Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) is a technology solution that empowers organizations to effectively manage all employee devices - both mobile and PC - with a single tool. Organizations with a significant remote or hybrid workforce find that UEM solutions lessen the burden on IT staff and allow for a more agile working structure overall.
What is UEM?
UEM software monitors, manages, and secures desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech regardless of operating system or where a user/employee is located. Smaller start-ups and growing mid-size companies often employ a mix of standard and mobile tech, which can be cumbersome to manage efficiently to keep company data and devices secure.
Unified endpoint management software effectively connects legacy systems and new platforms, reducing stress on IT staff while keeping company data secure. Regardless of device or operating system, UEM software makes it possible to manage everything from a single platform, leading to increased productivity, reduced cost and—most importantly—secure data.
Key Components of Unified Endpoint Management
Implementing a unified endpoint management system involves connecting four main components to create a seamless, secure framework:
- Device management
- Application management
- Security management
- User management
Device Management
The most obvious component of UEM is device management. Whether users are working on personal devices or company-sponsored equipment, it’s critical to have a secure system to manage an array of devices located anywhere in the world.
Connecting multiple devices of various types means managing everything from desktops and laptops to smartphones and wearables, allowing them to interact remotely and securely. Device management includes configuring encryption and password policies, device location tracking, remotely locking, unlocking, and wiping devices, and creating data loss prevention settings.
Application Management
Application management works within the framework of any operating system. Whether the device runs on iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, or Chrome OS, a UEM system will effectively deploy and update applications on all devices. Instead of a long and often labor-intensive IT process, the application management feature of a UEM system allows for speedy deployment of application and security updates–such as virus protection and software patches. These updates are configured automatically in the cloud and then deployed across an organization’s fleet of devices at scale.
Security Management
While allowing employees to use various devices and operating systems offers greater convenience for users, connecting them and configuring updates can be a nightmare for IT. Companies of all sizes across many industries need to ensure their data is secure. UEM software ensures that compliance and data protection are always in place, updated regularly, and continually monitored. From creating password protection policies to encryption, network security measures, and phishing prevention, security management within a unified endpoint management system secures your company’s data on every device.
User Management
Taking care of the human component of your technology network is just as essential as the other elements. A productive UEM system is easy and intuitive for users to learn and implement into their workflow. User management includes essential functions like creating effective user profiles, access control, and role-based management. With a unified endpoint management system, all users have consistent access to what they need across devices to be productive.
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Benefits of Unified Endpoint Management
Implementing an Endpoint Management System allows any organization to ensure a seamless and secure growth strategy. The most valuable benefits of UEM software are enhanced security, improved efficiency, better compliance, and cost savings.
Enhanced Security
UEM software enhances security through centralized security policies, such as conditional user access, automated rule enforcement, and threat detection and response. UEM systems also employ zero-trust security policies, meaning your system will always require verification measures to access company data. Incorporating these security measures through UEM software prevents data breaches and ensures all company data is kept secure across all devices.
Improved Efficiency
UEM software significantly improves efficiency by automating routine tasks, simplifying operations, and unifying overall systems. IT teams no longer need to juggle multiple tools and interfaces when all devices and systems are managed through a single platform. Instead, patch management, software distribution, and reporting become automated processes.
Better Compliance
Compliance is one of the biggest drains on most IT staff. Between tracking, distributing, and managing licenses and manually processing audit information, IT professionals often spend hours on compliance issues. Unified endpoint management software promotes better overall compliance through regulatory tracking and automatically facilitating audit readiness.
Cost Savings
The cost savings facilitated by a UEM solution are often quite significant – from both an up-front and proactive long-term cost perspective.
In terms of up-front costs, allowing for non-company-sponsored device use and cloud-based solutions cuts down on both hardware and software costs. A single UEM platform provides greater efficiency alongside dramatically reducing IT overhead and staffing costs. Lastly, a UEM system can improve end users’ productivity, creating a better time-to-deliverable ratio.
In the long run, a UEM solution can yield savings that prevent sensitive, proprietary information from being compromised. A UEM solution offers added security against data breaches. A recent study uncovered that the average cost per data breach in the U.S. $9.48 million – a figure that could prove incredibly costly to start-ups and SMBs. Taking a proactive approach to safeguarding data with a UEM solution rolled out to employees can help prevent breaches and give businesses the tools they need to act quickly to thwart a malware or cyber attack.
How to Choose a UEM Tool
As organizations consider implementing unified endpoint management tools, IT teams should consider specific factors before choosing the best fit. Evaluating the organization’s current state and where it wants to go, as well as assessing existing systems and users are all important to consider before deciding on a UEM platform.
Assess Organizational Needs
Start by evaluating your organization’s current IT infrastructure, overall anticipated growth, and what your business will need to meet that growth. Many companies currently experiencing rapid growth or intend to launch into a rapid growth period are ready for a UEM solution.
Integration and Configuration
Once a UEM platform is chosen, consider the necessary steps to effectively integrate it with existing systems. For some companies, that configuration is fairly simple, but others will require more labor-intensive setups. This part of the process requires careful planning and attention to detail to ensure both proper setup and the highest quality of security throughout the process.
Training and Support
Any IT system is only as effective as its users. Make sure employees and users are well-trained and have ongoing support to make the most of your integrated UEM solution. Identify how much training your staff will need to both deploy and maintain the new system, and also factor in how much training your full team will need to begin integrating the new solution into their daily workflow.
Learn More About Miradore’s UEM Solutions
A Unified Endpoint Management system is a must for growing organizations as they require more flexibility and security for their systems and data. Miradore’s UEM solutions are built to flex with your organization’s needs, scale along with your growth, and keep all data safe and secure in the process.