Seven Principles for Successful Mobile Device Management

Filed in archive Mobile on December 12, 2009

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The following is a contributed article by Mark Gentile, founder, president and CEO of Odyssey Software:

Device management is a critical factor in the value mobile systems provide, because on average support costs account for 27 percent of the total cost of ownership for enterprise mobile devices -- twice as much as the cost of purchasing the devices themselves. My company has worked with enterprises that use mobile devices for many work processes in a variety of industries, and we offer the following principles for mobile device management.

1. Leverage Existing Investments

Many organizations lock unnecessary costs and complexity into their infrastructure by choosing mobile device management systems that require their own console and server. By integrating a mobile device management extension directly into the existing management platform  an organization can take advantage of the inherent scalability of their enterprise systems, fully leverage their infrastructure and training investments, and keeps new potential points of failure out of the system.

2. Don't Compromise on Features

MDM offerings that support multiple mobile operating systems tend not to provide enough depth for any single OS to be managed comprehensively.  First, determine which features are critical for mobile workers and the Help Desk staff that support them. Then you can evaluate only the solutions that have the required functionality, without becoming distracted by features that are interesting, but not important.

3. Stress Your Options

After a spec sheet review many systems may seem similar, so it will be up to lab and pilot testing to uncover the meaningful differences in ease of use, scalability, the end user experience, consistency, and integration with enterprise systems.

4. Identify What You Don't Know

Many MDM tools offer similar functions, so research is crucial for identifying important differentiators. Important differences to consider include how shared files and subsystems on the device are handled, degree of Web services support, how corrupt applications are detected and fixed, how to update programs that are running, control over configuration drift, the ability to function when wireless connectivity is unavailable and whether the architecture is extensible.

5. Time, Money and People Matter

Features that save time and optimize labor during deployments and day-to-day use are critical to a successful MDM implementation. These features include the ability to control devices remotely and complete tasks without end user interaction, automated scheduling, and the ability to leverage existing software and skills.

6. Securely Managing Devices is Key

MDM solutions can enhance security by enabling organizations to proactively restrict access to data and communications and remove sensitive data from a mobile device.

7. All MDM Products are Not Created Equal

Organizations should be able to leverage their investment and migrate their mobile systems without having to continually add servers or replace their equipment. The foundation principle for effective mobile device management is to understand your current needs and develop a forward-looking plan that outlines scenarios for your solution to stand up to in the future.

Mark Gentile is founder, president and CEO of Odyssey Software Inc, a pioneer in the mobile enterprise software market. He has led the design, development, and implementation of mobile enterprise solutions for many Fortune 500 companies across North America. Odyssey Software is the creator of Athena, the industry's premier enterprise-class mobile device management product for Windows Mobile and the Windows CE operating system. For more information visit: www.odysseysoftware.com.