Consumerization Strategies for the CIOOne of the most common issues for admins in the BYOD era is how to handle mobile applications. Users love their apps, but consumer apps don't usually have the enterprise in mind, and enterprise mobile app offerings aren't users' first choice.
Luckily for IT, there are ways to manage and secure mobile applications, such as with enterprise mobile application stores and other delivery methods. With acceptable use policies, mobile application management (MAM) and mobile device management (MDM), admins can regain some control and take advantage of mobile apps' popularity.
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Enterprise mobile application: Consumer devices go corporate
Personal mobile devices today can act as a phone, a GPS, a camera and a garage-door opener all at once. Users who take their smartphones and tablets to work expect their devices to multitask at the office, too. With enterprise apps for remote access, collaboration, security, social networking and more, employees' devices can work overtime.
Mobile app delivery options for IT's consideration
When IT has a good mobile app delivery
strategy, it helps lessen management burdens and helps users do their jobs better. To beef up your delivery approach, consider enterprise mobile
application stores, application and desktop virtualization, and Web and cloud apps.
App stores control consumerization … to a point
An enterprise app store
is a great way to help deal with consumerization, but it comes with some caveats. Building an app store isn't easy, and the store itself needs to be
secure. At the same time, it needs to be user-friendly, otherwise employees won't use it.
Android mobile application management isn't a cure-all for security problems
With
Android mobile application management
, admins can combat some app security risks, but IT's options are fairly limited. Admins can offer an alternative to Google Play or use a MAM product to
control app distribution, tracking, and application lifecycles. The best way to combat Android security risks, however, is to regulate device access.
How an acceptable use policy and app control can improve BYOD success
In a bring your own device (BYOD) environment, an acceptable use policy
gives admins the upper hand when it comes to app security and control. Using application blacklisting and whitelisting, plus MDM, can help you enforce
acceptable use policies. And MAM will help with enterprise mobile application installation and delivery.
Managing mobile application security in the BYOD era
What's a mobile device without the apps? Definitely not something employees want to use. What they may not realize is how much data their apps have access
to. In the BYOD era, this is just as much a problem for admins -- who are trying to protect corporate data on personal devices -- as it is for users.
Improve mobile app security with
MDM, MAM and enterprise mobile application stores.