Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) refers to any activities related to the administration and security of an extensive range of mobile devices in a corporate environment. This includes managed mobility services (MMS), mobile device management (MDM), device security, logistics & lifecycle management (services across every phase of the device), inventory management, technical support, and more. The right EMM approach should also flexibly integrate with key HR and IT systems and security applications to deliver a broad range of business functionality for real-time insights and management.
EMM is increasingly important. From smartphones and tablets to healthcare, point-of-sale, and IoT devices, companies are taking full advantage of all the capabilities of today’s range of mobile devices. In fact, two-thirds of enterprises now operate multiple devices per employee to enhance productivity, increase revenue, and improve outcomes. The benefits of corporate mobility outweigh the cons, but only when devices are effectively managed and secured. Vanson Bourne’s research shows the average number of devices in use across an enterprise is 68,000. How do IT teams effectively handle this mass volume of growing IT assets and streamline mobile oversight and operations?
Read on to learn more about Enterprise Mobility Management and why the right solution makes all the difference.
The IT complexity of managing proliferating assets and service providers (a recent study found that 67% of enterprises use up to five separate vendors for device management and security) can quickly undermine innovation if companies don’t have the right support partnerships in place.
A global study of IT and IT security practitioners conducted by the Ponemon Institute digs deeper into these difficulties:
Diminished productivity: The study found that problems with mobile devices lead to roughly 900 hours of unplanned downtime each week. The cost implications of this are tremendous. Vanson Bourne research shows that 30%+ of revenue is lost without working mobile devices. In addition to this are the intangible costs associated with separate vendor handling, help desk support, and deployment headaches that can have a very real impact on IT productivity as well as the enterprise bottom line.
Security gaps: Only 28% of respondents believe their company’s mobile security strategy can truly safeguard sensitive data. The costs of mobile data breaches are widely known, and 88% of organizations polled by Vanson Bourne believe an Enterprise Mobility Management service gives them better security.
Cost of in-house management vs. cost of an EMM solution: Data from Oxford Economics demonstrates that it takes one full-time IT employee to manage 250 devices at an annual investment of approximately $115,000. In most cases, the cost of an Enterprise Mobility Management solution is much less than the collective cost of salaried staff for overseeing devices internally – and with far greater assurance of program effectiveness due to automation found within purpose-built software platforms.
The impact of lost devices: On average, IT teams report spending over 200 hours each year replacing lost devices. The two greatest issues here are business continuity and productivity losses (discussed above) and security risks associated with lost or stolen devices. Over half of respondents reported experiencing a data breach stemming from inappropriate access to an employee’s mobile device, with the costliest breach topping $2.2M. The bulk of these costs ($590k) are related to identifying, containing, and remediating the breach itself.
IT leaders must ask themselves: are the costs and risks of implementing an enterprise-owned EMM program worth it?
Consider the story of one Tangoe customer, a company whose in-house approach to mobile management couldn’t keep pace with continuing growth. From procuring and deploying new devices to security and application upgrades to offboarding and reverse logistics, the company’s CTO estimated that four days (32 hours) of work was lost each month to manual administrative processes.
Here’s what happened when the company implemented Tangoe One Mobile, Tangoe’s Enterprise Mobility Management software and services for end-to-end device lifecycle management:
Greater operational efficiency: Tangoe’s EMM software and services handle every step of device management, from inventory management to provisioning and device tracking, even offering help desk services and paying invoices and employee stipends. The team now spends only 1 hour each month on enterprise mobility management – a productivity gain of 372 hours every year.
Visibility into errors and anomalies: Tangoe’s EMM solution ensures assets are properly governed and costs are properly allocated. The IT team immediately began benefiting from advanced analytics and data-driven insights for informed cost cutting and optimization opportunities, helping them see exactly what’s going on in their mobility landscape and act accordingly. For instance, they could see employees who were assigned to the wrong mobile data plan, which lead to unnecessary spending.
Easier onboarding and governance: Enterprise Mobility Management makes onboarding incredibly easy with a simple self-serve system. Tangoe’s mobile store offers an ecommerce website and step-by-step guidance for ordering devices, giving back much-needed IT time while maintaining necessary parameters around procurement, ensuring compliance, and improving security and cost control. Learn more about the Tangoe mobile store.
Broad integration: Tangoe’s EMM platform flexibly integrates with the company’s human resources management (HRM) system, Unified Endpoint Security (UEM) application, identity management tools, and other tools, providing real-time information updates that drive management excellence.
Learn more about how other businesses have benefited from our Enterprise Mobility Management solution:
The Tangoe One Mobile solution doesn’t just ensure mobile devices are operational and secure. Our leading solution provides a single platform for companies to simplify, optimize, and manage their fleet every step of the way while also ensuring every device is cost-efficient. Hyper automation, a rich ecosystem of integrations, and fully managed services for every phase in the device lifecycle serve as a value multiplier for clients, fueling greater operational efficiencies and cost savings simultaneously.
Ordering: Streamline and simplify mobile orders using a single, centralized platform
Inventory & Maintenance: One place to catalog all devices, users, mobile applications & contracts, expenses, other information
Invoicing: Automate, streamline, and accelerate
Expenses: Get a complete view of all mobile expenses and better understand how costs correspond
Bill Pay: Close the loop on invoice processing and employee reimbursements.
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