The use of mobile devices and applications has skyrocketed in the last five years, along with mobile devices making their way into the enterprise setup.A recent survey suggests, in 2021, the number of mobile devices used worldwide stood at almost 15 billion and is expected to reach 18.22 billion by 2025. This goes to show how mobile devices have replaced bulky computers and legacy systems and have become the all-in-one gadget for personal as well as professional work.
Android mobile devices are preferred the most, and rightly so. Not just because of their ease of use but also owing to their competitive pricing and availability in a diverse price range. In the enterprise space, Android devices like smartphones, tablets, mPOS, and RFID readers are widely used for enabling collaboration, optimizing day-to-day operations, and enabling access to corporate data, especially for remote workers and field employees.
Android devices for modern-age enterprises
Modern-age enterprises either use corporate-owned devices or employee-owned devices in different business scenarios. In many industry use cases, employees use high-end devices for work or make use of custom Android devices that simply eliminate the need to use multiple devices.
The preference for Android devices roots in the versatility of these devices, not to mention the open-source OS that makes it easy for app developers to create enterprise applications with minimal restrictions or guidelines, by-the-by. Android is the leading operating system worldwide and makes up close to 71% of the market share. It is the most widely used OS and facilitates all kinds of devices like smartphones, tablets, POS systems, rugged devices, and customized devices. Android kiosk devices can be used as standalone unattended devices for dedicated purposes. Android devices are known for their flexibility and allow easy customization to reflect company branding. Enterprise-related apps and features can be easily configured into the devices to make them business-ready.
But the question of data security and management of devices used in the enterprise environment persists. This is why Android device management is critical, not only for enterprises deploying Android devices in bulk for their field and frontline employees but also for businesses of any size dealing with BYO Android devices where the devices are merely used to check work emails.
With a surge in the use of mobile devices for work, Google introduced Android Enterprise (formerly known as Android for Work) to solve everyday enterprise problems related to device management, application usage, and data security.
Coupled with an MDM, Android for Work seamlessly allows IT teams to manage and secure business-specific profiles and applications on both corporate-owned devices and employee-owned devices remotely. It helps improve the overall management functionalities of the devices and drives business security.
Mobile device management (MDM)secures all devices against any data theft, loss, or corporate data misuse for the entire device life cycle. Android enterprise setup program unifies Android device management with built-in APIs for mobile device management. An MDM solution further enables IT admins to enroll, provision, manage and secure devices effortlessly.
And while a standalone MDM is great, for modern-age Android device management, an MDM that aligns with Android enterprise is a must.
Stepping into modern-age Android device management
Making deployment faster
For modern-age enterprises, things need to get up and running fast. The combination of Android for Work and a modern MDM setup helps in the bulk enrollment of Android devices. The devices can be pre-configured with corporate policies, and apps related to work and provisioned to employees before they are shipped to the end user, making the device provisioning out-of-the-box.
Tightened security with automated alerts
With the ease of use of Android devices and the flexibility that the platform provides comes vulnerability. Without any security software in place, Android devices and the corporate data on them are highly susceptible to security risks. Corporate data is prone to leaks and threats at the device and app levels.
The challenge for modern enterprises is to minimize these threats, remediate with preventive updates and keep all devices secure from misuse. This can be driven by using an Android MDM solution that enables IT teams to have a bird-eye view of the device fleet. But there’s always room for human error and oversights. But with modern-age Android device management, these can be minimized by automating periodic security checks, scheduled alerts for compliance, and quick, automated reporting whenever any anomaly in the device and data security is detected.
Accommodating BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
BYOD helps employees use work-related apps on their personal devices so that they do not miss out on work at any time, from anywhere. In the era of ‘remote-everything’, accommodating the need for BYOD is critical for enterprises. Modern-age Android device management empowers businesses to facilitate the same. The containerization feature creates a work container that keeps corporate data separate from personal data and restricts the IT admin from accessing it. This brings flexibility in the use of devices, saves the organization’s costs in procuring new devices, and results in productive employees using the devices they love.
Closing lines…
Modern age enterprises highly focus on achieving high ROI by improving productivity, flexibility and making corporate data available securely. With the modern workforce becoming more mobile, adopting Android device management is a must-have to manage and secure devices. Implementing modern-age Android device management to manage devices can help in achieving business objectives in a shorter time and at a lower possible cost.
