Savvy IT shops have long understood the need for effective device management, first through mobile device management (MDM) solutions and then via unified endpoint management (UEM) platforms.

Today, more organizations are opting for “modern device management,” a Microsoft-coined term that describes device and application management delivered via cloud-enabled services. Here’s why organizations are making the move and why this model is likely to stick around.

Managing a mobile computing environment was already complex enough at the beginning of this year. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, driving many employees (and their mobile devices) out of the office and into their homes, limiting the visibility and control of IT teams.

Most enterprises were already getting on board with unified endpoint management tools, recognizing the need for a common platform to help them manage their fleets of smartphones, tablets and notebook computers, along with associated mobile apps and content. But for organizations that were dragging their feet with UEM, 2020 has served as a wake-up call about the importance of these tools.

For organizations still looking for the right fit, here are four ways that UEM solutions can help navigate these challenging times.

Often, the conversation around mobility management solutions centers on how they can make life easier for an organization’s IT staff. While that’s certainly the case — and while companies can save substantial time and money by deploying appropriate management solutions — these tools can also simplify workflows for users and dramatically improve their mobile experience….

Most business and IT leaders who I speak with understand the benefits of unified endpoint management tools. They get that UEM can help them streamline management across different device types, give employees self-service access to apps and allow push-based and instant delivery of policies and updates. Further, the time savings that result from UEM can…

Today’s smartphones have security features that were practically science fiction just a few years ago. A user with a new device likely has a phone that encrypts data, continuously updates its operating system to ward off threats and allows users to authenticate their identity with biometric factors such as fingerprint and facial recognition.

This is great for users, and it can also be great for the enterprise. By taking advantage of these baked-in security measures, organizations can direct their own efforts toward other security steps and ensure that their growing mobile environments don’t put their networks and data in harm’s way.