Zenprise Adds Mobile Management Tools for iPad, iPhone
Mobile management software firm Zenprise today unveiled the latest version of its MobileManager program aimed at helping mobile IT more effectively manage, monitor and secure employee-liable iPads and iPhones in the workplace.
New capabilities address three common concerns associated with employee-owned mobile devices.
A new "Selective Wipe" feature enables administrators to keep personal data on mobile devices separate from corporate data so not all content is erased when an employee leaves a company.
For employee-liable devices not covered by internal support staff, "Remote Lifeline" connects, diagnoses and troubleshoots unsecured personal devices. Zenprise also now gives administrators the flexibility to create distinct security "Profiles" for employee-liable and corporate-liable devices. Profiles prevent the loss of trade secrets or confidential information on lost or stolen unsecured personal devices.
Mobile management software addresses fragmented landscape
Zenrprise's new mobile management software offering comes at a time when mobile IT departments are facing the challenge of overseeing multiple types of mobile devices running different operating systems -- BlackBerrys, iPhones and now Android handsets. Plus, some of the smartphones are owned by employees, while some are corporate-owned, which adds to the complexity of managing and securing the devices in the enterprise. As a result, firms are rolling out more mobile management services to support various mobile operating systems and devices as well as features such as so-called selective wipe. "Our clients are dealing with B.Y.O.D., bring your own device to work, and need to treat the employee-owned and corporate-owned devices differently in terms of policies and management. For instance, at a minimum on a personal smartphone, you would want to enforce use of passcodes, but perhaps not restrict mobile apps. For corporate phones, you may want to restrict access to sync with iTunes," Ahmed Datoo, vice president of marketing for Zenprise, told EnterpriseMobileToday. The new Profile tool allows IT to create distinct profiles for employee-liable and corporate-liable devices. For example, IT may simply require the use of passwords on employee-liable devices.
The corporate-liable profile may also require passwords, in addition to restricting Web browsing capabilities, limited or blocking installation of certain application, or preventing access to features such as the YouTube applications or camera capabilities. Profiles are managed via Active Directory to simplify management.
The Remote Lifeline service is for those instances where VIPs or traveling employees require emergency technical assistance, even if the organization does not formally support their employee-liable devices. Zenprise gives IT administrators the means to auto-configure a user's VPN, proxy server and Wi-Fi settings remotely to expedite troubleshooting. Additionally, Remote Lifeline automatically detects and helps IT remediate problems on unsupported employee-liable devices,such as a user's inability to access enterprise mail, calendar or contacts.
Datoo also said the ability to manage both types of devices from a single dashboard is a key factor in making the process easier. Users of MobileManager can do this as a result of Zenprise's ability to provides IT visibility across the entire mobile ecosystem at the device, carrier, infrastructure and Exchange levels.