide additional security for web browsing
Here’s a table summarizing Microsoft’s two offerings:
For most SMBs, MDM for Office 365 should be enough. Where Microsoft Intune shines is in its ability to
push profiles for Wi-Fi, VPN, and more. Moreover, Microsoft Intune can deploy apps and line-of-
business apps in stores to users. It also offers more secure web browsing through the Intune Managed
Browser app. In the end, which platform you pick depends on your company’s specific needs and
objectives.n
