IT Leaders Have a Lot On Their Plate
IT directors, particularly those at small-to-midsized businesses, have found themselves increasingly overburdened due to a combination of resource constraints, complex IT environments, and increasing cybersecurity demands. Consider just a few of the factors:
- Small Teams, Big Responsibilities – Many small-to-midsized companies have lean IT departments, sometimes consisting of just one or two people. The IT director must juggle multiple roles—network administrator, help desk support, cybersecurity lead, and even software developer—all at once.
- Fragmented Technology – IT leaders wear many hats! Manufacturing and warehousing firms often rely on legacy systems, such as outdated ERP software, on-premises servers, and older industrial equipment. Multiple operating systems may be in play: Windows, Android, IOS, and perhaps Linux.
- Cybersecurity Risks – Today’s always-online businesses are prime targets for hacks and cyberattacks like ransomware. IT directors may lose sleep at night trying to keep bad actors at bay with OS patches, security updates, and sufficient device security.
Mobile Devices are Multiplying… As are the Management Needs
Computing endpoints have multiplied dramatically in recent years, and this growth will continue into the future. Laptops, tablets, handheld computers, and vehicle mounted computers are all used in the modern enterprise. In managing these devices, IT leaders must contend not only with larger quantities, but also with devices which are mobile and thus dispersed across the facility or even across many facilities.
This means that relying on getting hands-on to update and manage devices is a bad plan, due to the time and hassle of simply tracking down all of the computers. Enter mobile device management (MDM) software as an enabling tool for efficiently handling these device fleets. When well-implemented and managed, MDM is a significant enabler for the IT team, creating an efficient way of managing and supporting large fleets of devices. (Read our past article: Is mobile device management a fit for you?)
The challenge for the IT team: the MDM software becomes yet another responsibility added to the IT plate, often without any increased resources to match. This is where CSSI’s mobile device support experts can step in to help.
CSSI Offers 3 Types of Mobile Device Support Options
The CSSI support team offers expertise in mobile device management, particularly SOTI MobiControl. We offer flexible options for how we can help you manage your devices and thereby reduce the burden on your IT team:
1. You Manage Your Devices
If your IT team is both knowledgeable about MDM and has sufficient bandwidth, you can use CSSI for sourcing your MDM software and providing services to support your initial MDM rollout. You take it from there and only contact us when needed.
2. You Manage Your Devices with Our Support
Your IT team may have a reasonable amount of MDM knowledge for day-to-day needs, but may lack the blocks of time needed for annual upgrades and major changes. In these cases, you may choose to use CSSI on an as-needed basis to provide you the necessary additional bandwidth. There are no contracts or time commitments necessary, you would simply pay for the support time you need.
3. We Manage Your Devices
It’s possible that your IT team may either a) be unfamiliar with MDM software and Android mobile devices in particular, or b) may lack time to support mobile devices. To help our customers in these situations, CSSI created Device Lifecycle Management, a contracted support package. Under this program, CSSI can manage your mobile devices from initial provisioning to annual patches and updates and can provide user technical support and trouble-shooting along the way. You can rest assured that your devices are patched and secured.
Contact Us To Discuss Mobile Device Support Services
Would you like to discuss mobile device management and mobile device support services for your rugged computers and tablets? Contact CSSI to discuss how we can help with MDM.