“The key to a successful enterprise mobility management system is how well the management and employees trust each other.”
Digitalization and the increasing need for remote working have put a new set of duties on IT security teams. They must ensure that confidential organizational data is never compromised, whether due to an employee’s negligence or an unforeseeable cyberattack. Mobile Device Management tools, like Shield360, help the IT security teams and the management to monitor, analyze, and control the work-related devices that their employees use.
But for successfully implementing an enterprise mobility management policy, the organization must draft IT security protocols related to:
- Etiquettes of using work-related devices.
- The do’s and don’ts of data handling.
- The rights and duties of both the employer and the employees.
Proper communication and trust-building between the upper management and the frontline workers can ensure that all these exercises are successful.
The Importance of Proper Communication
Management must communicate the need and benefits of having a Mobile Device Management solution in place.
For example, you can tell them that the IT teams can install the data and apps that a frontline employee would need on the field instantly from a centralized platform to any employee in the system.
Also, the admin can remotely wipe the phone data if it is ever stolen or misplaced. It protects both the employee data and enterprise data from getting into the wrong hands.
Mobile device management products (also known as enterprise mobile management tools) are often confused with surveillance tools. It is the responsibility of the management to clarify that surveillance and device management are entirely different things. The next section can help you to describe it better.
Difference Between Surveillance & Monitoring
According to encyclopedia.com, Monitoring (a primary element of device management) is a broad phrase for the systematic and consistent observation of people, locations, objects, or processes. On the other hand, surveillance refers to the pursuit of evidence of crimes or other misconduct, which is done by law enforcement or security agents.
Organizations, both government and private, use enterprise mobility management tools (EMM tools) to monitor and control work-related devices (laptops and phones). Mostly, these devices are owned by the organization and distributed to employees for work. Therefore, it is their right to monitor and evaluate the efficiency of resources and the security of their information.
Organizations also have the responsibility to resolve any apprehensions and doubts that their employees have about the monitor and control capabilities of EMM tools.
The Rights and Responsibilities of Employees
Employees in the digital age require and deserve, the ability to work remotely. Organizations provide them with seamless access to corporate resources and data to do the job with ease. In return, the employee needs to adhere to device usage policies and IT security protocols of the organization.
The employees also need to ensure that they are not negligent with the device and the business data, in the following ways:
- Exposing sensitive information to hostile intruders.
- Downloading apps and other stuff from unauthorized sources.
- Letting someone else use their phone device.
- Misplacing their gadgets frequently.
In exchange, the employees have the right to have a guarantee from the employer that their location and other personal information are handled ethically and carefully by the administration. In the following section, we will learn about the responsibilities of the management in slight detail.
Organization’s Rights and Responsibilities
The administration and IT team of a company have a responsibility to form well-thought-out policies. They need to ensure employee privacy, data security, and risk mitigation are all included in the policy framework.
Using our MDM Shield360 software solution, organizations can improve the productivity and collaboration of their employees. Shield360 provides employees with the flexibility to access corporate data when they are working from home or in the field.
While the organization has the right to monitor their devices and data, they also have the responsibility that their employee’s privacy is not violated. In fact, organizations should officially declare, document, and communicate their rights and responsibilities to the employees.
The organizations also need to take care of technical support desks, privacy policies, regulatory compliance, etc. Gaining employees’ trust will make them partners in your enterprise mobility management endeavor.
For that, the management needs to respect everyone’s opinion. Take work councils, frontline workers, trade unions, and others as stakeholders in decision-making regarding the implementation of MDM software solutions.
The administration also needs to review and amend policies regularly, based on the changing work dynamics. They must communicate these amendments to every department and ask for their feedback before implementing the changes.
Responsibilities of the IT Security Team
MDM Shield360 monitors and controls the work devices of employees from a centralized admin panel. IT teams have a responsibility to educate the staff accurately on the do’s and don’ts of device usage. The IT security administrator also needs to guide the employees about the best data security practices.
The IT admin should also analyze and decide on secure ways of transferring and modifying data on the devices. They should guarantee that the employees’ privacy is always protected while doing that.
The tightrope walk of enterprise data security and user privacy protection is usually challenging for the IT teams. However, with a well-designed MDM solution, it becomes streamlined.
Help & Support
The organization also has a responsibility to provide proper IT support and a help desk to their employees. Especially, since employees could not modify or update the device themselves as per the MDM policies.
The Help Desk will be responsible for ensuring the timely repairs and replacements of devices. They should also examine the device warranty with the IT team to see whether a replacement is possible. In addition, if an employee’s device is out for repair, the IT staff must provide a temporary device until the original phone is back from the repair center.
Final Thoughts
Each organization’s needs are different. However, the rights and responsibilities mentioned in this article are the foundation of every robust mobile device management policy. The end goal should be enhanced productivity, data security, and most importantly, employee satisfaction.