MDM: Mobile Device Medicine

Schofield also endorsed advising companies to operate under a corporate-liable mobile device policy instead of an employee-liable or reimbursement model. A corporate-liable policy gives the company more control of the devices, their usage and the information stored on them.

As the pervasiveness of personal mobile devices in the workplaces continues to grow, companies are under even more pressure to outline MDM policies and employ complementary solutions. Recent research by Aberdeen Group found that over the course of 2008, the number of devices purchased by the company from a select vendor decreased while the number purchased by employees from any vendor increased by an almost equal amount (See chart, “Personal-Liable Devices Invade the Enterprise”).

“This longitudinal finding serves as a reminder that effective mobile support requires dealing with the realities of today’s mobile environment rather than stifling all attempts at changing the corporate mobility landscape,” said Aberdeen Group’s Andrew Borg and Hyoun Park in a report on the findings. “Establishing minimum standards for IT compliance, developing a limited list of supported devices, and implementing centralized device management and deployment tools go a long way towards mitigating potential chaos.”

Hence, Schofield suggests reducing the number of available devices within the organization and resist changing the policy to appease “device envy” among coworkers.

Of course, MDM, especially the segment surrounding employees’ departures, is just one tiny chromosome in the entire TEM DNA that could open the door to such policy advisement, consulting and procurement.

“A good MDM solution will save money on a monthly basis for an enterprise, but MDM alone is not the answer to total savings,” explained Schofield. “Total savings is a combination of an industry benchmark-based/professionally negotiated agreement with market-leading rates and a good solution to maintain the savings over time.”

And in such a burgeoning market, thanks in part due to layoffs, along with a relatively low barrier to entry, Schofield advises agents to seek an MDM provider with solid references and personnel on staff before entering into relationships with MDM providers.