The MAM versus MDM debate is not new. We first advocated for MAM on our blog in 2011. But here in 2017, some six years later, it appears that many companies still have yet to make a decision between the two. At the very least, many companies haven’t yet adopted an MAM strategy—which could be costly for business.
The ostensible hesitation of companies to deploy mobile apps is apparent in examining the results of Gartner’s latest mobile app survey. Incredibly, more than a quarter of organizations around the world haven’t built, customized, or virtualized any apps in the latest year. (The positive news here is that this number is down from the 39% who reported the same results in 2016.)
While uncertainty about MAM isn’t the only factor at play in the “development gap” Gartner reported—lack of resources, work backlogs, and skills gaps are just a few other reasons companies are failing to develop new apps—its presence is certainly felt. Far too many organizations are still holding on to MDM models in the workplace, which is holding them back from realizing their true potential.
And, as employees continue the push to use their own devices in the workplace, employers are going to have a significantly harder time justifying or successfully executing the MDM model. (Employees don’t want their employers to be able to wipe devices they own.) In fact, according to a new Computer World article, holding onto MDM can have unintended consequences.
Computer World cites a recent civil case in New York involving a contractor who “signed away their rights on the dotted line.” After the contract ended and the contractor left, the company wiped the contractor’s device, deleting the last photos of a dead relative in the process. Companies may want to have full control over all devices—even employee-owned devices—but that heavy-handed approach is becoming harder and harder to justify when more targeted solutions like MAM remain available.
Put simply, MAM is far more suited to employees’ expectations about how employers will manage their devices than MDM. MAM isn’t perfect, but its nuance and ability to be managed at the micro level makes it an ideal solution for today’s employees.
If you’re still weighing the merits of MAM against MDM, we think it’s time that you made the decision to use a MAM model in your workplace.
