Let’s say you have multiple drivers who need to deliver groceries across the city of New York, driving through intersections and exploring unknown alleys. Assigning all the routes would indeed be a tough task, since not all drivers will have the same level of familiarity with the roads of New York, nor will they face similar traffic situations on their way. If one driver has a delivery delay and there’s consequent customer dissatisfaction, it will not be good for your business. This is why you need Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) software.
It’ll enable your logistics company to sort out the routing task and keep track of your drivers’ whereabouts. It even enables you to suggest ways out if they face any problems. According to a report, the average return on investment (ROI) from EMM solutions is between 20% and 30%, while 52% of businesses experience improvements in mobile workforce effectiveness.
What Is EMM?
Simply put, EMM is a technology that focuses on managing and integrating cell phones, wireless networks, and other mobile computing services in the context of enterprises. It also addresses real-time risks and security concerns of corporate data.
How Does the Software Work?
Mobile devices have become a norm and so companies inevitably allow employees to do official tasks on their personal devices. This means that employees often access sensitive company data from outside the office, posing a data security concern for most enterprises. While this makes company secrets and data vulnerable, the IT departments of the respective firms also have a tough time dealing with a plethora of devices with a variety of operating systems, data protection, app management, threat management, separation of personal and work data, visibility, and control.
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An EMM system plays the role of a single platform that allows enterprises to monitor, control, and restrict if required, the functioning of each device. It also helps integrate the devices with the company’s central network. Moreover, since people tend to lose cell phones easily, EMMs also enable the IT department to remotely lock or wipe a device of any corporate data as well as block access or restrict usage of company apps on the lost device to secure sensitive data from being stolen or lost.
Logistics businesses would go bonkers had there been no mobility managers available. The EMM software installed on both the company networks and the drivers’ cell phones can consist of:
- Interactive maps that navigate drivers to the delivery locations via the fastest routes
- Tracking system tools that help the authorities monitor individual trucks throughout the journey from the downtown area to the suburbs and when or where company data is being accessed by personal devices
- Communication tools to keep the central network connected with the drivers and guide them during troubles or detour occasions
- Remote operation tools that enable authorities to encrypt conversations, restrict data access by personal apps and wipe out company data from missing cell phones
Through this entire process, while the truck drivers are saved from unnecessary confusions and commotions, their employers are relieved from worrying too! EMM software thus enables the employer to let the employees use their personal devices with varied mobile apps and deal with company data securely. This is particularly helpful for organizations that deploy the Internet of Things (IoT) and follow a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy as it allows them to manage a range of device types smoothly.
Know Your EMM Solution
EMM consists of the following components:
- Mobile Device Management (MDM)
- Mobile Application Management (MAM)
- Mobile Content Management (MCM)
- Identity & Access Management (IAM).
Of these, MDM is the base of any EMM suite that connects the agent app installed on the endpoint device with the server software, operating from a corporate data center or cloud. This empowers the server’s management console to set company policies and configure settings through integration with application program interfaces (APIs) built into the mobile operating systems.
MAM enables admins to deal with specific apps, instead of the entire device. It also controls and sets policies for them. MCM governs how the apps on personal devices access or publish corporate data, while IAM concentrates on data access by workers, identifying the users and functioning of corporate apps on personal devices, and provides user-friendly features like single-sign.
The Evolution Saga
Starting with just the MDM features, EMM has come a long way since its inception. With Microsoft weaving MDM APIs into Windows 10, the EMM software is now capable of controlling PCs too, in addition to smartphones and tablets. Apple has followed suit with its MacBook and iMac.
These days, the number of organizations using this management tool is growing at an increasing rate. Many companies have incorporated enterprise app stores and self-service portals in their software usage to ensure the installation and deployment of corporate apps on employee devices. Catering to this escalating demand, many EMM vendors are now providing EMM software to organizations with MAM and MCM incorporated into their MDM products. Most EMM vendors have also rebranded and are now evolving into Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) that allows the company IT to manage all the employee PCs and cell phones through a single console. Consequently, the EMM market has also shifted from MDM to UEM and changed in the ranking of EMM service providers.
Industry analysts like Gartner have named VMware, MobileIron, IBM, and BlackBerry as top leaders in its 2017 Magic Quadrant, based on completeness of vision and its execution. This list was changed in 2019 with it being ordered as VMware, IBM, Microsoft, Citrix, MobileIron, and BlackBerry. Research firm IDC ranked VMware, MobileIron, BlackBerry, IBM, and Citrix as top providers based on their capabilities and strategies.
Future of EMM
The current workforce is increasingly relying on flexible working hours and locations and so also on anytime access to corporate data, alongside a growing dependence on personal and enterprise mobile devices. Industry experts believe this will keep influencing the market for EMM which will continue to grow consistently, with evolving features based on changing needs.
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