Managing Mobile Devices: The New MSP Opportunity

Just as it’s hard to imagine banking without ATMs, computer users eventually will look back and wonder how they ever got by without smartphones or tablets. Network-connected smartphones, notebooks and tablets, according to analysts, will reach 15 billion worldwide by 2015 — more than double the planet’s projected population. Mobile phones in 2013 will surpass PCs in connecting to the Internet, analysts predict. As of 2012, the number of smartphones in use worldwide had passed 1 billion.

Mobile computing is inevitable. Users want to carry their mobile devices at all times wherever they go, including the workplace. For employers, especially small and midsize businesses (SMBs), the proliferation of personal smartphones and tablets accessing their networks creates complex management challenges. Often, employers don’t know who is bringing what devices into the office and how much corporate data is in them, which poses serious security risks.

This explosion of personal mobile devices in the workplace creates an opportunity for managed service providers (MSPs) to add value for SMB customers. Remotely monitoring and managing mobile devices is a logical extension of the services MSPs already provide. Bound by SLAs (service level agreements) to minimize downtime in their clients’ networks and protect them against breaches and leaks, MSPs now have a perfect opportunity to also help clients meet the mobile device management (MDM) challenge. The most effective way to accomplish this is to integrate MDM with RMM (remote monitoring and management), and partner with a vendor that supports an integrated approach.