Whitepaper

Written by Info-Tech Research Group

MOBILITY IN THE CLOUD

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Contents Introduction to Mobile Device Management ............................................................................... 3

The Challenge for SMBs ............................................................................................................ 3

MDM Adoption Rates, Benefits and Functionality ....................................................................... 4

The Top Concerns of a BYOD Implementation .......................................................................... 7

The Benefits of Implementing MDM in the Cloud ....................................................................... 8

Best Practices in MDM ............................................................................................................... 9

Key Considerations when Selecting a Solution .........................................................................10

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................12

About SAP ................................................................................................................................13

About Info-Tech ........................................................................................................................13

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Introduction to Mobile Device Management Mobile Device Management (MDM) software began as a hub for management of an increasingly large population of mobile devices in the workplace. What began as a management solution requiring a physical connection or SIM in the handset has evolved to include client-initiated and over-the-air (OTA) updates and management of mobile devices from the cloud. As smartphones have become more ubiquitous, so too has MDM. Many vendors in the space now find themselves in an arms race to introduce new features. In light of this, a solution in the cloud may be the best for SMBs interested in using a solution with the most up to date features.

For the small to medium business (SMB), however, MDM should not be viewed as the end-state solution for managing an ever-increasing pool of mobile assets. To adequately manage the full mobility lifecycle, SMBs must look to a broader Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution to combat the security risks and costs associated with maintaining a highly-fragmented and complex mobile computing environment brought on by BYOD in the workplace. EMM solutions, unlike MDM solutions, service all aspects of mobile, including device management. These solutions allow the organization to effectively manage mobile applications, operations, and support, further empowering the mobile workforce. SMBs that lack a Formal BYOD program are likely to also lack an MDM solution. These SMBs are behind the curve now, and stand to lose more ground as competitors begin implementing larger EMM strategies.

The Challenge for SMBs The major challenges for SMBs in terms of managing mobile devices include security and control, separation of personal data from corporate data, and difficulty transitioning from corporate issued devices to personal devices. These challenges stem largely from the fact that the majority of SMBs operate Informal BYOD programs as opposed to formal ones.

Informal BYOD environments are those that allow employees to bring devices to the workplace but have no governance or management structure in place to manage content on said devices. These organizations struggle most with the challenges mentioned above throughout the employee lifecycle. New hires lead to more mobile devices in the environment and, consequently, a proliferation of data. This data remains with the employee even after they have left the organization. With no method of accessing, managing, and wiping the device’s sensitive content, SMBs are unable to ensure intellectual property and other sensitive data remains confidential, leaving them open to a great deal of risk. In lieu of running an Informal BYOD program, the SMB may opt to issue corporate devices but, in doing so, can expect to see a large increase in costs as the business shoulders the cost of the hardware, phone plans, and any overage charges incurred by employees as well as administration and support. SMBs operating Formal BYOD programs, by contrast, are well-equipped to handle an influx of mobile devices in the office. These organizations maintain formal policies regarding data and acceptable use on personal mobile devices and, in many cases, use technology solutions such as MDM to manage, monitor, and wipe corporate data from mobile devices as necessary. SMBs in Formal BYOD environments reap the maximum benefit by encouraging employees to use

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personal devices, and having the infrastructure in place to ensure the organization takes on no excess security risk, while eliminating the cost of operating corporate smartphones. These organizations have embraced mobility in the workplace and, over time, will further incorporate EMM into their daily operations.

Figure 1: Only 33% of SMBs (organizations with <500 FTEs) operate a Formal BYOD program.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group Study, n=33

MDM Adoption Rates, Benefits and Functionality Though MDM is largely viewed as a strictly enterprise technology, Info-Tech Research Group data shows that SMBs are increasingly adopting MDM solutions to more effectively manage their environments. These solutions are a subset of the broader EMM solutions available in the marketplace and lack the operations and support functions associated with full-scale EMMs. MDM solutions, instead, focus on allowing the organization to rapidly and securely deploy mobile devices, as well as manage mobile policies and configuration. Within SMBs, Info-Tech also found that 52% of those operating Formal BYOD programs had implemented an MDM solution, compared to only 27% of those operating Informal BYOD programs.

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Figure 2: MDM has been adopted by organizations of all sizes.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group Study, n=44

Info-Tech also found pronounced differences between organizations that had implemented MDM in comparison to those that had not. In a survey asking IT professionals to classify their agreement with statements regarding mobile devices, Info-Tech found that a greater proportion of organizations with MDM agreed with the following comments regarding their mobile environment:

Figure 3: 62% of organizations with an MDM solution agree that they have never had a serious mobile security breach.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group Study, n=80

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As shown in Figure 3, organizations that have an MDM solution in place are significantly more capable of managing their mobile environments than their non-MDM counterparts. These organizations are more confident in the security of their network and devices, significantly more capable of identifying all assets on their network and, most importantly, supporting and updating those devices over-the-air in less than 24 hours.

Outside of improved data security and overall management of mobile devices, MDM also benefits SMBs by improving employee behaviors and morale. Figure 4 suggests that organizations that have implemented an MDM are more likely to have productive and satisfied employees. Moreover, these organizations cite the benefits of having an MDM solution – such as allowing personal mobile devices and laptops into the workplace – as instrumental in their ability to attract top talent and, subsequently, contribute to the success of the business.

Figure 4: 69% of organizations with an MDM solution “Strongly Agree”

that they have improved employee productivity.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group Study, n=80

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The Top Concerns of a BYOD Implementation In order to secure maximum value from the implementation of MDM, SMBs must first successfully deploy a BYOD program. A successful BYOD implementation removes the expenses related to offering mobile devices from the SMBs income statement. Figure 5 suggests that mitigating and managing data leakage and security concerns are critical to implementing BYOD successfully:

Figure 5: Organizations cited data leakage as the top concern with BYOD programs. (1 =Low concern, 6 = High concern)

Source: Info-Tech Research Group, n=128

The top-of-mind concerns of a BYOD program – namely, data leakage, separation of personal data, and complexity of management – are easily managed with a typical MDM solution. These platforms allow organizations to remote wipe mobile devices, partition corporate data from personal data, and drastically reduce the management of complexity by bringing support for multiple technologies under a single platform. According to Info-Tech Research Group data, the majority of concerns in these areas can be mitigated by implementing simple policies, such as an Acceptable Use Policy and a Remote Wipe Waiver, and training employees extensively on the organization’s expectations regarding the usage of mobile devices.

Outside of data security, a well-managed MDM implementation should also be inexpensive, providing maximum management functionality at a low price point. To truly drive down the cost basis of an MDM implementation and, more so, the technology’s operational cost, the SMB must consider deploying MDM in the cloud. Deploying via the cloud is also the fastest method of implementation, with many vendors capable of being on line in a matter of hours.

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The Benefits of Implementing MDM in the Cloud Deploying the MDM solution in the cloud is a quick, cost-effective option for the SMB. While enterprise-level organizations in sensitive industries may choose to operate a private cloud solution for MDM, the SMBs needs are adequately met by the many vendors currently offering cloud solutions. With vendors offering MDM to the SMB market, the organization can expect to reap the following benefits:

• Faster time to service: Cloud-based MDM services can be up and running extremely quickly. An organization can define its security policies, configure an enterprise application store, and roll out to mobile devices within 24 hours. As with many cloud implementations, the organization has no concerns over server setup, software installation, firewall or networking.

• Agility in an ever-changing mobile landscape: An on-premises MDM solution

requires constant patching, upgrading, and testing to ensure functionality as Apple and Google release OS updates. Transfer the burden of testing to the vendor by using the cloud.

• Cost: Cloud based solutions eliminate the up-front investment required in servers for an

on-premises solution. On-going hardware, OS, and network costs associated with an on-premises server are also eliminated.

• Security: Similar to patching and upgrading, selecting a cloud-solution places the

burden of security on the vendor. As MDM solutions often hold sensitive information – such as employee names, phone numbers, locations, etc – the security requirements can be quite high.

While the benefits of an MDM solution deployed in the cloud are significant, an SMB must configure and manage the solution and its users effectively in order to ensure data security is not compromised. MDM is a tool to help IT manage the integrity of corporate data, but requires configuration and monitoring in order to work effectively.

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Best Practices in MDM Effectively implementing and managing an MDM solution requires IT to balance the security needs of the organization against the willingness of employees. A recent Info-Tech Research Group study focused around BYOD and MDM found that organizations implemented the following best practices to maintain data security among the groups requiring the highest level of protection:

Figure 6: Enabling remote wipe functionality and requiring employees to have a simple passcode to unlock are the most commonly used methods of

protecting data on mobile devices.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group, n=76

For most SMBs (73%), enabling remote wipe and requiring employees to maintain a simple passcode is sufficient to maintain data security in the event of device loss or employee termination. Fortunately, most carriers push OS updates to mobile devices OTA, thus removing the burden of patching and upgrading multiple platforms away from the SMB. As data at the SMB becomes more sensitive – such as government or financial services related – the SMB may consider implementing device encryption, requiring complex passcodes and, in extreme cases, disabling features of the device.

For many SMBs, a cloud implementation of the MDM solution will allow for fine-tuning of the platform and environment over time. While the SMB may choose to enable only the most basic of security features at the outset, deploying via the cloud allows tweaks to be pushed out to the environment quickly and easily. As an added benefit, major vendors of MDM solutions will manage platform compatibility with all releases by mobile OS providers.

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Key Considerations when Selecting a Solution For the SMB, selecting the right solution and deploying as quickly as possible are the most important factors. Figure 7 provides, at a high level, a basic guideline the SMB should consider for product and vendor selection.

Figure 7: Product and Vendor evaluation criteria for MDM solutions

Source: Info-Tech Research Group Study

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The above weightings reflect Info-Tech’s perspective on the importance of certain, high-level product and vendor attributes. In short, on the product side, SMBs should look closely at Features and Usability as MDM solutions will need to be tailored to meet specific needs and require IT to spend significant time monitoring devices. On the vendor side, Strategy and Reach are most important as vendors committed to the MDM space will continue to update and develop their platform as mobile platforms change.

The MDM market consists of pure-play vendors – those that focus solely on offering an MDM solution – and suite vendors – those that develop an MDM product as part of a larger mobile strategy. While pure-play vendors may offer solutions at a lower cost, suite vendors tend to have products that connect seamlessly and more importantly, can support the SMB’s growing mobile needs. To that end, considering suite vendors that offer application development platforms and off-the-shelf turnkey applications to improve employee productivity are more likely to support the SMB transition into EMM from MDM. Info-Tech also suggests considering certain product features as table stakes. That is to say, a solution lacking in the following features is not worthy of consideration against its competitors in the market:

Figure 8: Table stakes features in MDM solutions.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group Study

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Figure 9: Advanced Features in MDM solutions.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group Study

Conclusion BYOD is a strong strategy for the average SMB. As employees become more demanding about attaching their personal devices to corporate networks, the risks associated with rejecting BYOD can cost money and, more importantly, talent. To stay competitive in the marketplace – both as a modern workplace and to maintain margins – the SMB must embrace BYOD in a way that protects the organization’s intellectual property, clients, and infrastructure. MDM provides a platform for the SMB to safely transition to a Formal BYOD program by providing the tools to indentify, manage, and monitor mobile devices.

As SMBs transition to an environment that is fully BYOD managed via an MDM, they should begin to look ahead to full-scale EMM – implementing people, processes and technology tasked with minimizing the cost of the mobile fleet and ensuring maximum functionality. MDM solutions are a tool for the SMB to manage and monitor mobile devices, EMM requires the SMB to embrace the mobility of its employees and turn it into a competitive advantage.

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About SAP SAP is at the center of today’s technology revolution, developing innovations that not only help businesses run like never before, but also improve the lives of people everywhere. As the market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 238,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably.

About Info-Tech Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns. Our practical approach is designed to have a clear and measurable positive impact on your organization’s bottom line. With a paid membership of over 30,000 members worldwide, Info-Tech Research Group (www.infotech.com) is the global leader in providing tactical, practical Information Technology research and analysis. Info-Tech Research Group has a sixteen-year history of delivering quality research and is North America's fastest growing full-service IT analyst firm. Mailing Address: Info-Tech Research Group 43 Front St. East, Suite 200 Toronto. Ontario M5E 1B3 Toll-Free: 1-888-670-8889 Website: www.infotech.com