Mobile Application Management and its Place in EMM

There are a lot of components that make up a great enterprise mobility management solution. There’s more to these solutions than just the general mobile management they offer; they need to manage every aspect of enterprise mobile life. In our new 2016 Enterprise Mobility Buyer’s Guide, we included a glossary of terms that can and should be included in an enterprise mobile solution, along with a corresponding list in each individual vendor profile that easily states which of these components each vendor includes in their solution.

An EMM solution typically consists of Mobile Device Management (MDM) Mobile Application Management (MAM and Mobile Content Management (MCM). While MDM is considered the main piece of an EMM solution, MAM offers something a little different.

What is MAM?– is software that monitors and controls access to any app on the device, internally developed or commercial. This enables IT to manage and secure app data. It focuses on secure the apps, not just the device. It assists with software delivery, software licensing, configuration, application life cycle management and usage tracking. It also allows IT to remotely wipe apps with corporate data on them instead of the device. MAM adds a layer of security to mobile devices that isolates the control of app security from device security.

What does MAM do for an EMM solution?– MAM solutions can be purchased on their own (Good by BlackBerry offers one)  but they work as an effective cog in an EMM solution when included in one. While MAM might take a back seat to MDM for over all usefulness, it’s important to remember that there are other things on the device, not just corporate data. With BYOD growing rapidly, MDM is’t the only aspect in mobile security worth anything anymore.

MAM can also be broken down as App Wrapping. An employee has a BYOD- device and has the corporate apps installed on it. IT is in control of the security on the apps, essentially “wrapping” them in a layer of virtual security. Commercial apps can be wrapped as well if the information they obtain from the device could be considered a danger to your company, but they are not as easily wrapped as internally developed apps are.

MAM is a vital part of any enterprise mobility solution by providing a barrier between the app and device to ensure maximum security and ease of management.