Consumers keeping up with mobile device management trends

IT groups are attempting to keep up with the new technologies and mobile device management offers help in keeping pace with the growing number of mobile devices.

With the "bring your own device" trend beginning to become more popular among large companies across the United States, mobile device management is becoming more important for companies to keep private company data protected from hackers and malware attacks.

According to Computerworld, Marin County Day School in Corte Madera, California, ran a pilot program of about 60 iOS devices in 2011 and the experiment proved to be a continuous discovery of limitations of Apple's tools. IT director Robert Badenhagen said scaling was a problem, and individually downloaded apps from the iTunes App Store also caused issues with device management.

Companies that are offering their employees the option of using personal mobile devices for business purposes benefit in the long-run by saving money on capital expenditures. In most cases, the cost of an effective mobile device management solution is comparable to that of bulk phone purchases. Factor these financial savings with the added mobility and convenience benefits of using a personal mobile device, and it becomes easy to see why many companies are going the route of multiplatform compatibility. 

With the growing number of business-related apps, companies need to make sure they have a policy in place to regulate the purchase of these mobile tools. Failing to implement the right management software and institute effective mobile use policies may levy a significant financial blow to a company. Not only do many of these apps cost money, but some may open the door for a security vulnerability, which could put an entire organization at risk.

According to a survey of 1,158 American smartphone users, 67 percent of respondents said they were concerned about protecting their passwords, while and only 34 percent were concerned with protecting work-related data. Researchers determined that although consumers are concerned about their phone security, but feel they don't know all they should about keeping them safe.

“It’s clear that smartphone users take protecting their data and privacy seriously,” said mobile security expert Omar Khan. "But they don't feel they know enough about how to keep their mobile devices safe."