The ubiquity of mobile devices in the business world make it more critical than ever to have best practices in place for mobile security. Businesses use mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) and develop their own apps to improve business partnerships, productivity, performance, and customer satisfaction. It’s imperative that businesses also look at mobile lifecycle management (MLM) as an integral part of their mobile plan.
In a Sea of Acronyms, What is MLM?
Mobile lifecycle management (MLM) includes the compliance, security, and privacy for mobile devices when it comes to both personal and business data, employee privacy, and compliance with industry regulations and the government. It keeps the apps and data associated with those apps secure once you deploy them for use. Whereas MDM covers the apps, content, and devices, MLM looks at a full lifecycle approach for managing mobile apps, content, devices, and the associated expenses that go along with them. Organizations use managed mobility services (MMS) to merge processes and streamline MLM. MMS unites the processes from logistics and sourcing to end-user support, all in one system to improve agility and visibility across the entire mobile infrastructure. MLM also allows you to respond to your organization’s needs more quickly.
How Does Mobile Lifecycle Management Help IT?
MLM allows your IT department to take control of mobile expenses and communications. It helps secure mobile endpoints and protects apps and data access. MLM also encompasses the procurement of mobile inventory and assets and management of invoices and service plans. It incorporates the allocation of costs for chargebacks and can significantly reduce or even eliminate a portion of an organization’s mobile expenses via optimization audits, while simplifying the overall mobile management process.
Why Does Mobile Lifecycle Management Matter?
As a complete solution for managing mobile devices, apps, and expenses, as well as device security, MLM can save you time and money by expanding your return on investment (ROI). In today’s business environment, bring your own device (BYOD) programs also make MLM more important than ever by protecting your organizational data on employee-owned devices.
What Are the Benefits of Mobile Lifecycle Management?
Having a large, decentralized workforce spread across multiple locations or working remotely requires mobile technology that is always on, working properly, and safely. You need support for end-users that tracks and manages the various mobile devices used in the field. MLM puts the privacy and security of both the organization and personal information in the hands of your organization’s IT team, allowing you to control devices, apps, and content quickly and easily. Managing the lifecycle of a mobile asset (including the device, the apps, and the data) from purchase to disposal and everything in between, provides the control required to safeguard the integrity of the devices, reduce risk, and maximize your financial investment in each and every device.
Complete Solutions for Your Mobile Lifecycle Management
vCom Solutions has a comprehensive management solution for your mobile lifecycle. We provide your organization with one platform that’s available anywhere, anytime, to track every aspect of your mobile environment. This platform, vManager, allows you to monitor unbilled usage, carrier management, pool utilization, trouble tickets, and more. With vCom’s solution, your organization can centralize mobile spending across all locations, providers, and devices. You’ll benefit from software and managed services to consolidate and control your mobile spend for all devices, including MiFis, smartphones, tablets, wireless wide area networks (WWAN), and Internet of Things (IoT) services.
vCom mobile lifecycle management includes aggregated buying power, centralized mobile inventory management, carrier benchmarking, order workflow management, managed pay, invoice distribution, and the utilization and optimization of reports. All of these services are designed to maximize the value of your mobile infrastructure.
