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3 min read

REPORT: 2022 Remote Work and Device Management Trends

3 min read

Jere Jutila

We recently conducted a nationwide report on the state of business technology, surveying more than 1,000 Americans representative of the U.S. population — and the results paint an interesting picture of today’s remote work and device management trends. Discover the highlights and key takeaways below!

How was the survey carried out?

We asked 10 questions to more than 1,000 Americans representative of the U.S. population with the goal of determining the status of their workplace and how employers manage devices remotely. This directly connects to the broader world of mobile device management (MDM) and the state of bring-your-own-device (BYOD).

For each question, we received crosstabs of data specific to gender, age, household income, region, family status, education, employment status, marital status, race/ethnicity, and neighborhood (rural, suburban, urban).

What did we find out?

Upon receiving the results, we identified a handful of data points that we believe are insightful for the industry at large. Here are a few of those findings:

  • A generous 69% of employees are allowed to use personal devices for work.
  • Nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) are either fully remote or working in a hybrid environment.
  • Most respondents who have hybrid work environments were employed full-time and living in an urban area.
  • Additionally, when employees were asked what their employers struggle with when it comes to managing devices remotely, a quarter (25%) found troubleshooting to be somewhat difficult.
      • This was followed by security, which 15% of respondents found to be somewhat difficult, and then device updates at 14%.
      • 17% of respondents believe that their employer has a difficult time with employee device updates.
      • A majority (81%) of respondents said they believe it is easy for their employer to manage the security of employee devices.
  • When asked about device preference at work, 42% prefer Apple for their mobile device, but 38% prefer a PC for their work laptop.

So, what does all this mean?

Using personal devices for work requires clear policies

A majority of respondents stated that they are allowed to use personal devices for work. Although this adds flexibility, using personal devices for work is not always straightforward since the devices are ultimately owned by the employee.

If employees are allowed to use personal devices for work, clear policies need to be established. To ensure device and data security, companies should have some control over devices. But how much control can an employer have over employees' personal devices?

One option is to allow employees to use secure work applications on personal devices with very limited access to company data and networks. Or alternatively, companies can adopt a choose-your-own-device (CYOD) policy. This allows employees to have flexibility while companies can keep their devices fully managed and secured.

MDM can help with remote troubleshooting

Although most respondents did not think that their employers have a hard time managing their devices, the survey revealed some challenges, especially with troubleshooting. It seems that the troubleshooting process is not easy, taking up more time and putting device security at risk. If employees are using personal devices for work, troubleshooting can be even trickier due to compatibility issues, lack of remote access, or unfamiliar platforms.

With MDM's help, organizations can track the status of their devices remotely, enabling IT admins to notice possible device management issues before the device user notices them. Additionally, devices can be updated and serviced remotely with MDM, which means that employees don’t have to trek to visit the IT department in person in a hybrid environment. Companies can save a significant amount of time as all software updates and configurations, device diagnostics, and troubleshooting can be done over the air.

Need for multi-platform management

When asked about device preference at work, 42% prefer Apple for their mobile device, but 38% prefer a PC for their work laptop. If employees are using a variety of devices, adopting a multi-platform MDM solution like Miradore that supports Android, Apple, and Windows management might make sense. Multi-platform solutions enable you to gain visibility over your entire device fleet and manage all of your devices remotely from a single platform.

 

If you want to learn more about how MDM can help with remote device management, check out these blog posts:

Jere Jutila Author background

by Jere Jutila

Jere works as a Business Development Director at Miradore and has over 20 years of experience in IT management. Before joining Miradore in 2006, he worked with IT infrastructure management in a global enterprise. Jere is passionate about making modern work and mobility work better for everyone.