Mobile Device Management: An important step towards secure, hybrid working

As a result of COVID 19, hybrid working is becoming more and more a permanent feature in companies. And the trend is rising. The topic of mobile device management (MDM) is becoming more and more important. An MDM solution helps to make hybrid working secure and efficient. Read the article to find out to what extent this is the case.

Hybrid working is becoming increasingly popular in companies. According to the IDG study "Hybrid Work 2022", on average 4 out of 10 employees now work both in the office and in a home office. In large companies with over 1,000 employees, it is even 7 out of 10.

However, there is still a lot of catching up to do when it comes to securing the hybrid workplace: according to the study, only 46 per cent of companies that pursue a hybrid work approach currently invest in this area. This is clearly too little. After all, a high level of IT security is crucial for the successful implementation of hybrid work. Among others, the trade portal CIO and Jamf, manufacturer of management and security solutions for Apple devices, reported on this study.

An important step towards secure, hybrid working environments is the introduction of a mobile device management (MDM) solution. This allows IT administrators to centrally manage and protect employees' mobile devices - regardless of where employees work with their devices.

Specifically, with an MDM solution, IT administrators can uniformly control and manage both the hardware and the content and applications on the devices. They also have the option of blocking access to certain content or applications - to prevent potentially unauthorised access.

MDM solutions must at least cover these criteria

Those who want to introduce an MDM solution in practice are spoilt for choice. The online marketplace provider Capterra alone lists over 150 MDM solutions. In order for companies to make the right decision here, they must consider certain, basic criteria. These are primarily:

IT security: It is necessary that the MDM solution contains comprehensive security functions - such as encrypted data transmission or password protection.

Adaptation: It must be possible to configure settings for e-mail traffic, VPN and WiFi with the solution.

Integration: The solution must be able to be integrated into the company-specific IT structure.

Device protection: It is necessary that the solution can quickly locate and lock any device in case of loss, theft or departure of an employee.

Logs: The solution must enable the creation of reports that document the communication on the respective devices.

Access authorisation: Access rights for specific user groups must be assignable.

Control: It is necessary that administrators can control access to company-relevant data.

But even if an MDM solution fulfils all these functions, in practice they are often still not enough: As Jamf points out, companies need specific MDM solutions. With the so-called "Apple Enterprise Management", Jamf offers such a solution.

This is what Apple Enterprise Management from @Jamf offers

The Apple Enterprise Management solution from Jamf is specially tailored to Apple devices and includes further features in addition to the "classic" MDM functions. These include dedicated security functions such as Jamf Protect, Jamf Connect, Jamf Threat Defense and Jamf Private Access. According to the manufacturer, the solution is also characterised by high scalability. The result is that companies can use the platform to manage, protect and link their Apple devices - regardless of where the devices are used.

The most important functions of Apple Enterprise Management include:

Zero-Touch Deployment: this automatically sets up and configures new devices. As Jamf points out, employees can immediately use the devices for their daily work. Manual configuration via IT is not necessary.

Centralised inventory and device management: This allows, for example, to automatically update the operating system or create configuration profiles for mobile devices.

Identity-based, secure access: Here, based on clearly defined, digital identities, it is decided whether employees are allowed to access certain resources or not. As Jamf points out, each digital identity is verified using multi-factor authentication. This would reliably prevent misuse. In addition, IT can monitor and manage all digital identities in the company via Jamf Connect.

Zero Trust: The Zero Trust principle is closely linked to the issue of digital identity. The principle states that employees may only access those resources for which they are unquestionably authorised according to their digital identity. With Jamf Private Access, companies can put the Zero Trust principle into practice - according to the manufacturer.

Prevention and defence against cyber threats: Jamf Threat Defense and Jamf Protect are designed to detect and defend against potential security incidents and cyber threats against Apple devices. This includes, for example, protection against macOS malware and phishing attacks.

Detailed information on the Apple Enterprise Management solution from Jamf can be found on the exclusive topic page. There you can also get in touch with CANCOM experts for a no-obligation consultation or contact us here via LinkedIn.