Multi platform support, firmware upgrades, security headaches and a loose approach to "standards." Can device management move from being the problem to the solution, for enterprise managers, asks Keith Dyer? And what will the operator's role be in this crucial area?
Is the following statistic surprising? According to research undertaken by Coleman Parkes, on behalf of industry MDM technology provider Mformation, as many as 65% of businesses would change mobile network providers if they were offered a comprehensive mobile device management (MDM) service by a competing mobile operator.
Of course, statistics, along with research sponsored by a financially interested party, need to be consumed at arm's length. But even so, when mobile operators are falling over themselves to attract the lucrative and profitable business market, the news that they have two thirds of the market to aim at just by offering comprehensive mobile device management will make many sit up and take notice.
So, what do the research sponsors think lies behind this high number? First off, the Coleman Parkes' research said that 79% of respondents said that managing mobile device usage was becoming increasingly difficult and complex.
"We know there is a growing demand from business users for more advanced functionality on mobile devices, such as VoIP and sales force applications. Unsurprisingly, the mobilisation of these applications is making management of corporate devices significantly more complex," says Matt Bancroft, vice president, Mformation. "More than three quarters of organisations questioned said device management is becoming a serious issue because it is critical to underpinning successful mobilisation initiatives in the enterprise. There is a massive opportunity here for mobile operators to offer an important value-added service, as well as retain valuable customers."
Coleman Parkes says that companies are already taking action to address some of the issues created by growing mobile device usage. 71% of companies said they have increased investment in data and system security, while 68% said they have increased investment in staff training, 66% of organisations surveyed have implemented a strict usage policy for devices. But the good news for operators is that 91% also believe that their mobile operator has a critical role to play in supporting the management of corporate mobile devices.
"While enterprises are investing in policies and procedures for staff using mobile devices, they currently do not have the tools to manage them. There is a significant demand for mobile network providers to step in," continues Bancroft. "Operators have the opportunity to provide the solutions that enable the enterprise IT department to easily manage their own devices.
One issue surrounding enterprise device management is the ability to provide a high degree of device and network security. Other key concerns are that users are effectively supported so any device problems can be quickly identified and fixed, that technology is kept updated and future proof, and that support costs are kept under control. Enterprises expect some level of operator support in this area. However, Coleman Parkes found that the enterprise view is that the operator is not supporting these needs well at present. 60% of enterprises surveyed did not have any positive opinion of current operator device management support.
"From a revenue perspective enterprise customers are immensely important to operators. However, their needs are significantly different from those of consumers. Enterprises are looking for far more advanced device and application management services. If mobile operators can't meet these needs, they risk losing their most prized customers," adds
Bancroft.
Tim Belfall, director of Condico, which provides a mobile device management solution to corporates in a SaaS model, says that mobile device management is just becoming "a complete nightmare" for IT departments. Chief amongst the problems is the diversity of handsets, and handset platforms, on the market.
"Also," cautions Belfall, "these things (mobile devices) become memory sticks. There might be sales information on the phone, contacts, sensitive information." Belfall says that the ability to lock a device, whilst backing up its contents OTA so that information isn't lost, is crucial. Also important is the ability to push out firmware or application upgrades to devices out in the field, and to detect unauthorized downloads and delete them, and block that activity.
So the opportunity seems clear, but perhaps unsurprisingly, Belfall's view is that the operators are not necessarily the best provider of mobile device management to enterprise customers. Clearly this is a somewhat contentious area, as Belfall is not at liberty to tell us whose technology his service is based on. This is because he says that provider's "other customers" would be a bit miffed if they knew Condico was being provided with the technology in this way. Belfall's opinion is that by working with a third party on device management, enterprises are not making themselves "beholden" to that operator in such a crucial area of their business operation, leaving them free to strike better deals for airtime and data plans at contract renewal time.
Of course, a company like Condico, which Belfall himself describes as being at a very "early stage" faces stiff competition from areas other than the operators.
Microsoft recently put up Steve Ballmer himself to front up its announcement of a MDM product. Microsoft announced its first dedicated mobile device management to "complement the growing success of the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system and help more businesses take advantage of mobile solutions for their employees."
"People expect to be able to do more and more with their mobile phone," ceo Ballmer said in his keynote address to the Cellular Technology Industry Association (CTIA) of America. "We're building on our expertise across servers, operating systems and services to deliver Windows Mobile experiences that bridge the things people want to do at work and at home."
Microsoft's System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 manages Windows Mobile phones similar to Windows-based laptops and PCs, to deliver applications to phones over the air as well as connect people via Mobile VPN (virtual private network) to data behind the firewall.
For the US market, Microsoft, AT&T and Samsung also launched the Blackjack II, a Windows Mobile 6 phone that will be updatable to support Mobile Device Manager. The AT&T Tilt and other Windows Mobile 6 smart devices to be introduced by AT&T later this year also will support Mobile Device Manager.
AT&T announced that it will support Mobile Device Manager for business customers next year, and Sprint also announced it will enhance its portfolio of Windows Mobile phones in 2008 to support Mobile Device Manager. Updates or new phones to support Mobile Device Manager are expected to be available beginning the second quarter of 2008 from HP, HTC, i-mate, Intermec, Motorola, Palm Inc. and Samsung.
The operator view at launch was that device management is becoming an important service differentiator.
"For AT&T, success in the mobile space means making powerful solutions available to business through which they can mobilise their workforces, and the Windows Mobile platform delivers service offerings that provide our customers with a robust and differentiated experience," said Kent Mathy, president, Business Markets Group, AT&T. "By supporting Mobile Device Manager on several levels, including by making our entire Windows Mobile 6 portfolio updatable to Mobile Device Manager and ensuring that those smart devices are compatible with AT&T's network and other wireless data services, we are building upon our long and successful alliance with Microsoft to provide businesses with a compelling mobile solution."
Nokia too earlier this year unveiled new device management features of its Nokia Intellisync Mobile Suite. Its new features included wider device support, tighter integration to enhance user experience, remote control, improved theft-loss protection and hardware control. "We are seeing a strong interest from European and global operators and business customers for device management functions that mirror those of the IT environment," said Scott Cooper, senior vice president, Enterprise Solutions, Nokia. "By adding the new capabilities into our current suite of products, we are responding to the market demand and accelerating the adoption of business mobility beyond mobile email.
The new device management features of Nokia Intellisync Mobile Suite included remote control for troubleshooting of mobile devices over-the-air; the ability to control hardware elements such as disabling the use of camera or WLAN on a mobile device; enhanced theft-loss protection; and remote control of Windows Mobile devices. A user receives a pop-up screen notification that hardware functionality is disabled and the setting cannot be overridden by the end-user. This new functionality gives the option to disable functions like the camera on a mobile device in case company policy does not allow cameras on their premises.
Initially, the remote control feature supports Windows Mobile devices, with Symbian support to follow in future releases. Control of hardware elements is offered as part of a Nokia Intellisync Device Management license.
So if the technology is now there from a range of providers, and all the vendors are expressing commitements to OMA standards for MDM, are operators fully geared up to take advantage of this opportunity?
One area of concern is standards. Although all the main vendors are signed up to OMA DM standards, most of them also offer a "standards plus" product, meaning that core OMA DM functionality is supported, but if operators want to offer additional services, then they are into the realm of proprietary software again. That means that if an enterprise customer wants a certain function not supported by an operator's core platform, then either the operator will have to look to support and maintain multiple systems, or that will be a customer lost.
Another issue for operators is that they are just not yet, despite their best efforts, viewed within corporates as the most suitable provider of a hosted IT solution, such as device management. Managers want to incorporate the management of mobile devices within their existing asset database, not to have to manage or service a separate system. And also, as Condico's Belfall points out, enterprises are wary of being locked in to a service by their choice of MDM provider.
As long as users want to be provided with a range of devices on a range of platforms, IT departments will be required to support them – from the ceo's latest Blackberry, to the ruggedised, application-specifi,c PocketPC device out in the field. The question of who is best placed to support those IT departments is not yet clearly answerable.
