MDM for Small Business

If you’ve evaluated mobile device management solutions in the past, you may have encountered IT companies offering flat rate plans as a package for 20-30 devices. By contrast, Ontech Systems offers a variety of mobile device management plans, each designed with the needs of a small business in mind.

These MDM solutions operate on a month-to-month basis, with no contract required. You pay only for the devices that you use, with a simple, affordable flat rate that is easy to understand.

Not long ago, many businesses would never consider mobile devices as a workplace tool, but today, businesses of all sizes are embracing the mobile revolution. While it’s common for enterprise businesses to integrate mobile device management (MDM) into their organization, you might wonder whether MDM for small business is realistic, or even necessary, given the size of their business and the type of data they work with.

The question remains, are MDM solutions realistic for small businesses, or are they better suited for larger firms? When asking this question, consider the cost of not having a mobile device management solution in place.

Cyber Criminals Are Targeting Small Businesses

More than 40% of cyber-attacks were directed not at the largest firms, but at their small business counterparts. (Small Biz Trends)

And just as troubling, cyber-attacks are still on the rise, and the threat is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

Hackers are wise to the fact that small businesses don’t emphasize security as much as larger organizations. The statistics clearly reflect this and yet, small businesses still fail to prepare for cyber-attacks by developing a mobile data management strategy to protect their data and the integrity of their business.

Is Your Small Business Data Valuable to Hackers?

No matter what type of data you work with, customer data is in some way stored and integrated into your business. As a result, this presents a security risk and a target for hackers. Now is the time to develop a plan.

BYOD & MDM for Small Business: A Perfect Match

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend started gaining popularity as mobile devices became increasingly popular and businesses started cutting back on their IT spending.

Rather than investing precious dollars on an array of smartphones and tablets, businesses embraced BYOD by allowing employees to use their own devices in the workplace.

The advantages of BYOD are clear from a budgetary standpoint, but allowing employees to access sensitive company data with their own smartphones, tablets and laptops carries some substantial risks.

What’s the Risk? Ask Yourself:

• Can you say with 100% certainty that employees are keeping their mobile devices up to date? If an employee’s device was attacked, what would prevent the malicious virus or malware from reaching your network?
• If an employee’s device was lost or stolen, would anyone have FULL access to your company data? Could they access customer data?
• Do you have a way to prevent former employees from accessing your company data once they leave the company?

Small businesses who adopt a BYOD policy without integrating a complimentary MDM management plan are putting company security in employee’s hands, a risky proposition indeed.

Why Would a Small Business want to use a Mobile Device Management Solution?

There are a number of other serious risks for small businesses who allow BYOD in the workplace without MDM software in place:

• THEFT: There is a higher risk of theft due to the very nature of mobile devices. Company data could fall into the wrong hands via an unsecured or compromised mobile device, due to lack of mobile device monitoring.
• LOST DEVICES: According to a report by Digital Trends, Americans lost more than $30 billion dollars’ worth of smartphones in a single 12 month period. If you allow employees to bring their own devices, chances are at least one of those devices will be lost or stolen. This is probable risk, made all the more serious when coupled with the fact that the majority of users do not properly secure their mobile devices.
• SABOTAGE: Former employees could access and tamper with company data.
• DATA LOSS: The loss of data from unsecured devices and human error presents a serious risk.
• VIRUSES/RANSOMWARE: Mobile software that is not updated, poses a security risk and creates a loophole for hackers to access your network.
• THE FACTS: The deliberate targeting of small businesses by hackers is an ongoing risk. Remember, more than 40% of cyberattacks are directed at the small business community.

The Risk is REAL: Lost Smartphone, Lost Data

Given the nature of these serious threats, it’s critical for small businesses to properly secure all devices, whether company-owned or employees-owned. MDM for small business just makes sense and your business is only as secure as its weakest link, and without a MDM solution, your business IS at risk.

It’s easy to see the value in a MDM plan and even easier to understand the risk of not having a plan in place.