What Is Mobile Device Management (MDM)? Key Reasons to Use It

Published: 25 May 2025

Computers have been invented for a long time and upgraded daily, but their functionality remains the same. Nowadays, manufacturers and sophisticated engineers have tried to integrate the latest modern technology into portable devices like Tablets, Smartphones, iPads, and others to serve users’ higher demands. With the advent of diverse technology appliances in the market, we need a system to manage personal and corporate devices, which is why Mobile Device Management was created.

Nowadays, many organizations, especially IT and financial companies, tend to store a lot of important information in their own technology devices. If this information is leaked, they will suffer from reduced competitiveness, data exposure, and operational disruption. That is why these businesses use MDM as a method to secure their sensitive information.

Notebook with handwritten Mobile Device Management on a desk with a smartphone — What is Mobile Device Management? An essential business tool.

What Is Mobile Device Management Software

Mobile device management ( MDM ) is software that features secure, monitored, managed, and enforced policies on employees’ mobile devices. It allows control of a variety of devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and multiple systems, such as Android, IOS, Windows, etc.

MDM is a very useful tool for professionals who use many different appliances. It allows the company or admin to access, download, or enforce organizational policies on business devices.

How Does Mobile Device Management Work

There are many MDM providers in the market but most of them have the same way of operating, they will work step by step:

1: Device Enrollment

Devices are registered into the MDM system through automated, manual, token, QR codes, NFC chips, or self-enrollment methods.

2: Authentication and Validation

Once devices are enrolled, the MDM system confirms the authorized device and user by checking Device Type, Ownership Type, Compliance Rules, etc.

3: Configuration Profile Deployment

After devices enroll into MDM, IT admins can log in to their MDM portals to get an overview of what is happening. Then, they will set configurations like VPNs, Wi-Fi settings, Email accounts, Security policies, and application restrictions based on the organization’s needs.

4: App and Content Management or Remote Actions

When the admin confirms all devices are connected, they can control each app for its particular purpose, Such as pushing required apps to the device, blocking disallowed apps, setting up managed apps to isolate work data, etc.

Besides, MDM allows the admin to perform many different actions remotely, such as locking the device, resetting the password, deleting all data, etc.

5: Offboarding

Finally, after everyone completes their work and no longer uses the device, the admin will remove access through several methods, such as Remote wipe, unenrollment from MDM, and removal of all corporate settings, apps, and data.

Why MDM Is Important In Business

Improving business nowadays leads to higher competition, which motivates companies to invest more in technology and appliances to improve business performance. More devices will require more effort to manage; otherwise, it will make people confused and cause many troubles when the scale increases. MDM helps organizations protect private information in case the device is lost or stolen. MDM also minimizes the risk of stealing sensitive data. Mobile device management allows admin to lock or wipe lost devices automatically to prevent any unwanted access. It helps enterprises keep secret their business operations.

Many companies have hundreds of mobile devices. MDM platforms offer managers the possibility to track the situation and activity of all gears, improving operational efficiency. MDM will inform the admin of all abnormal signs so they can identify them and find a solution quickly to avoid business disruption.

Mobile Device Management Features

Aside from the security function of MDM, this software also has many other core features:

1: Device Management:

MDM allows administration to control devices very conveniently. They will know every device connected to their system and apply policies based on each particular device. They can also troubleshoot devices without user intervention. Besides, admins have the right to add or remove any connected devices from the MDM system.

2: Access Management

MDM cannot only control the number of devices that can connect to the system, particularly by defining roles and assigning permissions to users to limit access, but also ensure that only allowed devices are eligible to access corporate data.

The MDM admin can even route specific apps and set which apps are allowed or blocked. In case of a lost device, the admin can also lock or wipe the device remotely through MDM.

3: Document Management

MDM is a large network that includes many appliances, so it allows every member in this community to share documents to view and edit with each other if the admin does not restrict them. These documents are saved in a personal file in a variety of formats, such as PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc., and they are updated daily based on user changes. If there is a lost or compromised document situation, the admin can delete the selected document without affecting personal data.

4: Supervising and Reporting

MDM helps admins gain real-time visibility into Device status, Battery situation, Storage Capacity, Device model, and even current location via GPS. Managers can see every installed and unauthorized app. MDM also informs them about the number of active devices or disconnected devices and their reasons. MDM will report to users any potential threats, including missing encryption, PINs, or failed login attempts.

5: Network and Connectivity Management

MDM ensures automatic and uninterrupted connection, enforces the Wi-Fi or VPN network, and helps the admin check the statistics of each device’s data usage. MDM supervises every device joining the network to ensure only compliant devices can access data in the system and automatically blocks unregistered devices from connecting.

Advantages Of Mobile Device Management

Because of its multi-functional nature, MDM provides a variety of benefits for companies and individuals as well:

1: Enhance Security and Reduce Data Breaches

One of the best benefits is improving security and reducing data breaches, which allows organizations to set many security policies, such as passwords, automatic lockouts, and device encryption. In case the connected device is lost, the admin can lock or wipe remotely to prevent unauthorized access, which helps the company protect data from any threats

2: Increase Efficiency and Manageability

With MDM, the manager can easily control all devices regardless of where they are located, increasing the manager’s performance. Besides, the MDM manager can also update the latest version for all mobile appliances to ensure productivity.

3: Support For The Device

MDM plays a vital role in saving time in company operations. Managers can observe all device statuses, such as battery, data usage, memory usage, and potential threats, and report to the admin in real time. This way, managers can be informed of the latest situation and focus on solving this matter immediately.

4: Optimize Cost and Time For Companies

Without MDM, enterprises have to spend a lot of effort on both labour and appliances to ensure the privacy of private information and manage multiple facilities. This software helps minimize time and expense for device management. Admins just need to add their needed devices to the same system, and then MDM will provide all information about connected appliances for easy management.

Challenges and Practice Of MDM

To optimize the business operation, managers must fully understand cost, use cases and potential challenges. Although MDM may have many benefits to help the company increase business effectiveness, it still faces a variety of difficulties:

1: Device diversity

Challenge: MDM supports organizations to connect a wide range of devices like: laptop, smartphone, iPad, and different operating systems like: Android, IOS, Windows, Linux. These technology companies often upgrade devices and release their new model to bring the best experience for customers, so it requires MDM to keep up to date with the latest version of all connected devices to be compatible with all connections. Therefore, updating continuously will cause compatibility issues because several old models will be limited and blocked from the system.

Practice: To avoid disapproval, admins need to maintain an approved device list and check the device’s version to update it if necessary. This ensures smooth connections.

2: BYOD ( Bring Your Device )

Challenge: Employees can use their devices to connect to MDM and access corporate data. Although the admin can follow the activity of all connected devices, this still causes a loss of control over device security. Several individuals can install unmonitored personal apps to leak the company’s private data, which will negatively affect the organization.

Practice: Managers can launch Mobile Application Management to protect work data, and they can also use apps in the same ecosystem (e.g., Microsoft Outlook, Work via Intune ) to ensure all information is shared within the same system and will not be leaked outside.

3: Cost of MDM

Challenge: Implementing MDM requires trained staff, modern devices, and so on, which require a large amount of money. Even in some cases, companies fail to operate MDM, which causes them to suffer huge financial losses, but they still keep investing because it is a chance to enhance their working performance to serve the long-term activity.

Practice: Companies need to start with a basic MDM system to gain fundamental knowledge about managing multiple devices. Besides, they need to organize several training courses for the admin team to improve their professional skills.

4: Network Dependency

Challenge: MDM needs an internet connection to control and set policies, push updates, or wipe lost devices. If the connected devices are offline or in airplane mode, MDM admins cannot track what they are doing, so they can not determine the risk before it happens.

Practice: Build a strong internet system in the workplace to ensure stable network transmission and overall management.

Choosing The Right MDM Solution

Technology devices are the essential appliances for organizations, managing and securing them is an important mission because it includes much companies’ private data. Many popular MDM providers, such as Microsoft Intune, VMware Workspace One, Jamf, and Cisco Meraki, each have their strengths, so to choose a suitable MDM, companies need to carefully consider:

Step 1: Define the Company’s Demand

Firstly, managers need to understand clearly their company’s requirements, including the type of connected device, operating system, and so on, which will help them screen the list of potential MDM solutions.

Step 2: MDM consideration and evaluate performance

There is a wide range of MDM solution providers in the market, so enterprises have many choices to test before deciding. Based on the company’s core needs, they can experience many solutions and compare features, capabilities, and expenses to determine the best software that meets their needs and budget. Besides, companies can also consider the user experience. An easy-to-use MDM will help them adapt and manage data effectively.

Step 3: Consider the Potential Development

After a particular period of use, businesses need to check the scalability of the MDM solution because if they still maintain the scale of their business after a long time, they will be behind their competitors. Therefore, they need to update continuously, and it requires an MDM solution that can be upgraded according to the scale of business.

Step 4: Cost Analysis

Different MDM solutions will have different costs, including direct and indirect costs. Direct cost is the expense companies must pay directly for MDM solutions, such as licensing, implementation, and ongoing subscription fees. In contrast, indirect cost is the amount that supports the activity of MDM, such as maintenance, training expenses,… Evaluating the expenditure of the MDM solution that is fit for the organization’s budget ensures the operational cost does not exceed the budget regulation.

Step 5: Make Decision and Implement

According to the above analysis, the company can choose an appropriate solution that aligns with its objectives and requirements. Then, it can start preparing a detailed plan to implement it, involving risk management strategies, a training schedule, and a communication plan. A thorough implementation plan will help the company always be ready to solve any issues.

Step 6: Review and Optimize

MDM is not a set-and-forget solution. It requires supervision day by day to be informed about any updates and features from the MDM vendor and take timely action. This is an important task for optimizing performance. By following all the MDM notices, it will provide a robust mobile device ecosystem.

Conclusion

Mobile device management is a perfect solution for helping companies control remote access. It provides safety and reliable access and manages the entire fleet – an essential demand for organizations nowadays. A suitable MDM software will increase the management ability and help the organization be more flexible in any situation. MDM is the key to solving most cybersecurity threats of mobile devices for every business