While enterprise digital rights management (DRM) is used to control how files are accessed and shared within and outside of the corporate network, it’s not always enough. Enterprise mobility management (EMM) is a set of technologies that complement DRM by managing mobile devices and how enterprise data is used on them.
For a solution or product to be labeled EMM, it must at a minimum address the broad categories of MDM, MCM and MAM.
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Mobile Device Management (MDM) — Controls devices and policies
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Mobile Content Management (MCM) — Controls data itself
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Mobile Application Management (MAM) — Controls application-based communication and data sharing
Together DRM and EMM create a framework where IT has complete control over the mobility of any enterprise file without the burden of managing what’s happening across multiple individual devices.
Why Enterprise File Security Demands EMM
EMM is necessary for data protection and control due to the mobile nature of our data and the world we live in. Mobile devices are becoming the primary means through which data is lost.
It’s easy for a smartphone or laptop to get lost or stolen, and nearly everybody uses such devices in the workplace and for work purposes beyond the corporate network. Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) is rapidly gaining favor as more users demand the convenience and familiarity provided by their own devices while corporations realize the possible cost savings.
A successful BYOD policy requires a paradigm shift by the enterprise. You must focus on protecting your data, not the device it’s on. Once you’re able to accept that enterprise files live in the same space as end users’ personal apps and files, and that devices could get lost or stolen at any time, you start to see the futility in trying to protect the device. Focus on the data instead.
While technically EMM and BYOD are distinct, they’re really one and the same — EMM enables the BYOD workplace. To have a secure BYOD framework, you must control how data is stored and shared on mobile devices, and be able to remotely wipe enterprise data from a device in the event of loss or theft.
With strong EMM in place, IT can control file sharing, access rights and how data may be accessed by other apps on the same device. Having complete control over enterprise mobility is the expectation for EMM.
How Does EMM Impact End Users?
Compared to DRM, EMM will have a greater impact on end users and how they use their personal mobile devices. About half of the time, the end user’s workflow won’t be impacted by EMM. At other times, the user will need to make a tradeoff.
For example, when the end user is working within the corporate network on their own device, they’ll only have access to certain enterprise apps while operating in the corporate sandbox (and in turn lose access to any non-approved apps). Upon leaving the corporate sandbox, they’ll lose access to those corporate apps, but regain access to the apps restricted within the corporate network.
While these impacts have little effect on the end user’s workflow, they do impact how a mobile device is used. For instance, IT may use the EMM suite’s policy controls to make end users re-enter their passcode after one minute of inactivity on any mobile device. This might be inconvenient for an end user not accustomed to the policy, but once they disconnect their device from the corporate network, that EMM feature should switch off. It’s important to remember that the user’s experience within an app won’t change due to EMM; what’s impacted is when and where they may use certain apps.
Complementing Your EMM Platform
The most advanced EMM platforms are backed by data loss prevention tools that encrypt data at the source, in transit and at rest. Short of using a solution that does encryption at the source, the next best option is to look for an EMM platform that can at least integrate with an at-source data encryption tool for data loss prevention.
When EMM, multi-dimensional DRM and data loss prevention are combined, the result is unmatched security and protection. If your data starts protected at the source and stays protected through delivery and at rest, you get the end-to-end security that enterprises need.
Ready to learn more about how enterprise DRM could benefit your organization? Download your free copy of DRM, EMM & You: Controlling Data Beyond The Corporate Network.
