Forrester Offers Mobile Device Management Plan to IT Professionals

As users enter the mobile era, mobile device management (MDM) vendors and solutions seem to be emerging from all corners. As these MDM solutions migrate from on-premises to cloud and managed services, market research and consulting firm Forrester Research is seeing a shift in the relationship between mobile operators and enterprise IT professionals.

Because the mobile ecosystem is changing rapidly, analysts at Forrester have a piece of advice for IT professionals in both infrastructure and operations (I&O) and security and risk (S&R). According to Forrester, the IT professionals in these roles must work together to realize an effective MDM solution.

The report presents six pieces of advice from Forrester Research for developing a MDM plan for I&O and S&R professionals. These include developing MDM capabilities, creating a BYOD program, developing a tier based MDM plan, generating an enterprise app store, working on the convergence of mobile device and PC management, and supporting a user centric approach to mobility.

Forrester’s first step toward an MDM plan is to develop a mobile strategy that supports multiple platforms and form factors. “This is especially important as I&O professionals develop a BYOD program to support the business needs and high expectations of an empowered workforce,” wrote Ben Gray

Second, the research firm recommends creating a BYOD program. Unless there are extremely strict security and privacy requirements, Forrester is advising professionals to support employee-owned devices in their respective organizations. The report indicates that in order to do this, the IT professionals must adopt the necessary MDM and mobile security tools. In addition, says Forrester, “the companies must define a strong mobile policy that clearly outlines eligibility and access requirements, support options, and who pays for what,” wrote Gray.

Instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach, tier device management based on applications and security risk is recommended. In addition, the research firm is also asking IT professionals to plan for an enterprise app store as it anticipates mobile application management and provisioning to emerge as a new technology category over the next 12 to 18 months, wrote Gray.

Even though users are still years away from mobile and PC convergence, the research firm strongly believes in planning for a mobile management solution that anticipates the convergence of mobile device and PC management. Hence, it is fifth on the advisory list.

Last, as per this report, Forrester is advising to support a user-centric approach to mobility. The research firm believes that to stay relevant, the enterprise must pursue a steadfast user-centric approach to mobile device management and security while embracing new peripherals and meeting new business use scenarios, wrote Gray.

Want to learn more about today’s powerful mobile Internet ecosystem? Then be sure to attend the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct. 2-5 2012, in Austin, TX. Co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo provides unmatched networking opportunities and a robust conference program representing the mobile ecosystem. The conference not only brings together the best and brightest in the wireless industry, it actually spans the communications and technology industry. For more information on registering for the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo click here.

Stay in touch with everything happening at Mobility Tech Conference & Expo. Follow us on Twitter.