Enterprise mobility management (EMM) is the set of people, processes and technology focused on managing
mobile device
A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physica ...
s,
wireless network
A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes.
Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and business installations avoid the costly process of introducing ...
s, and other
mobile computing services in a business context. As more workers have bought
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
and
tablet computing devices and have sought support for using these devices in the workplace, EMM has become increasingly significant.
The goal of EMM is to determine if and how available mobile
IT should be integrated with work processes and objectives, and how to support workers when they are using these devices in the workplace.
Business use of consumer mobile technology
A 2012 study showed that about two-thirds of smartphone owners used their personal devices for enterprise-related activities.
Supporting a wide variety of device types and operating systems can introduce security risks and added costs for businesses.
A 2011 survey showed that three quarters of U.K. and U.S.
CIOs surveyed considered mobile technology to be a significant security problem, although consumers were generally less concerned.
Security
Because mobile devices are easily lost or stolen, data on those devices is vulnerable. Enterprise mobility management is a set of systems intended to prevent unauthorized access to enterprise applications and/or corporate data on mobile devices. These can include password protection, encryption and/or remote wipe technology, which allows an administrator to delete all data from a misplaced device. With many systems, security policies can be centrally managed and enforced. Such device management systems are programmed to support and cooperate with the
application programming interfaces
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
(APIs) from various device makers to increase security compliance.
The data transfer between mobile device and the enterprise should always be encrypted, for example through a
VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. The be ...
tunnel or over
HTTPS
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It is used for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet. In HTTPS, the communication protocol is enc ...
.
Mobile devices in companies with "
bring your own device
Bring your own device (BYOD )—also called bring your own technology (BYOT), bring your own phone (BYOP), and bring your own personal computer (BYOPC)—refers to being allowed to use one's personally owned device, rather than being required to u ...
" (BYOD) policies are often used both personally and professionally. In these cases, corporate IT has less control over whether
malware is on the device and what damage may be caused to corporate data. Apart from careful user behavior -
data storage on the mobile device should be limited and centrally organized.
The diversity of Android devices appeals to consumer buyers, but is a source of anxiety for IT security experts.
OpenSignal
Opensignal is an independent analytics company specialising in "quantifying the mobile-network experience".
In August 2014, Opensignal raised a $4 million Series A investment from Qualcomm Ventures, OATV and Passion Capital.
Products and servic ...
, a UK-based mobile company, recently published a survey of almost 700,000 devices and reported approximately 12,000 distinct Android devices using eight different versions of the Google operating system. For many IT organizations charting out their BYOD strategy, this translates into security risks that are tough to monitor and control.
[{{Cite news, url=http://www.citizentekk.com/byod-mobility/, title=The Missing IT Puzzle Piece for BYOD Mobility, date=2013-09-18, newspaper=CitizenTekk, language=en-US, access-date=2016-10-10]
See also
*
List of Mobile Device Management Software
*
Mobile business intelligence Mobile Business Intelligence (Mobile BI or Mobile Intelligence) is defined as “Mobile BI is a system comprising both technical and organizational elements that present historical and/or real-time information to its users for analysis on mobile dev ...
*
Mobile security
Mobile security, or mobile device security, is the protection of smartphones, tablets, and laptops from threats associated with wireless computing. It has become increasingly important in mobile computing. The security of personal and business ...
*
Mobile device management
*
Mobile application management
*
Bring your own device
Bring your own device (BYOD )—also called bring your own technology (BYOT), bring your own phone (BYOP), and bring your own personal computer (BYOPC)—refers to being allowed to use one's personally owned device, rather than being required to u ...
*
Unified Endpoint Management
Notes
References
* Enterprise Mobility Strategies, ACS, May 2009.
* O'Sullivan, Cian, More Smartphones in the Enterprise Means More Security Risk (link dead), GoMo News, June 2011.
Mobile technology