Twelve Best Practices for Mobile Device Management

Your BlackBerry Enterprise Server is probably well entrenched, both operationally and economically. But it is not multi-platform, and a multi-platform solution is needed to support the variety of devices in your environment.

Consider these four emerging — and economically sound — best practices:

1. Adopt an MDM platform that can also manage PCs and Macs as well as mobile devices. The lines between laptops, tablets, and smartphones will continue to blur in both user functionality and IT operations. A versatile MDM solution will cut down on infrastructure costs, improve operational efficiency, and create a single user view into devices and data for operations and security.
2. Be sure your reporting and inventory tool consolidates both your existing BlackBerry and your multi-platform MDM solutions. You’ll rely on your data and reports daily, and you’ll want to avoid any manual processes to access your business intelligence on mobile devices.
3. Take a look at cloud-based MDM services. When you account for full Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), a LAN-oriented management solution can be costly. Why use a more expensive — and wired — solution to manage remote mobile devices?
4. Go the agent route with caution. If you can meet your needs with server-side management controls, all the better. You’ll find this is the better solution for the long haul, given the proliferation of hardware/OS/carrier combinations. If you opt for an agent-based solution, you’ll spend lots of time installing and maintaining it across the mobile landscape