Network Computing is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Analysis: Mobile Device Management: Page 6 of 22

If your organization deploys mobile applications, it's good to be able to confirm whether those applications reached your devices. That's where inventorying comes in. All the platforms we tested let administrators take stock of installed software and check available memory, OS type and battery level. Many times, administrators won't have direct access to the mobile devices they're administering. As a result, being able to audit these devices remotely is very important; in fact, respondents to our survey rated it as the second most important device-management feature. That makes sense: A mobile application is only good to your users if they have the application and their device is working properly.

Device Lockdown

End-user perceptions and expectations about mobile devices compound problems; cell phones are with employees more than any other device and walk the fine line between personal electronics and business devices. Users perceive these devices as "theirs," yet want all the enterprise business features they hear about in advertisements. MDM products also let administrators set policies to control how a device is used. This can help prevent users from playing solitaire on their new Motorola Qs all day.

In our tests, we were relatively pleased with the device-lockdown features offered. Although users could re-install an application deleted by the device manager, as soon as the next sync occurred, the application gets deleted again. While IT may decide to exert ultimate control and prohibit games and other applications from residing on a device, it's not necessarily the best policy. Giving users mobile devices on which they might play Tetris while stuck in an airport may not be a bad thing. The goal should be to make sure such applications don't hinder productivity, while still providing flexibility, freedom and some protection.

Pricing