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IT management specialist Landesk announced the release of Management Suite 2016, Security Suite 2016 and the introduction of Mobile Security Suite 2016.
Management Suite 2016 offers full mobile device management capabilities as part of its client management solution, allowing organizations to manage devices, packages and workflows for PCs, Macs, Linux, Chromebooks and now iOS and Android devices from a single interface and a single server.
“Because there is a constant push and pull between end users and IT departments, IT often struggles to keep devices under management,” Duane Newman, Landesk’s senior director of product management, told eWEEK. “Mobile devices are much more personal than computers, which means end users are more reluctant to keep their devices enrolled. This is especially true if security measures enforced on phone pose a threat to productivity.”
Security Suite 2016 introduces Workspaces for the Security Admin, which helps connect security and IT operations by providing a view that highlights the security posture of the devices on the network and helps prioritize remediation opportunities.
“Ease of use is absolutely imperative for end users when it comes to mobile management. Again, mobile devices are very personal and in almost constant use,” Newman said. “Difficulties in enrollment or general use of the solution will hinder the overall success of a mobile device management project. Additionally, the influx of consumer goods into many aspects of computing has created a great expectation for a nice user experience – it is now the norm in all aspects of the industry, so incorporating that into the product is essential.”
The company has also improved and expanded the functionality of its Workspaces platform across the portfolio.
The Mobile Security Suite offers several mobile technologies, including secure mobile email, which provides users with protected access to corporate email and any attachments from personal mobile devices, using the native email client for each device type.
The solution also gives users secure access to content, such as calendars through the user’s preferred email application.
“Mobile device management is really evolving into a much more dominant method of device management. Not only do we see it moving into the same console and workspace as PC management, but we also see it expanding to include management of PCs through the same or similar processes,” Newman said. “As these two things happen, MDM vendors that can’t do both will find it increasingly difficult to meet the demands of their customers. That said, we do except the transition of PC management from the traditional agent-based to MDM-based to be slow, lasting several years.”