Enterprise mobility management (EMM) is a set of technology, processes, and policies to secure and manage the use of corporate- and employee-owned mobile devices within an organization. EMM is constantly evolving to accommodate an ever-changing set of device platforms and mobility trends in the workplace.
EMM solutions emerged as a result of the bring-your-own-device movement. Rather than restricting mobile devices in the workplace, many organizations choose to implement EMM solutions to allow device flexibility for users while retaining control for IT.
EMM stemmed from — and now includes — mobile device management, which gives IT full control over the user’s device. MDM protects data by leveraging device-level policies provided by the device manufacturer or platform provider. With the help of these policies, IT can configure, secure, and support mobile users. For example, IT can enable device-wide encryption and automatically lock or wipe a device.
Mobile application management is another key component of an EMM solution. MAM allows IT to manage only applications, not the whole device. IT can apply security policies to certain apps, limit the sharing of corporate data among apps, and selectively remove apps and any associated data without having to wipe an entire device. MAM does not allow IT to manage personal apps.
As IT seeks to support newer device platforms, such as Windows 10, many EMM vendors are evolving their solutions to offer unified endpoint management. UEM includes all the capabilities of EMM, but it also allows IT to manage all types of endpoints, including iOS, Android, Windows, Chrome OS, and Mac OS, through a single console. UEM solutions also provide users with access to all their apps and files.
The goal of EMM isn’t just to make it possible for end users to work on mobile devices — it’s to help them become as productive as possible when they do. While consumer apps are easy to use and convenient, they don’t offer the level of functionality people need to perform routine business tasks, let alone the level of security the business needs.
EMM solutions offer built-for-business mobile productivity apps — like email, calendar, a secure web browser, document editing, and remote access to enterprise resources like apps, desktops, and files — that enable mobile employees to be just as productive and secure as they are in the office.
To learn how Citrix can simplify digital workspace with UEM, visit Citrix Endpoint Management.