THE CHALLENGE:
MULTIPLE MOBILE DEVICES, INSUFFICIENT CONTROL
“And then all of a sudden we had 30 Apple devices!” laughs Chris Poulter, I.T. Head for Auckland-based Toyota Financial Services (NZ).
Chris had been instrumental in transitioning the business out of Blackberry devices and into Apple mobile devices (iPads and iPhones) during 2011. While the general consensus was that the staff preferred using these new devices (30 in total: 10 iPads and 20 iPhones) it provided Poulter with a fresh range of challenges. “Simply put”, he continues “We had to look around quickly for the right system to control these new devices”. This was especially important as looking forward TFS only planned to expand implantation of mobile devices moving forward, and staff have been pushing to introduce their own devices from home (the BYOD phenomenon which has occurred globally during 2011).
The previous devices had been controlled remotely by a BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) which enabled TFS to manage and monitor them. However the new Apple devices created a hole in the management and control over them. Apple’s proprietary measures (i.e. device location detection) simply weren’t robust enough.
This didn’t even take into account the requirements of Toyota for data security for its global operations. Toyota globally is extremely focused on a phenomenally high standard of data protection, only reinforced by the massive data security breaches suffered by fellow Japanese multi-national Sony Corporation earlier this year at the hands of hackers. Toyota complies with the information security standard ISO/IEC 2002 (see footnote)
It followed that Chris was looking for a robust, comprehensive and all-encompassing mobile device management system which would allow detailed management of all mobile devices down to an individual level as well as full remote management of lost or stolen devices.
THE SOLUTION:
TFS GOES TO MARKET TO FIND THE BEST MOBILE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
Chris explored a number of different mobile management options out in the market, including a cloud-specific solution. However he quickly agreed to trial the new mobile management tool which had just been introduced by Origin IT to its clients.
“As we already work with Origin IT looking after our I.T. with ONEFEE Platinum, it really did make sense to work with this product and we thought we would trial it for a few weeks with a permanent implementation if all went well.”
Origin IT quickly set up it’s mobile management solution with all the portable devices owned by TFS.
THE RESULT:
ORIGIN IT MOBILE MANAGEMENT IS JUST WHAT TFS NEEDED
Only a short way into the trial, the features immediately impressed Chris. “There’s a lot to admire with this solution” he says. “It allows us to hold a really thorough audit and inventory of all our devices. It gives us really strong and individualised management of all the mobile profiles, and we can use it to back up and restore all the devices keeping them constantly updated which is fantastic.”
He goes on “The tracking component is fantastic, we can see where all the devices are at all times and there is terrific peace-of-mind in that we can quickly and easily wipe crucial data off any devices which go missing or get stolen. For me this was one of the best features of this mobile management system.
“While mobile devices are easier to lose” says Chris, “This total control over them makes it virtually impossible for our data to be compromised. This is huge security which ensures we reach these standards enforced by Japan. We are really pleased with how it is working to date and would recommend it for any business looking to have peace of mind around mobile device management”
