Next-generation mobile device management (MDM) capabilities are now within the reach of average South African companies. Through a newly-introduced MDM Partner Programme, specialist IT security company Securicom, in collaboration with solutions company, Blue Turtle Technologies, is working to develop a solid local MDM competency which will enable more companies to leverage advanced MDM tools and activate effective mobile strategies.
"We are activating a solid MDM competency through a network of handpicked partners to enable more companies to go beyond simply managing device security, to putting mobile to work for optimising business. Employing next-generation MDM capabilities does no longer have to be the exclusive territory of bigger enterprises. Now, even companies with limited resources can leverage the best-of-breed mobile device management tools and implement effective mobile strategies," says Elna du Plessis, MDM channel manager at Securicom.
Through the MDM Partner Programme, Securicom provides expert training and support on the market-leading Zenprise technology to its partner network. The technology can be implemented for companies of all sizes on-premise, from the cloud or in hybrid set-ups. With over 10 years' experience providing hosted, cloud-based IT security solutions, Securicom offers Zenprise as a cloud service directly and through its partner network. This lowers the cost of ownership, speeds up implementation times and allows companies to access the advanced functionality of Zenprise MDM without needing specialised resources.
According to Du Plessis, Securicom carefully weighed up the various MDM offerings available and chose Zenprise to add to its end-to-end range of IT security solutions, because it offers the most comprehensive tools for managing mobile devices and is considered to be the among the most innovative and secure by both Gartner and Forrester.
Du Plessis lists Zenprise's 100% uptime guaranteed SLA, advanced data loss prevention functionality, and mobile application security and optimisation tools as just some of the differentiators.
"Zenprise also has a strong user interface and functionality tool, and offers end-to-end security via an embedded VPN and sandbox that can control and encrypt application data. Zenprise has the ability to quarantine non-compliant devices based on policies, devices, operating system versions, and compliance violations all from one central point. These are areas where other solutions are found lacking."
Although boasting advanced security features and the ability to support every major smart device for both "bring-your-own" and "company-issued" device models, Zenprise is easy and quick to implement. It is also very user-friendly.
"Zenprise lends perfectly to a partner model which we believe is crucial for building local MDM capacity and for meeting the growing demand for these services. The user-friendliness and flexibility of the system means that our partners can get companies up and running very fast.
"We host, maintain and upgrade the solution in the cloud while offering ongoing, strategic support to partners and customers. This lowers the cost of ownership for businesses while ensuring they have access to value-adding MDM competencies.
"Ensuring that companies have access to credible MDM skills and competency is critical. We do not only offer an asset tracking system or on-sell a solution we do not fully understand. Some of the other players in the MDM space come from a telecommunications background, which makes their focus different and non-security related. With our security focus, end-to-end offering, we can consult on all aspects of IT security while assisting companies in their growth on the mobile maturity model."
She concludes: "With the conversation around MDM shifting from how to protect and secure mobile devices in the enterprise to how to put them to work for optimising business, we are geared to support companies' changing requirements and intentions with appropriately-skilled partners."
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