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By the end of 2021, there will be more than 13.8 billion active IoT devices, with this number expected to jump to 13.8 billion units by 2030. As more companies integrate endpoint devices into their network infrastructures, IT professionals are now turning to Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) to manage this growing device network, including laptops, smartphones, printers, IoT devices, desktops, and more.
The ideal endpoint management solution enables organizations to oversee and unify all of their devices in diverse locations to ensure better resource allocation, reduced IT costs and minimized risks of data breaches. This blog provides excellent insights into choosing the ideal UEM platform for your needs.
Unified endpoint management is a technological solution deployed on endpoint devices to monitor and detect malicious activity and provide IT professionals with the capability to investigate and proactively respond to threats and incidents. A UEM solution helps admins manage mobile IT environments, monitor user activity, and carry out regular endpoint maintenance.
UEM platforms differ from one provider to the other. It is crucial that you evaluate the available options to ensure you get the perfect technology that meets your needs. The following are some of the factors to consider when evaluating your UEM options:
The Operating System and Support
In the current hybrid work model, your employees use a range of devices with diverse operating systems to complete various tasks. It is crucial to choose a UEM platform that supports a breadth of operating systems from Windows, iOS, macOS to Android and Chrome. The more devices your UEM supports, the greater your ability to satisfy your employee preferences and needs. Keep in mind some vendors focus their products on specific operating systems such as Android or Apple. Unless your organization uses a single operating system across all devices, going for such a provider can complicate work productivity.
Compliance Automation
An ideal unified endpoint management solution helps increase efficiency by automating processes. It is advisable to choose an option that can automatically identify non-compliant endpoints and take corrective measures in real-time. Such a UEM solution has the capability to quarantine out-of-compliance devices until proper remediation action is undertaken. This way, your organization will always be ready for compliance audits.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Programs and Support
BYOD or Bring Your Own Device policies allow employees to use their personal devices such as smartphones, laptops, and other devices at work. Today, BYOD has gained popularity in recent times, with about 65% of employees already using their personal devices at work. If you have a BYOD policy in your organization, go for a UEM solution that supports BYOB programs. Such a solution can help you secure and control the entire IT environment and all its endpoints, including work-issued devices and personal devices.
Reporting and Diagnostics
The best-unified endpoint management solutions should collect, store and analyze data to provide valuable insights and visibility into device inventory, user behavior, usage analytics, and more. Such a solution keeps you informed on various software and hardware details, including the operating software versions, the apps installed, network connection details, and more. With such insights, admins are empowered to monitor the IT environment and make data-backed decisions on areas that need improvement.
Integration with Other IT Products
Another critical consideration is the type of partnership that a vendor has with other platforms that you are leveraging to support your IT infrastructure and end-users in general. Determine how well a UEM platform you are reviewing integrates with your current platforms, such as the ticketing system, cybersecurity solutions, cloud management platforms, endpoint security products, and more. If you can get a vendor that combines UEM solutions with other IT products your organization utilizes, the better.
Device Security Policies
With remote work taking root across all industries, more of your organization’s data lives outside the firewalls of your company. The ideal UEM should provide features to support your security policies, such as root detection, password setting, jailbreaking, anti-phishing, mobile threat detection, and more. Go for UEM software that integrates identity and access management, remote access management, and endpoint security tools to support dynamic policy and top-notch authentication techniques.
Management Automation
In today’s highly competitive business world, there is a need to save time and cut operating costs for deploying and managing your devices. Device management tasks, including deploying the same apps to multiple devices or configuring the same Wi-Fi network in all work devices, are time-consuming, error-prone, and mundane activities when done manually. Automating these tasks would have remarkable time-saving benefits while improving workplace productivity. The right UEM platform should provide capabilities that support fully automated deployment and device management. This doesn’t only ensure your workforce is receiving devices faster, but it also guarantees administrators are spending less time on deployment and management.
The Cost of the UEM
Another crucial factor to consider is the price of the UEM solution you are reviewing. Because a UEM solution affects so many users, it can be a costly investment for most organizations. To save costs, consider UEM providers that bundle their UEM platforms with other IT products. Additionally, consider going for a per-user pricing model over a per-device pricing model. Ideally, most of your users need to access multiple devices to complete tasks, meaning going for a per-device pricing model can be costly for the organization.
Selecting the ideal vendor and UEM solution can be a complicated process for most admins. With myriads of IT solutions available in the market, it is crucial that you undertake in-depth research to ensure the option you select meets your needs.
If you need help reviewing and selecting an ideal UEM platform, consider working with a cybersecurity specialist to guide you through the entire process. The experienced endpoint management professionals from Radius Executive IT Solutions are ready to help. We provide top-notch managed IT support for businesses and organizations in Boston designed to relieve you of the IT burden so you can focus on your organization and clients. Contact us today to learn more about our solutions and request a quote.
