Dell World 2013: Dell EMM Is More Than Just MDM

Dell will release an enterprise mobile management (EMM) platform in the first quarter of 2014, claiming it will allow administrators to manage smartphones, tablets and laptops in a variety of BYOD and corporately-assigned environments.

EMM is the current acronym favoured by developers of what has previously been known as mobile device management (MDM) platforms, but speaking at Dell World 2013 in Austin, Texas, John Swainson, president of Dell Software explains employees don’t necessarily want IT departments to manage their personally owned devices.

“MDM is really important but MDM is not enough,” he says. “The dynamics of personally owned BYOD devices versus corporate devices really need to be addressed.”

Dell EMM

Dell EMM comprises MDM, mobile application management (MAM), mobile content management (MCM) and Dell security features, something Dell believes will be music to the ears of administrators currently running a number of separate products to manage policies and devices.

In BYOD environments, Dell EMM manages the workspace rather than the device. On smartphones, employees are given access to corporate data and productivity tools such as calendar, contacts, secure mobile browser and secure local file explorer, while employee owned PCs and Macs are given a secure Windows image that works seamlessly with existing IT infrastructures.

The platform is compatible with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, along with Windows tablets and PCs and Linux and Mac desktops and laptops – a wider range of device types and operating systems than some of its competitors.

BlackBerry has traditionally been the market leader in MDM, but the likes of Samsung and Good Technology are keen to take advantage of its troubles, while Dell will hope its compatibility with Windows 8 tablets and other computers will secure it market share as part of its end-to-end solution offerings to businesses.

Dell EMM will be available on a subscription basis in the US and Canada from next year, but there is no word on a UK launch yet.

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