Learn More About Mobile Application Management Software
What is mobile application management (MAM) software?
Mobile application management software (MAM) software, empowers organizations to enable IT control over enterprise applications on users' corporate and personal mobile devices. It offers the IT department granular control at the application level, allowing them to maintain and secure corporate data. This is especially important in mobile strategies such as bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs. Essentially, they are software responsible for provisioning and controlling access to corporate mobile apps on personal and company-provided smartphones and tablet devices.
Until recently, IT administrators typically depended on mobile device management (MDM) software, which offers features for device enrollment, device activation, remote wipe, and other device-level functionality. This software is still efficient if an organization provides mobile devices to employees for performing work-related tasks.
However, MDM becomes ineffective when employees use their personal devices for work. That's because employees may not allow IT administrators to utilize MDM capabilities such as remote wipes or blocking specific apps on their devices.
Mobile app management software came into existence to resolve such challenges. It helps the IT department to enforce corporate policies on mobile apps and secure corporate app data. It can also help separate a user's personal data and applications from business data and applications on the same device. More precisely, MAM tools enable administrators to manage mobile applications without managing an entire mobile device. App configuration, software license management, and application lifecycle management are some standard mobile app management solutions capabilities.
Organizations can use enterprise app store software to enhance the capabilities of MAM solutions. It helps create and moderate internal app marketplaces, commonly called enterprise app stores. Users can download applications from such enterprise app stores, which follow a similar concept to consumer-oriented app stores such as Google Play Store for Android devices or App Store for Apple's iPhones.
What are the benefits of mobile application management solutions?
MAM solutions make things more convenient for both employees and businesses. Employees can benefit from the flexibility of using their personal mobile devices for work without uninstalling any personal application. Conversely, companies can use MAM to secure crucial corporate data and restrict it from being unnecessarily shared.
BYOD support: The BYOD program offers flexibility to employees and reduces equipment costs. However, employees' personal devices come with many security risks. MAM solutions can help eliminate the associated risks and improve network and corporate data security.
Lesser privacy concerns: It's natural for employees to be concerned about their personal data. This becomes especially true in programs like BYOD, where both personal and business apps are stored on the same device. With MDM controls, employees may lose their personal data when an IT administrator erases corporate data from their devices. Since MAM draws a fine line between personal and corporate data, this wouldn't be a problem.
Remote wiping capabilities: Most MAM tools allow companies to erase their business data using the remote wipe feature if a mobile device is stolen or lost. This feature is exciting because it leaves personal data untouched, unlike in the case of MDM-managed devices. Therefore, this feature can also be used to erase corporate data from an employee's device in the case of employee exit.
Increased workforce mobility: Employees typically leave Corporate devices at the office, which means that they may have to drive back to the office to complete an urgent task. With MAM taking care of mobile security, employees can confidently use their personal devices for work, enabling them to complete tasks from anywhere at their convenience.
Accommodate multiplatform devices: The mobile ecosystem comprises multiple operating systems, mainly Android, iOS, and Windows. Since different operating systems have different security management capabilities, ensuring consistent policies across all devices is nearly impossible. MAM can solve this problem and enable the IT department to provide consistent device security across different platforms and devices.
Who uses MAM software?
IT administrators: IT administrators, or more precisely, internal IT departments, are the most common users of MAM software solutions. As mentioned, MAM tools empower IT administrators to secure corporate data and ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands.
Which companies should buy MAM software?
Mobile app management solutions can be used by businesses of any size. They're typically used by companies that support the BYOD program or those in which employees may install personal applications on company-issued mobile devices.
How to choose the best mobile application management software
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Mobile Application Management Software
Several factors should be considered when purchasing MAM software. Just like in the case of any other software application, the purchasing budget is crucial. The usability of the MAM platform should also be highly considered.
The decision about whether to deploy the solution on-premises or in the cloud will affect the purchase decision and cost. The number of devices the business needs to implement MAM may also influence the price. Another consideration is the different features of MAM solutions that would be most crucial to the organization. Some typical features are app management, a self-service portal, and app performance monitoring. Apart from the basic features, buyers should check whether any specific features are essential for their business requirements.
Since software buying is a serious purchase decision, requirements gathering is crucial to ensure the business chooses a product that meets all the essential requirements. This is especially true in the case of MAM software because migrating from one software product to another is a time-consuming and expensive process.
Compare Mobile Application Management Software Products
Create a long list
Buyers should start with a long list of MAM software vendors, which will help determine whether a particular solution is ideal. At this point, more than finding the right option, buyers should try to get a basic understanding of the kind of software products available. This initial long list should include any software product that meets the company's basic requirements, such as the ability to manage applications and perform app wrapping.
Create a short list
After creating a long list of prospective vendors, buyers should be able to make a shorter and more refined list. This list should include software products that have must-have features, specifically meet the company's requirements, and have the desired price range or structure.
Removing products that don't have the nice-to-have or additional features also makes sense at this stage. The MAM software products included in this short list can be further compared based on their features, pricing, customer support, and usability.
Conduct demos
To effectively compare the software in the short list, buyers should demo each MAM software vendor with the same use cases. They should examine the software's usability, check whether the features work as expected, and ask questions related to the functionalities they care the most about.
Selection of Mobile Application Management Software
Choose a selection team
A selection team is crucial to the success of software purchase and implementation. Such a team should include relevant stakeholders of the organization who can use the MAM software, scrutinize it, and check whether it will meet the requirements of the internal IT department. Decision-makers, IT administrators, and developers could be the primary personas included in the team.
Negotiation
Once the buyer has narrowed it down to a particular software product, it's time to discuss terms and conditions and negotiate the pricing. Buyers should consider the pricing model of the MAM software, such as whether the seller charges a fee depending on the number of devices managed by the software or a flat monthly fee.
Even if something's written on the software vendor's pricing page, there are instances where it isn't fixed. The vendor may be willing to offer a discount for multi-year contracts. Additionally, the MAM system software may have certain features that the buyer might not need. The buyer can negotiate with the vendor to remove such features and lower the price.
Final decision
To make the final decision on an MAM platform, it's recommended that the software be implemented on a small scale. Testing the MAM tool on a few enterprise applications will give the buyer confidence that the choice was correct. If not, the options of MAM solutions must be re-evaluated.
How much does MAM software cost?
The cost of MAM solutions can vary depending on the pricing model the vendors offer. The two most common pricing models are cost per device and cost per user per month. Some MAM systems may also have free versions, which provide basic app management features or restrictions on the number of devices or users. Typically, the buyer may have to pay around $1-$4 per device monthly. However, some sellers do have annual plans.
Return on Investment (ROI)
When calculating the ROI for MAM software, companies should consider how much time and effort they save by promoting BYOD programs and enhancing security around corporate data. ROI can also be qualitative; for example, it may increase employee engagement and satisfaction because employees can bring their own mobile devices.
