Get the Skinny on Mobile Device Management

More than 230 million people in the U.S. (over the age of 13) use a mobile device. Of that figure, a growing number of businesses are allowing their employees to Byod (bring your own device) for work related endeavors (74 percent of companies, according to a recent survey). The question now, however, is what about MDM (mobile device management) software and security?

The IT professional of today does a heck of a lot more than clearing printer jams. In fact, IT pros are at the pinnacle of importance when it comes to information security, which should be such a top priority for any business. Surprisingly, though, a resoundingly low number of companies (nine percent) have employed mobile device management such as iPhone management and iphone security policies. Which side is your business on?

Business use of smartphones is expected to reach 62 percent by 2014. In addition, one in five iPad consumers say they use their device for business purposes. As such, there is a very urgent and growing need for mobile device management in order to secure company data, manage passwords, and restrict access in the event of a mobile device mishap.

Preemptive security measures, like iPhone management, enable IT managers to control and protect employee applications on iOS devices. For example, one type of iPhone management software can help an IT department integrate email encryption, erase all data on a device if the device is lost, stolen, or compromised, and enable a passcode lock (which every smartphone user should do anyway) or autowipe the device in the event of too many failed unlock attempts.

And because IT threats are constantly changing, iPhone management security also gives IT professionals the control to very easily distribute updated security policies on an ongoing, consistent basis. This not only reduces security risks, but by controlling the configuration on an employee device, it reduces supports costs, too.