Mobile application management (mam) provides the ability to do which of the following?

Comparing different approaches with advice on how to find the right mobile strategy

The assumption that Mobile Device Management (MDM) is the same as Mobile Application Management (MAM) is a popular misconception. In simple terms, MDM is about control of devices like smartphones and tablets, whereas MAM is focused on specific corporate applications and their related data. It’s very important to establish what you want to achieve with your mobile strategy, or you may find that you make the wrong decision.

The MDM market is expected to grow from $1.69 billion last year to $5.32 billion by 2021, according to ResearchandMarkets, and application management is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. The fact that MAM is lumped in with MDM in this report highlights the perception problem.

Most companies have some form of MDM in place. The IT department can use MDM to enforce policies on smartphones and tablets. It allows them to remotely track, lock, encrypt, and wipe devices. MAM, which is fast growing in popularity, allows IT departments to remotely control, encrypt, and wipe, just the corporate apps and data on an employee’s smartphone or tablet.

The relative merits of each system are best explained with practical examples.

When is MDM not enough?

Imagine an enterprise with an MDM system in place that enables it to enroll devices, track them, and wipe them if they’re lost. The company commissions a line of business application that manages revenue and wants to put it out on employee devices.

The dangerous assumption that MDM will suffice is quickly exposed, because MDM doesn’t allow you to track and control the data within the application or the transmission process for the application. The app must be redesigned. To install the revised data and applications, and then effectively manage it appropriately, necessitates multiple visits to the devices.

If you’re providing corporate devices and you’re happy for staff to use native applications and install personal apps, secure in the knowledge that you can remotely wipe the device if you have to, then MDM will cover your needs.

What does MAM bring to the table?

Enterprise app stores are growing in popularity, with 35% of respondents to Apperian’s 2016 Executive Enterprise Mobility Report, now using them, up from 23% in 2015. If you want to have an enterprise app store, then you need an MAM solution. It delivers the ability to separate personal apps from corporate. You can securely sandbox corporate apps and data, and ensure that data is transmitted safely via VPN, to mitigate the risk of data leaks. You can also manage and update those apps remotely.

This approach can be especially useful in a BYOD scenario, where you no longer have a fleet of corporate mobile devices, but instead allow employees to use their own smartphones. Privacy can be an issue here, and the control that MDM offers might not be suitable for employee-owned devices. That’s where something like Citrix XenMobile can offer a MAM-only approach, which doesn’t require device enrolment.

MAM gives you application-level encryption and security policies that work regardless of device security. Containerization restricts data sharing, so users can install whatever personal apps they want.

With MAM, your IT department has a powerful set of granular controls for managing and securing app data. A good MAM partner will also help you to test your applications and keep them running when phone manufacturers put out operating system updates that can cause issues.

The right mix

It’s important to remember that MDM and MAM are not mutually exclusive. If your needs are very specific, then it may make sense from a cost perspective to focus on one over the other, but for most companies a mixture of the two will provide the greatest level of control and security. Some employees will only require MDM on their smartphones, while others that need access to more sensitive data through corporate apps can be covered by MAM.

Consider that 2016 was a record year for data breaches, with 4,149 breaches exposing more than 4.2 billion records, according to Risk Based Security. There’s a tangible risk for companies that don’t get their mobile strategy right, and so it’s vital to employ the right blend of MDM and MAM if you want to protect your data and your customers.

by Editorial, on 5.4.2022

Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM) are terms that people often mistakenly believe to mean the same thing. Thankfully, this popular misconception is easy to resolve. In this article we explore the differences between MDM and MAM and how both can help to improve the management of your business.

What is MAM? 

Mobile Application Management (MAM) allows you to control and monitor business data in your users’ devices such as iPhones and Android phones.

With an MAM software you can set up application management policies that prevent users from moving business data to unauthorized places and you can remove data that you no longer want your users to access. 

Some of the leading MAMs on the market today include Sophos Mobile, IBM Security MaaS360 with Watson, Jamf Pro, and Esper. 

What is MDM? 

Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a type of management or security technology that allows IT administrators to manage and secure corporate or personal mobile devices.

MDM software allows businesses to protect your business data and fully control your fleet of mobile phones. There are various kinds of MDM software that can function across multiple operating systems and a wide range of digital devices. 

Today, such a large portion of our working lives is governed by the mobile devices we use. The portability and sophistication of smartphones is great but it also presents some challenges for organizations that deal with sensitive communications and data. This is where MDMs can play a huge role. 

Some of the leading MDMs on the market today include Flyve MDM, SOTI MDM, Hexnode, ManageEngine, Headwind MDM and Microsoft Intune.  

The differences between MDM and MAM

As you can see from the definitions above, the simple difference between MDM and MAM is that MDM is about control of devices like tablets and smartphones, whereas MAM is about controlling specific corporate applications and their data. 

In principle, MAM can also be dexcribed as a sub-field of MDM. Beyond this basic difference, there are further distinguished characteristics and MDM features that make MDM different from MAM.

For example:

• MDM allows you to control, monitor and manage apps by allowing you to control the actual device. On the other hand, MAM controls apps with specific features that can be modified by administrators.
• MAM allows enterprises to avoid device-level management and focus only on the elements that are relevant to the business. In fact, unlike with MDM, IT administrators would not be able to view or interact with personal data or personal apps when using MAM.
• With MDM software you can make drastic changes to your users’ devices whereas MAM is limited to apps that are relevant to your business operations.
• With MAM you have more fine-grained control and have the potential to make more nuanced changes. This often makes MAM a better fit for Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) than MDM. 

The similarities between MDM and MAM

Despite these basic differences there are also some similarities between MDM and MAM. 

For example: 

• Both MAM and MDM are usually included in EMM or UEM product suites. They are often sold together as part of a comprehensive strategy to control mobile management and security.
• Both MAM and MDM provide app wrapping and containerization features that IT administrators can use to control and update apps on managed devices. 
• Both MAM and MDM contain user and group authentication and authorization. Equally, access management and access for third-party product integrations are common capabilities across both MAM and MDM. 
• Both can be used to effectively manage, monitor and improve the way employees interact with the digital sphere of your business. 

Using MDM and MAM to improve your business

Both MDM and MAM can be used to enhance your business process and improve your overall security. Whether you are preventing an employee from copying business data from one app to another with an MAM, or you need a MDM to securely lock and wipe a device that has been stolen, both systems can be a reassuring and effective tool to have in your bag. 

If you are thinking about mobile security and management then you may also be thinking about the kinds of phones you want your employees to have. Not sure about MDM costs? Feel free to reach out to us. 

Acquiring high-end smartphones is key to facilitating creativity, communication and effective business decisions. Once you’ve got the hardware you can then make final decisions about the kind of MDM and MAM software you want to use.

Which of the following does mobile application management MAM provide the ability to do select two?

What is the purpose of mobile device management MDM?

What is MAM device management?

Which of the following are aspects of MAM as opposed to MDM?