The conventional management vendors participating in our tests were very aggressive in pricing. Avocent LANDesk's and Novell's pricing started within $4 per node of each other ($55 per node for LANDesk Handheld Manager and $59 per node for ZenWorks Handheld Management). Sybase's Afaria was the most expensive, at $69 per node plus $5,000 for each deployed server, and Intellisync had a starting cost of $90 per node. With the higher costs of Intellisync and Afaria, however, come unique features that deliver increased value over their competition.
In The End
With security representing a major obstacle to deploying mobile applications, and with some IT managers viewing mobile devices as a threat, addressing security concerns has been a key issue for device-management vendors to tackle.
We liked Afaria's data-encryption features, along with a slightly more appealing device-security client. With strong tools for protecting data, Sybase's product is best-suited for verticals that deal with a lot of confidential customer data, such as in health care or financial management. Its group-based policy model makes it suited for large fleet-based deployments as well. Sybase iAnywhere has a proven track record for mobility: The company recently signed a deal with the U.S. Census Bureau, in which Afaria will manage mobile devices used in the 2010 census, marking one of the largest mobile deployments in the world. Sybase's cost may seem expensive at first, but when you factor in the increased cost of adding third-party encryption support, by our calculations, Afaria is cost-competitive with Nokia's Intellisync. That said, one quibble with Sybase's software is that we weren't as pleased with its management interface as we were with Nokia's.
Speaking of Nokia, its software represents another strong option for MDM with unique features. The product takes a more efficient approach than Sybase's, both from cost and staffing standpoints. Its self-service portal helps off-load management functions from helpdesks to mobile workers themselves, which may help organizations cut staffing costs. Nokia also presents a much more intuitive user interface; it was the simplest product to use by far. Because Nokia can easily tweak policies for individual users (Sybase Afaria uses a group-centric model), carpeted enterprises and sales staffs may find it more valuable. Nokia's Web-based self-service portal also may be helpful for small and midsize companies that operate with lean IT and helpdesk staffs. Nokia also has a strong track record in the mobile space; the Intellisync platform is deployed by major carriers and service providers worldwide in their hosted device-management systems.
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