Remote Device Management: Benefits, Challenges, Examples, and Resources

With remote and hybrid workforces now being the norm for many companies, the need for centralized remote device support is vital.

One of the best ways to deliver this support, regardless of where your workforce is located, is with remote device management. 

Here’s everything you need to know about RDM so you’ll know if it’s right for you. 

What is Remote Device Management?

Simply put, remote device management involves monitoring and managing remote devices from a centralized location without requiring physical access. 

Say the majority of your workforce was spread across the country or even the world. With remote device management, you can streamline the end-to-end process of procurement, device deployment, storage, and management to optimize device health and device security.

But rather than being tethered by a physical location, remote device management lets you do this without physical access. 

Remote management tools can have a wide variety of capabilities. But here are some specific functions a managed service provider can provide:

• Deploying devices to a remote desktop, IoT devices, BYOD devices, and other mobile devices
• Syncing new devices to your current IT inventory
• Performing device configuration
• Providing remote support to connect devices
• Troubleshooting
• Monitoring security
• Monitoring the data usage of remote employees
• Keeping tabs on when mobile devices need to be repaired or upgraded
• Ensuring workers are following your company's policies and compliance regulations
• Seeing which devices are being used by employees, which are in transit, and which are in storage
• Retrieving hardware when it needs to be repaired, upgraded, or discarded

The best part is that a remote device management solution often lets you do all of this from a single, centralized dashboard. 

Rather than having to go back and forth between multiple platforms, this gives you a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening with remote work from one place. 

Remote Device Management Examples

Let’s say that you run a medium-sized sales team with 20 employees, and the majority of your staff work remotely. Every time you make a new hire, you need to send them a company laptop, tablet, and smartphone. 

Syncing each new device into your IT inventory at this scale can be challenging. But when you throw in all of the other tasks like IoT device configuration, setting security controls, and troubleshooting, it can be incredibly daunting. 

With remote device management, you could conveniently deploy multiple devices and have them automatically synced with your current IT catalog. 

You could use a remote device management tool to configure devices via remote access, set access control, ensure a high level of security, monitor device performance, monitor device usage, and perform remote troubleshooting when necessary. 

That way, your remote workforce can receive their devices quickly and efficiently so they can get to work right away making sales, while providing your business with maximum monitoring and control every step of the way. 

And when it’s time to retrieve a remote device for repair or upgrade, you can streamline this process as well with mobile device management. 

RDM Benefits

For starters, it can make remote monitoring and managing your IT assets dramatically more efficient. By doing everything from a centralized dashboard, you always have a clear vantage point of what’s going on. 

By default, this naturally helps your team operate their mobile devices more seamlessly with far less friction. And without the need for on-site visits, you can quickly diagnose issues without lengthy or costly travel, which brings us to the next main benefit — savings. 

Because you don’t need to send tech experts out to manage each mobile device, you can potentially save a lot of money that can be funneled into business growth. 

Next, mobile device management creates a heightened layer of security that’s incredibly important in our modern era. 

For example, by being able to configure security settings remotely, it’s much easier to prevent unauthorized access. And when you need to apply a security patch or data wipe, you can easily do so to better protect each remote device and maintain high security standards.

Also, the detailed overview RDM gives you of connected devices basically creates a device fleet, where you know exactly where everything is at all times, who has it, what condition it’s in, and so on. 

That’s important because it supports the entire device/employee lifecycle for maximum control. 

The bottom line is that if you want maximum control and visibility of your remote devices and have employees scattered across multiple locations, RMD is an excellent choice. 

RDM Challenges

While the pros of remote device management greatly outweigh the cons, there are some potential challenges to be aware of before using a remote monitoring tool. 

One is simply the set up process. Like with any other tool, there’s an inherent learning curve that comes with remote device management software. 

For instance, you have to integrate it with existing software, set up access control, organize data, and so on, before you’re ready to go. And of course, it’s common for team members to resist implementing new tech, especially if it’s challenging. 

Another issue is privacy. While remote monitoring is one of the primary reasons companies choose to implement a remote device management solution (and most tools are highly effective at monitoring), you can’t expect all of your employees to be fans of the setup. 

Some may see it as an invasion of privacy, which can create conflict. 

Also, if you frequently experience connectivity issues, remote control management can be difficult. If, for example, an employee lives in an area with spotty internet, performing updates, system configurations, and security monitoring can be onerous. 

Remote Device Management Software & Tools

As for specific platforms you can use for remote control management, here are some of the more popular options.

• Jamf Pro - This remote device management software is built for Apple products, such as MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones. With it, you can conveniently oversee and secure each managed device, create access restrictions, troubleshoot issues with remote screen sharing, and manage device lifecycles, among many other features. 
• Kandji - Like Kandji, this remote device management platform is also tailored to Apple products. (Kandji doesn’t support Android devices). Features include device configuration for enrolled devices, security monitoring and management, automated OS updates and patches, threat detection and response, and much more. 
• NinjaOne - In their own words, this remote access platform helps “unify visibility and control and automate the most tedious IT tasks with NinjaOne’s easy-to-use, all-in-one endpoint solution. Monitor, support, and control your endpoints regardless of the operating system, from smartphones to servers. Minimize downtime and drive employee productivity.”
• Microsoft Intune - This remote management tool offers a full suite of features, including remote configuration, app management, proactive security monitoring, remote lock, device wiping, and robust device inventory. Intune supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux, making it a versatile solution for managing devices across multiple platforms 

Other notable mentions are Samsung Knox and Android Enterprise. 

Is RDM Right for Your Company?

Remote mobile device management can make sense for companies of all sizes. Note that you don’t need to be a huge enterprise to reap the benefits of remote access management tools, as they’re suited for medium-sized and even small businesses. 

Here are some common scenarios where it can be the right choice. 

• You employ a largely remote or hybrid workforce that frequently uses mobile or other IoT devices for daily operations
• You’re part of a growing company where you frequently need to onboard remote/hybrid workers
• You’ve encountered friction deploying, monitoring, or managing IoT devices up until this point
• You easily want to be able to ready a device for a new employee
• You’re struggling to manage devices internally
• You want to enhance cybersecurity 
• You’re looking to increase the overall efficiency of your workers using company or personal devices
• You want to focus more on core business operations rather than remote management

Aligning Your Zero Touch Device Management with allwhere

If you’re ready to take your zero touch device management strategy to the next level by looking for a remote device management logistics partner, one of the most reputable providers is allwhere. We handle a wide range of IT asset management services to help businesses maximize their efficiency and boost ROI. 

At allwhere, we provide an end-to-end remote device management logistic service and offer a single, easy-to-use dashboard. 

With our management tools, you can: 

• Conveniently sync IT assets with your existing inventory
• Track devices across employees
• Keep a record of when devices were bought and received
• See device location, including when it’s in transit or storage
• Retrieve hardware for replacement or when an employee leaves

Your devices are always enrolled in your zero touch programs such as Apple Business Manager, Autopilot, and Google ZTE. allwhere also makes it simple to configure devices and offers an intuitive onboarding experience for employees. You can learn more about our IT management services here. 

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