Managing Mobile Devices (continued)
Know What's Connected
Once you know the exact number and type of devices that are tapping into your company system, you can develop a comprehensive mobile management system to tie up loose ends. Or you can choose among a variety of management suites.
"A lot of enterprises struggle today with mobile device management because they are unaware that dedicated mobile device management suites are available," says Ben Gray, Analyst, Infrastructure & Operations at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. Gray says tools like Nokia Intellisync Mobile Suite, HP Enterprise Mobility Suite, Motorola Mobility Suite, Altiris Handheld Management Suite and Afaria Management and Security are able to manage multiple device platforms (Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Symbian and Palm OS) and also enable software distribution and configuration management.
Most companies today rely on Microsoft's Systems Management Server or RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server to do software management and distribution within the push e-mail server itself. "Mobile device management suites are really the gold standard today," says Gray. "In the future, traditional endpoint management vendors like Altiris, LanDesk and Microsoft will be adding more robust support for handheld devices."
If the task is too taxing on IT staff, consider outsourcing. "There is a growing market of managed mobility firms that companies can outsource device management to," advises Sandra Palumbo, Program Manager, Enterprise IT and Communications Services at Yankee Group in Boston, Mass. She mentions Movero, IntegratedMobile and even some of the carriers. (article continues)
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