Transitioning to a New MDM Provider Without Disruption and Data Compromise
Switching to a new Mobile Device Management (MDM) provider might seem challenging for multi-platform businesses or institutions but with a clear plan (and a great partner), you can transition seamlessly while safeguarding your data and user experience.
Here’s some simple steps we recommend you take:
What’s your existing situation?
Begin by thoroughly assessing your current MDM environment and cost. This will determine what aspects are working, identify areas of improvement and most importantly if you have the budget for it. If your current MDM solution isn’t meeting your device management strategy, it’s time to start exploring other avenues.
Find a Great Partner
Yes, you can research all the MDM providers across the industry but this takes time and a lot of effort. What does a great partner look like? A great partner will have the ability to help you with your full device lifecycle management from initial procurement, configuration, deployment and asset recycling. Therefore, it’s imperative that you identify a partner that can help guide you through this process at a rapid pace. A partner will do the heavy lifting and help you find the best MDM solution to meet your specific needs, considering factors such as feature sets, compatibility with your existing systems, security, scalability, ease of use, management and maintenance. If they know their onions, they should have a portfolio of user cases to help you with your selection.
Stakeholder Buy-in
Keep all relevant stakeholders informed about the upcoming change. Provide an Executive Summary of your research and the reasons for switching to another partner, gain their support and address any concerns. If you are having trouble with this, Academia has a guide on How to Build a Business Case for Device Management – click here to view. However, a great partner should be able to support you with this.
Build The Solution
Once you have selected a new MDM provider, you will need to build the system and scope of works (SOW). If you have chosen to work with a partner, they should be able to help develop and build the SOW for you.
Get ready for launch
Once you’ve selected the solution, agreed the scope and cost, you will need a Project Manager to lead the deployment for you. If you are working with a partner, they should have a Service Delivery Manager who will work alongside your IT team to ensure your deployment runs smoothly and on time.
Training and Onboarding
Even the best MDM software is ineffective if users aren’t trained properly. After all, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’. As part of your project, you should ensure your IT team receives a Quickstart training session (or something similar) so that they have the skillsets to manage the platform effectively.
Conclusion
Switching MDM providers doesn’t have to be complex and overwhelming, in fact, it can be a breeze if you find the right partner. Solution providers like Academia have over two decades’ experience working with education, business, public sector and charities designing, deploying and supporting their MDM environments and wider and device management strategy. We’re an award-winning partner of Jamf and hold the highest accreditations with market leading MDM providers. Equally, we can provide a fully managed or supported MDM or device management solution for Apple and Microsoft, including multi-platform estates – click here for more details
