Mobile Device Management

Challenge

Mobile Device Management is a something that has now become integral to modern business operations. There is an expectation that employees will work remotely and that they will be able to travel between locations and still operate as though they were at their desk. This has put pressure on businesses to supply their employees and executives with mobile devices. These devices must come equipped with all of the necessary software for business to carry on as normal whenever and wherever.

Managing these devices is a major part of the role of modern system administrators for reasons of both efficiency and security. Devices must be tracked at all times, and always be up to date with the latest required software.

Approach

Recently we had a company approach us with this exact situation. They had recently deployed mobile devices across several locations and to a variety of different departments ranging from engineers to executive officers. The devices were purchased with a single goal; to improve the efficiency and connectivity of the company as a whole.

However, they had not accounted for how they would manage and track all of the different devices as they were spread across different departments and locations. Only a small number of employees were employed on a permanent contract and much of the work was done using short-term contractors who were brought in on specific projects to oversee their implementation.

Each department had their own specific software requirements and there would often be a multitude of projects being worked on at any one time. The problem that they faced then was how to ensure that all of the devices were kept up to date with the appropriate software whilst also keeping the devices secure and accounting for the circumstances under which a device might go missing and it would be necessary to locate it as soon as possible.

All fairly common challenges with mobile device management; but with a unique twist in that the devices were frequently rotated around between different departments and sites. This was where NetLicensing was able to help. Using NetLicensing the company was able to keep track of all of the devices and the corresponding contracts that designated the individuals to whom they were issued.

Results

In essence, the company were able to deploy NetLicensing to track the device by serial number, the individual it had been issued to and the location where they were based. This meant that at all times they had a comprehensive database of all the devices and locations which then meant that they could deploy all necessary software and updates, as well as monitor all the devices, all of the time.