Last weekend a Hybridge client left his phone in a taxi. Luckily, he had device management installed on his phone as well as Find my iPhone activated. Hybridge locked his phone and set it to lost mode which ensured his data was secure. In lost mode, we also set the phone to display a message with his contact information and a reward for the phone to be returned. Sure enough, his phone was returned the next morning. This was only possible because of mobile device management (MDM).
What is MDM?
MDM is a way to manage and secure your devices. For your personal devices, you can simply use the native MDM applications called Android Device Manager (for Android) and Find My iPhone (for Apple). However, for corporate devices you should have Enterprise MDM. Hybridge offers Enterprise MDM for all company devices – phones, laptops, tablets, etc. This provides advanced security, support, asset management, and IT policy enforcement.
If you are interested in acquiring Enterprise MDM, contact us today and we can start you on a free trial.
How to activate basic MDM:
Android Devices:On Android devices, this feature is called Android Device Manager. To use it, your device’s location access needs to be turned on and you need to be signed in to your Google account.
When you lose your phone, you can login to the Android Device Manager website or on a different Android device through the Android Device Manager app. This will show you where your device is located on a map. You also have the option to have it Ring, Lock, or Erase.
- The Ring option will have your phone ring on loud for 5 minutes even if it was on silent or vibrate.
- The lock option allows you to put a password on your lock screen and display a phone number for someone to contact if they find your phone.
- In the unfortunate circumstance that you know you won’t get your phone back, you can erase all data.
Apple Devices:
For Apple device users, you can use the feature called Find My iPhone. To link it to your iCloud, go to Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone and switch it on.
When you lose your device, login to iCloud on your computer and go to the Find iPhone app. You can also access your account on any Apple device through the Find iPhone app. Once you login, click on the appropriate device (if you have multiple Apple devices) and it will show you where the device is on a map. You also have the option to play sound, activate lost mode, and erase.
- For the “play sound” option, your iPhone will make an audible loud noise even if it is on vibrate or silent.
- Lost mode locks your device with a passcode, allows you to display a custom message on the screen, turns off Apple Pay, and does not make noise or display alerts for notifications or alarms. This is what we activated to display a reward and contact information to get our client’s phone back.
- You will use Erase if you have no hope of getting your iPhone back or if you are afraid someone will be able to access your private data.
If you are a Hybridge client, we can help you set this up and get you set up with Enterprise MDM. For more information about MDM, email us at info at hybridge.com or call us at 888-353-1763.
