mobile device management

Mobile device management (MDM) refers to any routine or tool intended to distribute applications, data and configuration settings tomobile communications devices, such as laptop computers, cell phones and PDAs. The intent of MDM is to optimize the functionality and security of a mobile communications network, while minimizing cost and downtime.

Mobile device management allows administrators to oversee theoperation of conventional cell phones, smart phones, and similardevices as easily as is done with desktop computers.

The ideal mobile device management tool:

• Is compatible with all common handheld deviceoperating platforms and applications.
• Can function through multipleservice providers.
• Can be implemented directly over the air, targeting specific devices as necessary.
• Next-generation hardware,operating platforms, and applications can be deployed quickly.
• Devices can be added or removed from the system as necessaryto ensure optimum network efficiency and security.

Getting started with mobile device management

To explore how mobile device management is used in the enterprise, here are some additional resources:

Detecting rogue mobile devices on your network: Learn about tools and techniques that can help you detect rogue mobile devices connected to your network without your knowledge.

Understanding the mobile device problem: Learn about the challenging aspects of mobile device management for corporations and how unmanaged mobile devices represent opportunities for VARs.

Read more about mobile device management: - TechRepublic offers a mobile device management checklist in the form of an Excel spreadsheet.

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