Mobile device management (MDM) software gives small business owners better control over an increasingly mobile workforce. We look at four affordable options.
Many small businesses are pushing aside desktop computers and phones in favor of the portable productivity that smartphones, tablets, and laptops provide. But keeping track of all those mobile devices is critical to keeping the business’s network and data secure. Even one lost cell phone could expose sensitive customer or financial information.
Mobile device management (MDM) software helps small business owners solve that problem and to secure mobility. It lets you control which devices can connect to the network and how your employees access data, applications, and other functionality.
This article provides a brief overview of four mobile device management software platforms for small business.
AirWatch mobile device management software supports all mobile device platforms and can manage laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It gives small businesses the capability to manage company-owned phones and computers, plus the personal devices that employees use for work.
An administrator can enroll new devices, but the mobile device management platform also lets users self-enroll, which makes the onboarding process extremely fast. Over-the-air functionality includes pushing configurations and updates to mobile devices, and you can also lock or wipe data on any registered device. That’s a handy feature if you have employees working in remote locations or that spend a lot of time on the road.
The AirWatch dashboard quickly provides an overview of every device in the system to help you stay on top of your company’s mobile landscape. If the mobile device management software identifies a threat, such as unauthorized users or devices that may have been compromised, it sends a real-time alert. Administrators can access the web-based management console from any browser-enabled device.
Start off with the free 30-day trial. If you decide to stay with the mobile device management platform, you can transition the trial straight into production—no need to upload and configure everything a second time. Pricing for Airwatch’s entry-level Green Management Suite plan starts at $8.58 per person, per month and includes three devices. Per-device pricing costs $4.33.
You can simultaneously enroll multiple devices into the Mobile Device Manager Plus, or employees may enroll their own devices. Onboarding is a breeze no matter which option you choose. Administrators also have the option to use distinct policies to identify which hardware belongs to the business and which are employees’ personal devices.
This mobile device management software supports iOS, Android, and Windows devices. The MDM Plus dashboard gives a quick view and provides easy management of your mobile ecosystem—including the applications and restrictions in place on each device.
The mobile device management platform lets you black- or white-list apps for even tighter control. If someone jailbreaks a device, the system alerts administrators to resolve the problem. Business owners can even find wayward devices with geo-location tracking.
MDM Plus offers a free trial, and the mobile device management platform supports up to 25 devices at no cost. Larger installations start at $99 per month for the cloud-based solution. Contact the company if you’re interested in pricing for an on-premises version.
Codeproof offers a fast process for onboarding employees’ mobile devices. The cloud-based mobile device management platform eliminates any lag between the time you enroll a new device and when it appears on the management console—new devices pop up in the administrator window almost immediately.
The tabbed dashboard offers quick access to every component of the mobile device management software, from tracking on-device antivirus installations to reviewing policies and application restrictions. Building new profiles is also straightforward, with options to inherit policies and other attributes based on parent and child groups for even easier management.
Access the easy-to-use reporting feature for extensive insight into authorized individuals, devices, and apps within the mobile device management system. Download reports in PDF format for easy sharing with managers or other people who may need to review them.
Small businesses can get started with for $3.99 per device-per month or $29.99 per device per year. Codeproof offers a free-trial if you want to give the platform a test drive.
Do you run an Apple-only small business? Then consider SimpleMDM for your mobile device management platform. It integrates with Apple’s existing functionality—including the Device Enrollment Program and Configurator platforms—to simplify onboarding both company-owned mobile devices and employee-owned equipment.
Manage and push applications out to devices—even wipe, lock, and unlock them—all remotely. Administrators can also configure web content filters or disable applications and features on a per-device basis. You can also automatically quarantine non-compliant devices to help protect the rest of the network.
SimpleMDM’s configuration options include a wide range of popular platforms, making administration simple. You can monitor enrolled devices through the platform for a quick way to view serial numbers and storage capacity. View device locations on a map in case a device is lost or stolen.
SimpleMDM doesn’t cost a thing for up to five mobile devices. After that, it costs $2 per device per month.
Julie Knudson is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in technology
magazines including BizTech, Processor, and For The Record. She has
covered technology issues for publications in other industries, from food service to
insurance, and she also writes a recurring column in Integrated Systems Contractormagazine.
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