Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones are now part of everyday life in many companies. Their use brings indispensable benefits, but is also associated with security risks. Against this backdrop, the topic of mobile device management (MDM) is becoming increasingly important. Find out everything you need to know about MDM in this blog post.

What is mobile device management?

Over the past ten years, mobile devices have become an essential part of the working culture in most companies. Smartphones, tablets and laptops are used for a variety of tasks. The increasing prevalence of remote working in particular means that devices are essential to ensure the necessary level of productivity and efficiency. According to Statista, around 60% of all employees in German companies used devices with an internet connection for business purposes in 2022.

However, as mobile devices in companies access important business data, their use is associated with security risks. After all, the devices can be hacked, stolen or lost. Data theft can be the result, and identity theft, blackmail attempts and loss of trust can damage companies in the long term. Under these circumstances, a new area of responsibility has emerged for IT security managers: Mobile Device Management (MDM). This involves providing and managing mobile devices for the respective company environment and ensuring the necessary level of security.

With a sophisticated MDM platform, IT and security departments can manage all of a company's mobile devices, regardless of their type or operating system. An effective MDM platform helps to ensure that all mobile devices are integrated into a security concept without restricting the flexibility and productivity of users.

What does mobile device management do?

MDM stands for the use of software solutions and associated processes for the efficient and secure provision of mobile devices in an organisation. MDM solutions use a variety of functions to help manage the device fleet and protect the applications, data and content on the devices. To do this, mobile devices are connected to an MDM solution via an application running on the device. IT administrators use MDM tools to manage and enforce security policies for all connected devices.

Functions of an MDM

Depending on the tool and deployment scenario, mobile device management covers a wide range of functions, all of which are aimed at making the management and provision of mobile devices in the company more efficient and secure.

The most important functions include

Device tracking: Every device that is registered or issued in a company can be tracked via GPS tracking, for example. Appropriate software enables a company's IT department to monitor devices in real time, update them remotely, rectify faults or block them in the event of theft or loss. Non-compliant devices that represent a potential security risk can also be recognised.

Mobile device management: Mobile device management enables the IT department to provide ongoing management and support for mobile devices in addition to procuring them. This ensures, for example, that operating systems are kept up to date and that security and data protection guidelines are adhered to in connection with installed software.

Identity and access management (IAM): Secure MDM inevitably goes hand in hand with strong identity and access management (IAM). IAM enables the management of user identities associated with a device. Each user's access within an organisation is fully controllable using features such as single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication and role-based access.

Endpoint security: Endpoint security encompasses all devices that access a corporate network, including wearables or IoT sensors. Endpoint security includes network security tools such as antivirus software and network access control as well as incident response, URL filtering and cloud security.