November 2018 Summaries

BYOD is an IT policy allowing employees to use their personal devices for work, driven by user satisfaction, productivity, and cost savings. COPE involves providing devices and letting employees use them on and off the job, while CYOD provides approved devices with company-provided costs, offering a balance between BYOD and COPE models. Both BYOD and COPE offer benefits such as increased employee satisfaction, cost savings, and productivity, but also have their drawbacks. Miradore can help separate business and personal apps to ensure privacy and security.

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a US data protection regulation that protects electronic protected health information (e-PHI) in the healthcare industry. The regulation was introduced to maintain privacy and security of health data. It defines steep civil and criminal penalties for violations, making data handling a serious matter. Mobile Device Management with Miradore can help organizations comply with HIPAA by enforcing passcodes on devices, encrypting storage media, preparing routines for erasing lost data, controlling device functionality, ensuring software is up to date, looking into apps before installation, providing adequate security for wireless networks, and making sure small devices are adequately secured. By implementing these measures, organizations can reduce the risk of HIPAA violations and protect sensitive health information.

The increasing trend of remote work and contractors has led organizations to need a way to effectively track, manage, and secure both physical and digital assets. IT asset management tools allow for the lifecycle management of hardware and software from discovery or deployment to disposal. Organizations can choose between an agent-based solution, where an application is installed on users' devices to collect information and manage them, or an agentless approach, where central scanners are used to periodically connect to remote computers and run scans and diagnostics to extract information. The choice between the two approaches depends on factors such as workforce size, device models, data types, network environment, IT staff, and budget. Both methods have their pros and cons, including issues with performance on lower-end devices, limitations in agentless data collection, and concerns about employee privacy when using agents. Ultimately, organizations must weigh the pros and cons of each approach and consider factors such as centralized environments, scanning requirements, and network connectivity to determine which method is best suited for their needs.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) division has authorized the expansion of its security management structure, emphasizing the importance of CJIS compliance for government entities responsible for secure access to sensitive information. The FBI's CJIS Security Policy outlines requirements and guidelines for protecting Criminal Justice Information, providing a framework for law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to ensure the security of sources, transmission, storage, and generation of CJI. Miradore is a CJIS-compliant platform that can secure, control, and manage devices, enabling organizations to achieve compliance with this policy, which applies to all individuals accessing or operating in support of criminal justice services and information.

Miradore is a Google Partner for Zero-Touch Enrollment, a deployment method that automates the configuration of devices in enterprise environments when first turned on, persisting even after factory resets, and making them theft-proof. This allows companies to quickly and easily deploy devices to employees without IT intervention, saving time and effort. With Miradore's MDM solution, devices can be automatically configured and rolled out into the hands of users, eliminating human errors and enabling seamless device management. Google's carrier partners offer Zero-Touch Enrollment on various devices from multiple manufacturers, including Samsung, Huawei, and Sony, making it a viable option for enterprises seeking to simplify their mobile deployment processes.

The traditional IT landscape is shifting as the lines between workstations and mobile devices become increasingly blurred, with many employees using personally owned smartphones in the workplace. As a result, IT teams face pressure to deliver efficient management solutions that can adapt to changing technologies and user needs. A unified endpoint management (UEM) solution, such as Miradore, is necessary to manage all devices, including those running Windows 10, and provide secure remote access and configuration capabilities from a single platform. This approach enables organizations of all sizes to deploy scalable solutions that balance employee freedom with enterprise security requirements.

The traditional Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculation model is no longer effective due to the impact of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and self-service innovations on IT asset management costs. The five phases of the TCO lifecycle - Plan, Procure, Deploy, Maintain, and Retire - need to be reassessed with a BYOD perspective, taking into account the elimination of planning and procurement costs, automation of deployment, maintenance, and retirement processes, and the shift in employee ownership of devices. With advanced MDM tools, IT can achieve significant cost savings while maintaining high-quality support services for end-users and ensuring security and quality of asset data. The best MDM tool investments can be cash flow neutral, offering a balance between cost savings and service quality improvements.

MDM solutions like Miradore can help small businesses save money over time by managing mobile devices more efficiently. These systems allow companies to track lost phones, secure sensitive data, and prevent compliance breaches, which can result in significant fines and reputational damage. MDM also helps with data usage limits, tax rebates, and implementing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies responsibly. By using Miradore's features such as app whitelisting, location checks, and configuration profiles, businesses can reduce productivity costs, improve security, and increase profits.

Miradore is a free Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution suitable for small businesses, offering four key benefits: it's free to use without restrictions on devices or time, easy to set up and operate, provides comprehensive visibility and reporting capabilities, and secures devices with features such as remote lock or wipe, device encryption, and passcode enforcement, making it an attractive option for SMBs looking to protect their mobile devices and sensitive data.

When choosing a mobile device for business, there are several factors to consider, including security and platform updates, separating personal and work apps, and the type of device environment (BYOD, CYOD, or company-owned). Apple's iOS devices offer a long lifecycle, easy deployment through the Device Enrollment Program, and remote management features, but require purchasing from authorized resellers and have limited flexibility for personally-owned devices. Android Enterprise offers similar benefits, with easier management of personally-owned devices and clearer separation between work and personal use, but can be riskier due to device variations from lesser-known manufacturers. Windows Phone is not a recommended choice due to the uncertain future of the platform. Ultimately, the decision between iOS and Android may come down to opinion, but combining the best features of both platforms can also be an option.

Miradore can help businesses stay GDPR-compliant by implementing a range of security measures, including locking screens and passcodes to prevent unauthorized access, encrypting data both at rest and in motion, destroying unnecessary data, taking control of apps on business devices, keeping software up-to-date, monitoring device fleet activity, addressing the risk of theft through remote wiping and encryption, and deploying and enforcing settings remotely. These measures are crucial for protecting personal data and ensuring compliance with the GDPR's strict regulations.

The Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate is a congressionally mandated rule aimed at creating a safer work environment for truck drivers and eliminating $1.6 billion in paperwork costs. The mandate requires electronic logging devices to synchronize with vehicles' engines, automatically recording driving time and hours of service data. Trucking operators have options to comply, including single-purpose ELD devices, smartphones or tablets with ELD tracking software, and portable ELDs. The deadline for compliance is December 18, 2017, but a grace period allows truckers until April 1 to come into compliance. Non-compliance can result in fines and violation points, as well as potential safety risks due to driver fatigue. The ELD mandate is expected to save lives by preventing crashes and injuries, and eliminate paperwork costs for motor carriers and law enforcement agencies. A solution like Miradore's Enterprise Mobility Management can help trucking companies secure their devices, install and update apps remotely, and restrict device use to prevent abuse.

Miradore Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a powerful tool that offers several features to enhance employee phone security and streamline administrative tasks. With Miradore, users can send push messages to Android devices, clear and reset passcodes remotely, automate admin work, wipe specific data from lost or stolen devices, let users enroll their own devices, secure Wi-Fi credentials, and stay informed about device inventory through the dashboard. These features provide a range of benefits, including improved security, reduced administrative work, and increased user convenience.

MDM software like Miradore is essential for maximizing data and device security in any organization, regardless of its size or type. It provides centralized control over devices, automates enrollment, offers analytics to track device status, allows location tracking, and enables diversity through unified endpoint management (UEM). By implementing MDM, organizations can remove security headaches from IT management, free employees from individual security decisions, and mitigate risk, ultimately preventing business disruption.