HP Puts Mobile Device Management In The Cloud

Hewlett-Packard has unveiled a cloud-based, mobile-device management system for IT managers struggling to keep track of the growing number of smartphones, notebooks and other wireless devices in the workplace. HP is also looking to partner with telecommunications companies to provide this management tool as a managed service.

The rather awkwardly-named ”Cloud Services Enablement for Device Management as a Service” rolled out by HP supports various device management tasks. These include device configuration, distributing applications, diagnosing problems, enforcing security policies and protecting the data by backing up the information.

Growing Services Portfolio

This is the third offering in HP’s Cloud Services Enablement (CSE) portfolio, and one that telecom companies can offer to customers as an on-demand solution. Wireless and broadband companies would be able to offer a secure, customisable web portal for IT administrators to track and manage all employee devices.

The fact that HP is looking to partner with telecom companies to provide this type of managed service is not surprising considering the changes in the workplace and how IT managers must account for an increasing number of mobile devices that employees use.

In turn, mobile device management offers opportunities for communications service providers, especially considering the potential service fees that can be collected through cloud-based management services. As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile and remote-workers become more common, enterprises must support a wide array of mobile devices, networks, operating systems and applications.

“With the HP solution, they can leverage the advantages of the cloud, efficiently manage a company’s mobile devices and, ultimately, build a new business for themselves,” said Tim Marsden, director of HP’s Communications and Media Solutions division, in a statement.

Device Management as a Service (DMaaS) joins other cloud-based services announced in the past year as part of the company’s end-to-end HP Cloud Services Enablement portfolio. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS ) includes large-scale, utility-priced computing and storage services, while Communications as a Service (CaaS) is comprised of applications such as interactive voice-response, video surveillance, unified communications and IP contact centres.

While cloud computing has generally focused on the data centre and web applications in the past, there are many other opportunities for communications service providers to monetise cloud services. HP’s CSE specifically targets telecommunications companies by providing them with cloud-ready middleware with self-service and automation features. The HP BladeSystem Matrix on the aggregation platform delivers pay-as-you-go network and computer resources.

HP CSE for DMaaS leverages HP’s Aggregation Platform for Software as a Service (SaaS), which acts as a mediation layer between HP Mobile Device Management, the service provider’s operation and business support systems, and the customer’s IT environment.

The HP software automates key processes for mobile device management, such as enabling service and user management or integrating and managing third-party SaaS services and other capabilities. With HP CSA, the applications can tightly integrate with other systems, such as the customer’s data and billing systems.

While HP is providing the cloud delivery and functionality to integrate with operating and business support systems, the actual mobile device management product is from Mformation Technologies, which provides mobile device management software to service providers.