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Demystifying Mobile Device Management – Part 1: What Does MDM Do?

In order to fully grasp what MDM actually does, it’s helpful to understand exactly what MDM is.

MDM Defined

  • Wikipedia defines it as: “Software which secures, monitors, manages and supports mobile devices deployed across mobile operators, service providers and enterprises. MDM functionality typically includes over-the-air distribution of applications, data and configuration settings for all types of mobile devices…”.
  • Gartner, in their IT Glossary, defines Mobile device management (MDM) includes software that provides the following functions: software distribution, policy management, inventory management, security management and service management for smartphones and media tablets.

Mobile device management allows administrators to oversee the function of wireless devices via software downloaded to the device Over The Air (OTA). This means that MDM providers have mobile devices secure their software over the air (OTA) from an application that is downloaded to the device.

The software then can add certain allowable softwares (like allow windows, don’t allow Facebook) and
then provides information about that device (NOTE: not about its billing nor about how best to allocate
or spend cost, but about the device itself: it is on, what is the battery life, security, etc.)

Basic MDM Functionality

Wikipedia states, “The ideal mobile device management tool:

  • Is compatible with common device operating platforms and applications.
  • Can function through multiple service providers.
  • Can be implemented directly Over the Air (OTA), targeting specific devices as necessary.
  • Can deploy next-generation hardware, operating platforms and applications quickly.
  • Can add or remove devices from the system as necessary to ensure optimum network efficiency and security.

Below are some of the functionalities of MDM:

  • Diagnostics
  • Remote Configuration and Provisioning
  • Security
  • Backup/Restore
  • Network Usage and Support
  • Server Deployment
  • Mobile Asset Tracking and Management
  • Remote Lock and Wipe
  • Device Provisioning
  • Software Installation
  • Troubleshooting and Diagnostic Tools
  • Policy Application
  • Logging and Reporting
  • Remote Control and Administration
  • GPS Tracking and ‘Breadcrumb’ Mapping

Criteria to Consider When Choosing MDM Providers

Gartner, in their most recent “Magic Quandrant” rating on MDM included the following criteria to select
their top MDM providers:

  • Support for enterprise-class (noncarrier), multiplatform support MDM: software or software as a service (SaaS), with an emphasis on mobility
  • Specific MDM product focus and feature set, or a primary focus on MDM in another product set (messaging or security)

    • Security management, with at least these features:

    • Enforced password
    • Device wipe
    • Remote lock
    • Audit trail/logging
    • “Jailbreak” detection
    • At least mobile OS 3 platforms supported
    • Policy/compliance management

    Software distribution, with at least these capabilities supported:

    • Application downloader
    • Application verification
    • Application update support
    • Application patch support

    Inventory management, with at least these capabilities supported:

  • External memory blocking
  • Configuration change history
  • Managing at least 25,000 mobile lines
  • Five referenceable accounts
  • At least $1 million in MDM-specific revenue

    • Given the large number of players in this market and the complexity of the products, we have chosen to restrict this analysis to a subset of vendors whose offerings get the most interest and highest level of inquiries from Gartner’s clients.

    SERVER AND CAPABILITIES

    What you get for your money – an important factor to consider.

    One major area of differentiation among MDM offerings is the technical approach to management. The industry is divided into 3 delivery modalities:

    • cloud services
    • on-premises
    • hosted

    While many products are on-premises, a growing number of cloud services offerings are starting to appeal to users because they are more economical. The option provides fewer up- front costs due to no purchases of software and allows more flexibility to scale up services with growing mobility adoption or needs. However, many providers do require both an activation fee, potential maintenance fee and set-up fees. Make sure you understand what you are paying and what it gets you and the organization!

    Gartner also adds the following about server vs client-side offerings:

    Server-side product or service offerings These offerings may have a small mobile agent running on the device, and/or call native APIs provided by the mobile OS platform (e.g., iOS 4), but do not have a complete mobile management client. They can enforce policies on the server side, but cannot control the device and mobile user behavior in depth. They are used in combination with native mobile support in corporate email servers (e.g., Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync [EAS] in Microsoft Exchange Server or Notes Traveler in Lotus Notes/Domino) to enforce complementary policies to those provided by the server. Thus, they can preserve the native email client experience on iPhones and iPads, which are favorite choices for users.

    Client-side offerings Management software is available for every relevant mobile OS platform (either stand-alone or blended with a proprietary email client). The management client can enforce strong IT control on the device (e.g., local data encryption, selective wipe and containerization). Actually, it replaces it, and it does not work with the device’s native email client, but requires its own client, which can only connect to a corporate email server. Good Technology’s approach prioritizes on IT control, limiting the user’s choice and experience with the email client.

    Potential MDM Providers

    The following vendors have been examined when reviewing the marketplace:
    AirWatch, BoxTone, Excitor, Fiberlink, FancyFon, Good Technology, Mobile Active Defense, McAfee, MobileIron,Sybase, Symantec, Tangoe and Zenprise. Vendors not included in this research are still valid options for consideration (see “Magic Quadrant for Mobile Device Management Software” for details), including: Capricode, Fixmo, IBELEM, Fromdistance, Motorola, Odyssey Software, Smith Micro Software, SOTI, The Institution and Ubitexx (acquired by RIM).

    While most vendors specialize in management for smartphones and tablets, a subset provides specific capabilities to manage fleets of ruggedized devices (on Windows CE or Windows Mobile), including SOTI, Odyssey Software and Motorola. We do not consider these vendors in a separate use case because specialized management tools for ruggedized devices generate limited Gartner client inquiries.

    You can find the entire Gartner study by clicking here.

    To Conclude

    First, take a look at PART II – MDM: What it is NOT (COMING SOON). This will help shed some light on what to expect and how YOU will really need to heavily interact with these programs and solutions to indeed see concrete results.

    Second, make sure you know and identify IT policies required to control deployments, manage risks and support users.

    Third, make sure you understand how to marry the product and your needs to make any of these products useful to your organization and that it will indeed produce RESULTS, not just more work for you at increased rates.

    Wranglin’ an RFP – Part 1 of 3

    8 Steps to Reduce Total Wireless Costs

    In this four-part blog series, we’ll be cover 8 steps that are crucial to making the most out of your RFP.

    A wireless RFP (request for proposal) to negotiate a new carrier agreement is a simple, yet very complex process.

    Sound confusing? It is much like baseball. A fairly simple game – hit the ball, run the bases, score more runs than the other team, and hopefully win. However, there are also many variable complexities. For instance, when to put in a lefty pitcher, what pitch to throw (curveball, slider, change-up), when to steal a base – you get the idea.

    That is a lot like the RFP process. Except instead of scoring runs, your ultimate goal is to get the lowest price for the best fit of services to your organization. The complexity: when and how to do it, how to interface with the carriers, what way to get the best industry standards for competitive advantages?

    [message type=”info”]RFP Defined: Documentation of detailed requirements by a customer in order to receive, negotiate and implement vendor offerings[/message]

    The goal here is to give a quick primer for any business organization who is beginning a wireless RFP implementation. We hate longwinded introductions as much as you do so let’s get started:

    STEP 1 – Determine organization wants and needs

    This can sometimes be one of the trickiest parts of an RFP renegotiation process: you want everything at the cheapest price. Well, that’s just usually not reality and therefore you need to be discerning about your non-negotiables versus your wants.

    This is a very customized and organization-specific decision, but here are some real world examples:

    1. Customer 1 didn’t care about individual liable discounts, but really wanted to get early termination fees (ETF) waived
    2. Customer 2 didn’t care about ETF fees, but wanted a much better discount and flat fee replacement equipment
    3. Customer 3 simply wanted free equipment and could live without a port-in credit

    Customer's wants for an RFP

    Each of these examples provides bargaining power and things that can be given up to align the real needs of the organization with the capabilities of the provider. Additionally, coverage often plays a key role in this decision as usually there is not one provider that can meet all the needs of every organization.

    STEP 2 – Be reasonable about what to expect

    We usually set the expectation that a well-done RFP will result in a 10-20% savings from what the organization is paying today. This is assuming the organization is already optimized and on competitive rate plans. If that is not the case, the savings are usually significantly greater.

    RFP Customer Data
    Click for full-size image

    Keep in mind some of this is difficult to quantify because there are many avoided costs in an RFP which actually never show up on a bill. For example, we have frequently negotiated a free or reduced cost for a text messaging plan. Because users did not have a text message plan before due to its expense, the organization can now add the feature free of charge and have the benefit of the productivity tool but not the cost. Here, the cost was avoided (getting a feature the organization is not paying for, therefore avoiding the cost in this case).

    Also, check out our blog post for more on what businesses should pay for wireless.

    Click here for Part 2 where we explain our exact strategies we use to get deep discounts and free stuff for our clients.

    Bill Police reports from Android Police: Exposing HTC Security Issue

    We have to love their name: the Android Police. They have discovered a problem with HTC phones where personal data can be exposed to any app that accesses the internet. (yikes!)
    HTC Evo Security Threat
    The devices affected are believed to be the EVO 3D, some Sensations and the upcoming Vigor.

    The Android Police state, “The vulnerability, discovered by the crew at Android Police, potentially exposes a broad range of private user data, including email addresses, GPS locations and phone numbers.

    The security hole appears to be a residual consequence of HTC’s latest update to the phones, which recently received a new logging tool and seems to be where the problem first showed up.”

    The problem occurs in any app that connects to the Internet, specifically ones that send out the android.permission.INTERNET. We understand this is SOP for most any app that uses the web. With the HTC security problem, apps that send out such a request may have access but not be limited to the following:

    • List of users accounts, email addresses and sync status for each address
    • Last recorded network and GPS location, and a short list of previous such locations
    • Phone numbers from the phone log
    • SMS data, including phone numbers and encoded texts
    • System logs (which may give access to additional personal data)

    The reported fix is to “root your phone and manually remove the “APK” file that logs all your actions. Unfortunately, rooting is a process that can be difficult for users who aren’t familiar with the process.” Because of the serious nature of this problem, it is believed that HTC will be releasing a fix patch soon, but in the meantime, be very careful of what apps are used or downloaded as this can expose your data.

    Here’s what we have gathered as quoted from HTC:

    • There’s a big security problem with its phones that lets third-party apps access your personal data.
    • However HTC has communicated that it is already dealing with the problem.
    • “There is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application.”
    • HTC says it’s working on a patch that will fix the problem, soon to be made available over the air after a short testing period. In the meantime, the company advises “caution when downloading, using, installing and updating applications from untrusted sources.”
    • HTC is at pains to make clear that the logging software it installed “does no harm to customers’ data”. “So far,” the statement continues, “we have not learned of any customers being affected in this way and would like to prevent it by making sure all customers are aware of this potential vulnerability.”

    Here is the HTC statement in full:

    “HTC takes claims related to the security of our products very seriously. In our ongoing investigation into this recent claim, we have concluded that while this HTC software itself does no harm to customers’ data, there is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application. A third party malware app exploiting this or any other vulnerability would potentially be acting in violation of civil and criminal laws. So far, we have not learned of any customers being affected in this way and would like to prevent it by making sure all customers are aware of this potential vulnerability.

    HTC is working very diligently to quickly release a security update that will resolve the issue on affected devices. Following a short testing period by our carrier partners, the patch will be sent over-the-air to customers, who will be notified to download and install it. We urge all users to install the update promptly. During this time, as always, we strongly urge customers to use caution when downloading, using, installing and updating applications from untrusted sources.”

    No release date has yet been announced by HTC but they are working on the patch and users will soon hear from them. Stay tuned…

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