Strengthening remote device security for a leading circular tech company

THE CHALLENGE

Creating a safe and compliant environment for enhanced organizational efficiency

With a team of 300 employees, our client needed to maintain compliance with security measures and ensure a safer environment for the refurbishing of devices, especially Apple devices. For this, they required a technological solution for compliant device management for all 300 employees.

Since enterprise mobile devices have access to critical business data, they can threaten security if lost, misplaced, or worse, hacked. As such, business leaders must take imperative measures to secure mobile devices within their respective corporate environments. This is exactly what our client sought since they were, in turn, accountable for refurbishing other Apple and Microsoft devices as well.

PARTNERING WITH VENTUREDIVE

Investing in MDM to harness the benefits of remote device security

The client had already been associated with VentureDive for DevOps and cloud services. Through a series of consultations, it was decided that their best solution would be Mobile Device Management (MDM). The solution allows centralized management of an enterprise’s devices, ensuring the safeguarding of critical data and implementation of robust security measures. With an effectual MDM platform, all devices in an enterprise are kept secure while ensuring workforce productivity and flexibility.

Though similar to mobile security, MDM is a device-centric approach and focuses on protecting the device’s applications as well as its data and content. Organizations can make use of MDM by implementing software, processes, and security policies on their devices of use. They can choose to deploy a cloud-based or an on-premises MDM solution.

In either case, a good MDM solution will boast the following characteristics and benefits.

• Security enhancement
• Data protection and compliance
• Device configuration and standardization
• App management
• Remote troubleshooting and support
• Remote updates and patch management
• Self-service capabilities: 

-Device enrollment
-Device configuration

• Resource access:

-Access to corporate resources
-Single sign-on (SSO)

• Inventory and asset management
• Auditing and reporting

THE PROCESS

Securing the client’s devices with Intune and JAMF

Since Windows and Apple products require different types of MDM solutions, the client sought resources from VentureDive that could work on configuring Intune on Windows devices and JAMF on Apple products.

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution and part of Microsoft’s 365 suite. Jamf is a leading solution for Apple device management, catering specifically to macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS devices.

VentureDive outsourced a team of MDM system engineers to work full-time with the client in liaison with their support engineers. The project marked its inception in January 2022, and the engineers began their coordination with our client’s team. The plan was to configure the devices of all of the client’s 300 employees with the relevant MDM solution. 

The plan was formulated to proceed in three phases. 

• The Pilot Phase
• Proof of Concept Phase 1 – POC 1
• Proof of Concept Phase 2 – POC 2
• Implementation on production users/devices (Roll out Phase 1 )

The initial two to three months comprised implementation and deployments for Intune and JAMF on the server end only. This included the pilot phase involving the implementation of 20 devices as a testing phase. With the success of the pilot phase, the engineers moved on to POC 1 and POC 2, working on 25 devices in both phases. 

THE RESULTS

More than 100 devices secured within a year

The implementation of MDM continued with Phase 1, comprising 100 devices completed. Phases 2 and 3 are currently in the works. VentureDive’s MDM team continues to work on the rest of our client’s devices. 

During the process, there were a few challenges that were encountered yet mitigated with ease owing to the skills of our MDM system engineers. These challenges included:

• Scripting issues in JAMF
• Conflicts in devices due to different configurations
• Antivirus as well as endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution issues

Nevertheless, our team of MDM engineers was able to resolve all these issues through consistent efforts and coordination with the support engineers of our client.

Elevate device security in today’s hybrid workplace                        

Safeguarding devices against evolving cybersecurity threats is of utmost importance in today’s remote and hybrid work landscape. This is why embracing robust device security policies is a necessity for organizations committed to protecting sensitive information. 

By partnering with a trusted technology solutions provider such as VentureDive, equipped with extensive expertise in MDM, businesses can fortify their defenses and navigate the complexities of device security with confidence.