Modern smartphones have brought a sea change in the entire communication process. These advanced devices have established greater connectivity and streamlined productivity. But they also pose a few challenges as well, especially on how enterprises can manage remote devices.
Thus, it has given birth to the concept of Mobile Device Management (MDM).
What is MDM? 
Mobile Device Management or MDM is a security-based software employed by IT companies for managing, monitoring, and securing the employee’s smartphone data, which usually operates on various platforms.
Mobile Device Management combines additional security, tools, and services including Mobile Application Management. It further helps to create an Enterprise Mobility solution.
According to the report, the market value of Mobile Device Management is expected to increase by up to $7.86 billion by 2023.
Enterprise Mobility Solutions
Enterprise mobility is a popular term in the mobile app development industry today. It is a type of work culture or approach, which allows employees to do their task from any place or location using different devices and applications.
The devices can include anything ranging from smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. We can explain this concept with the help of an example.
Suppose, you have uploaded a presentation from your laptop to cloud storage. Now, anyone in your team or department can access this presentation from their devices to present it to the client.
Isn’t that interesting?
Enterprise Mobility Services has gained momentum assisting in generating more revenue and research work. Market revenue will stay around $240 billion by 2020.
Enterprise Mobility Solutions has also introduced two different terms. At present, enterprises are taking approaches for the integration of smartphones with business processes. These include-
- BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
- Company-Issued Smartphones
BYOD
The concept of BYOD isn’t new. Business organizations, varying in size from large to medium, and small enterprises have started using BYOD. The introduction of BYOD has been a boon for the companies as it has helped them to increase their productivity, and hire specialist freelancers to carry out a project.
However, if we talk about company-issued smartphones have evolved as a new alternative to a situation where more and more employees are refusing to install MDM software on their smartphones. They are apprehended over the fact that their personal information and data will get hacked.
In this blog, we will compare the two approaches on various fronts and see which proves a better choice for your organization.
Security
Business organizations have access to various personal and confidential data. So, their primary concern is security, whether it is BYOD or company-issued devices.
The companies should have control over the information that they allow their employees to access through devices. They should delete the data if it gets leaked out They also need to make sure that the information is not sent via any personal email account.
In the case of company-issued devices, security is relatively easier. You can lock the device with the help of the MDM solution or delete data if a device is lost. In fact, you can also lock in some other functions such as the use of social media.
You will find the security more complex in BYOD. The main reason is that the device is being used for both professional and personal work. Also, the employee has to choose his own MDM solution.
Enterprises have to consider the level of confidentiality depending on the type of their operations. For example, BYOD will be a better option for trade retailers, whereas companies like chip manufacturers can go with company-issued devices.
Cost
Almost every business organization likes to operate on a cost-efficiency note. They don’t want to pay for services, they aren’t using.
If we make a comparison in terms of cost and time, BYOD is a clear winner. It allows an organization to save around $3,217 on every device. Also, the fact that the employer does have to compensate employees to use their own devices. However, you have to consider the security-based threats at the same time. This is one area where you have to invest some additional money as you cannot compromise security.
On the other hand, you have to bear more upfront costs if you are opting for company-issued smartphones. However, the advantage here is that you have full control over the devices and more robust security. In addition, if you order these devices in bulk, you may get attractive discount offers as well.
Privacy of the Employee
There are various privacy issues in BYOD devices such as if the employer can access the private data of the employees. Well, most organizations have no interest in looking at their employee’s private life, you still have to consider a few points when choosing their MDM solution.
For example, you have to take into account the litigation factor where the employee’s device will come into scrutiny if there is any legal investigation on the company.
The companies can even keep a track record of their employees when they are not working or locate their area through GPS.
The company-issued devices, on the other hand, already have strong in-built security software and more control over MDM solutions. The question of Not-safe-for-work (NSFW) is not applicable in this case.
Conclusion
We can certainly say that both BYOD and company-issued smartphones are going to stay in the near future. Both these concepts will make your workforce smarter and enhance their efficiency. Also, both have their pros and cons and so you need to choose one that suits your requirements.
Author Bio
Bharat Patel, who heads the digital marketing team at BrainvireInfotech, is armed with over 12 years of experience in the fields of online marketing and project management. He is extremely proactive in implementing the latest technological innovations in his projects. Bharat’s core expertise lies in search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and conversion rate optimization, among other things. His immense flare of writing encourages him to consistently pen down words revolving around current trends and innovations that relate to his fields of interest.