The pandemic came as a rude shock for the world, not only for healthcare services but also for businesses. They were forced to send employees to work from home and the arrangement seems to be here for good, even as businesses reopen. Although most organizations have made the transition successfully, it has taken a lot of work for some. These are the ones that lacked the right infrastructure to make the sudden shift.
Since the immediate procurement of devices was the foremost challenge, these organizations had no choice other than the implementation of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. Essentially, it is all about allowing employees to use personal devices so that they can work from anywhere and in the current situation, ensures business continuity. As BYOD came, businesses also had to invest in mobile device management to align with the entry of mobile devices in the corporate ecosystem. Let us explain the reasons why businesses need to have them in place in the COVID era.
Device disparity
When organizations provide corporate devices to employees, they seldom have to struggle with device management because these devices are usually of the same make and run the same OS. But things are different when your workforce starts using personal devices for remote work. Your IT team may not be used to managing diverse devices that run on different operating systems. The fact that they have to handle them remotely can make things even tougher.
Mobile device management solutions are capable of handling both BYOD and corporate devices coming from different manufacturers and having disparate OS providers. As a result, you need not worry about burdening your IT team with extra workload or bringing in more experts in the team to deliver the skills related to disparate devices.
Data leakage
When business users access data with mobile devices from remote settings, there is a need to secure them for preventing access by unauthorized users and apps. With this, two different policy areas require attention. Firstly, you need to ensure security for corporate data, and secondly, user-privacy for employees’ personal data also has to be looked after. It is important because both corporate data and personal data coexist in the BYOD devices
The solution entails creating corporate containers in these devices so that they can maintain both data integrity and user privacy. It is possible by having a market-leading mobile device management solution in place. The solution can encrypt the corporate data while ensuring that employees’ personal data stays outside the corporate space, so they never mix.
Secured network access
As your workforce works remotely in the new normal, you will have to allow them to access business resources from anywhere and at any time. Unless they have access to the data and tools they require to stay productive, there could be issues with efficiency and continuity. However, this could result in myriad challenges from a security standpoint as your resources become vulnerable. There is a need to focus on strengthening the corporate network so that confidential data is accessible only through a secured channel.
It is possible by configuring a virtual private network (VPN) that establishes a secure connection for the employees to access confidential data safely. Mobile device management solutions take care of this aspect as well. It lets you establish VPN connections on devices automatically so that employees can access specific corporate apps without worrying about network security.
Lost or stolen devices
With a mobile workforce, there is always a risk of devices being stolen, misplaced or falling prey to cybercriminals. Retrieving these devices would be a top concern, but recovering the data present in them is even more critical. After all, you cannot bear the risk of data going into the wrong hands.
Mobile device management not only enables you to track the geographical location of the lost or stolen devices but also lets you remotely lock them and even selectively wipe the corporate data in them. Further, you can access lock screens and display customized messages along with contact information.
Right now, it is time to look for an MDM solution that you can rely on for securing your remote workforce and their devices. Not implementing it can put your data and networks at big risk and a compromise with them is the last thing you would want to happen in this stressful situation. The investment is bound to be worthwhile, considering that work from home is a long-term arrangement and you may continue availing its benefits even when your team returns to work.