by Thor Olavsrud

10 Mobile Device Management Apps to Take Charge of BYOD

Feature
May 29, 20123 mins
Enterprise ApplicationsMobileSmall and Medium Business

Managing devices in a BYOD environment is no mean feat, and the right mobile device management (MDM) product can be a key component in making it work. Here are 10 leading MDM products on the market today.

Good Technology

Good offers MDM through its Good for Enterprise platform and is well known for its mobile security features, especially platform-independent encryption in the email system and its ability to validate and authorize specific applications. It’s compatible with both Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

Sybase

SAP’s Sybase offers Afaria, the most mature platform on this list. First created for laptops in 1997 and deployed on Palm and Windows devices not long after, Afaria now supports Android, BlackBerry, iOS and other platforms. It offers an embedded VPN in its email client and the capability to isolate and control application access to business data and VPN connections.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

AirWatch

AirWatch emphasizes device status monitoring and help desk controls. It supports Android, iOS, BlackBerry, full Windows and more. It offers an impressive dashboard and detailed reporting capabilities. It also features multitenant support and selective isolation.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

MobileIron

MobileIron is one of the newer solutions on this list, having launched in 2009. It was built from the ground up for mobility management and emphasizes comprehensive lifecycle management. It offers strong support for both corporate and personal devices, including Android, iOS and BlackBerry.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

Symantec

Symantec offers MDM through its Symantec SMM solution. Like Zenprise, it supports platforms like Android, iOS and BlackBerry in addition to platforms like WebOS and Windows Phone 7. It may be especially attractive to long-term Symantec customers given its integration with other Symantec product frameworks.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

Zenprise

Zenprise is squarely focused on MDM and differentiates itself by offering Web content filtering and URL filtering. In addition to other platforms, it supports both WebOS and Windows Phone 7. It has the capability to quarantine noncompliant devices based on policies, devices, operating system versions and compliance violations.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

Tangoe

Tangoe primarily focuses on telecom expense management (TEM) but has expanded into MDM and has worked to integrate its TEM and MDM offerings. It also offers MDM as a service. It’s known for its consistent lifecycle management capabilities across supported platforms.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

BoxTone

BoxTone has been a long-established player in the BlackBerry space and is known for its deep integration with BlackBerry Exchange Server, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and Good Technologies. But it also supports Android, iOS and Windows platforms. It emphasizes real-time mobile analytics and comprehensive service quality management and policy compliance enforcement.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

McAfee

Security specialist McAfee took its first steps into the MDM market in 2010 with the acquisition of Trust Digital. It now offers McAfee EMM, which supports Android, iOS and other platforms. Like Symantec, McAfee is extending integration with McAfee EMM to its larger product portfolio.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide

Fiberlink Communications focuses on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and managed services for enterprise mobility management. Its Fiberlink MaaS360 supports Android, iOS, BlackBerry, WebOS, Windows and other platforms. It offers excellent mobile analytic tools and device status reporting.

CIO.com’s: The Consumerization of IT and BYOD Guide