Mobile Device Management in Chicago: Decide What You Control on Every Device
Mobile device management in Chicago starts with an uncomfortable but useful question: when someone loses a phone, or leaves your company with one, what business information goes with them? If you cannot answer that quickly, the problem is not the phone. It is that nobody decided in advance what the business controls, and what it leaves alone.
Mobile device management, or MDM, is the combination of software and written rules that lets a business enroll phones, tablets and laptops, apply security settings and remove business data when it needs to. Datastrive sets it up and supports it for Chicago businesses, alongside your endpoint security and IT support, so the devices your team carries are part of the same plan as everything else.
- Setup and security rules for phones, tablets and laptops that touch business data
- Written rules for personal devices (BYOD) and company-owned devices
- A defined process for lost devices and for employees who leave
- Serving Chicago and businesses across Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties
Book a Free Device Management Review
Tell us a little about your business and someone from our team will reach out to set up a time. Your information stays private.
What Is Mobile Device Management?
Mobile device management is software and policy that lets a business enroll phones, tablets and laptops, apply security settings, install work apps and remove business data when a device is lost or an employee leaves.
It controls how devices are configured and what business information they can hold. It is different from antivirus and other protection software, which is covered under endpoint security, and from email filtering, which is covered under email security. MDM is also not a way of watching what employees do on their personal time, and a good policy says so clearly.
Company-Owned Devices or Personal Phones? Deciding What You Control
The most important MDM decision is not the software. It is whether a device belongs to the company or the employee, because that decides how much you can control and how much privacy the employee keeps.
What IT can see on a personal device depends on how it is enrolled, so the answer should be written in plain language in a policy your employees read and agree to. Many businesses use a mix, with company-owned laptops for some roles and personal phones for work email. We help you decide by role instead of picking one rule for everyone.
What Our Mobile Device Management Services Include
The scope depends on your devices, your platform and your agreement. We confirm it in writing before work starts so you know what we handle and what stays with you.
Device Inventory and Enrollment
We start with a list of the phones, tablets and laptops that connect to business email and files. Enrolling a device is what lets the business apply settings to it, so a device that is not enrolled is a device you cannot manage.
Security Settings
We agree baseline settings with you, such as passcodes, screen lock, encryption and how current the device’s software must be. The goal is a consistent standard that employees can live with, not a long list of restrictions.
Work Apps and Email
We set up business email and the apps your team needs on enrolled devices, and limit where work data can go. When someone leaves, the same setup lets us remove it.
Access Rules
Where your environment supports it, access to business email and apps can depend on whether a device is enrolled and meets your standard. This connects with Microsoft 365 security sign-in rules and identity and access management.
Lost, Stolen and Retired Devices
If a device is lost or retired, we can lock it and remove business data from it. On a personal device, the aim is to remove only business data. On a company-owned device, your policy may allow a full wipe. We agree which applies before it is needed.
Updates
Devices that fall behind on updates are easier to attack. We flag them and work with employees to bring them current. Patching of computers and servers is handled through server and endpoint management.
Device and BYOD Policies
We help you write a short, plain-English device policy covering what is required, what IT can and cannot see, and what happens when a device is lost or an employee leaves.
Onboarding and Offboarding Devices
New hires get devices set up with the right settings and apps. When someone leaves, we remove their access and business data, collect company devices and prepare them for reuse. This works alongside the requests you send through our support channels.
What Happens When a Phone Is Lost or an Employee Leaves
Both situations come down to the same steps: cut off access, remove business data and document what happened. Speed matters, so the first step is to tell us.
- Report it right away through the client portal, by email at [email protected] or by phone at (773) 863-3868.
- We lock the device and sign it out of business accounts where possible.
- We remove business data, or wipe the device if it is company-owned and your policy allows.
- We review what the device could access.
- We help arrange a replacement.
- Tell us before or on their last day.
- We remove access to email, apps and other business systems.
- On a personal phone, we remove business data and leave personal content alone.
- Company devices are collected, wiped and prepared for reuse.
- We record what was done.
Remote lock and wipe depend on the device being enrolled and able to reach the internet. A device that is switched off or offline will not respond until it reconnects, which is another reason to report quickly. We do not make response-time promises.
Who Does What: Device Management Responsibilities
A Device Policy Your Team Will Follow
A device policy works when employees understand it and see that it is fair. A good one fits on a page or two and answers the questions people actually ask.
It should say:
- Which devices can access business information, and which cannot
- What security settings are required, such as a passcode and current software
- What the company can see on a personal device, and what it cannot
- What happens if a device is lost or stolen, and who to tell
- What happens when someone leaves, including what is removed and what stays
- Whether the company contributes to phone costs, if the business uses personal phones
Employees are more willing to enroll personal phones when they know exactly what the company can and cannot see. We help you write this in plain English and keep it current.
Mobile Device Management Is One Layer of Your Security
Device management sits alongside other layers. Endpoint security protects computers and servers, email security filters what arrives, and security awareness training helps people spot problems. Backup and disaster recovery gives you a way to recover if something goes wrong.
Our approach is built around the CIS Controls v8.1 framework, which includes controls for keeping an inventory of devices and configuring them securely. It guides what we review. It is not a certification and it does not guarantee outcomes. See all of our cybersecurity services for how the pieces fit together.
How Mobile Device Management Is Priced
Mobile device management is usually priced per device each month, either as part of a managed IT agreement or on its own. One-time setup and enrollment work is listed separately. The cost of the devices themselves is not included.
A proposal should show:
- The monthly cost per managed device
- Setup and enrollment work
- Whether you already have device management tools included in licenses you pay for, which we check before recommending anything new
- Any help with writing the device policy
We’ll tell you if you don’t need it: a business with a few company-owned phones and no personal devices may need a short policy and a simple setup, not a full program. We do not publish numbers because they depend on your device count and setup. You receive a written proposal in plain numbers. Our managed IT services pricing guide explains the general factors that affect IT service costs.
Mobile Device Management for Chicago Industries
How devices are used differs by industry, and so should the rules.
- Law firms have attorneys who read privileged email and documents on phones, tablets and laptops while traveling or in court.
- Healthcare practices have staff using phones and tablets for scheduling and messages that may involve patient information. We describe our approach factually and do not promise compliance.
- Manufacturers often have shared tablets and devices used by several people, which need different rules from a personal phone.
- Professional services firms often have staff on laptops and personal phones across client sites and home offices.
- Nonprofits often have volunteers and part-time staff using their own phones, which makes clear BYOD rules and simple offboarding important.
See all sectors we support on our industries page.
Mobile Device Management Across Chicago and the Suburbs
We support businesses throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, including Skokie, Rosemont, Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, Oak Brook, Downers Grove, Naperville and Aurora. The full picture across Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties is on our Chicagoland service area page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Device Management in Chicago
What is mobile device management (MDM)?
Does a small business need MDM?
Can you manage personal phones, and what can the company see?
What is selective wipe?
What happens if an employee loses their phone?
What is the difference between MDM and endpoint security?
How much does mobile device management cost?
How do existing partners report a lost device or a departing employee?
Decide What You Control Before a Phone Goes Missing
Tell us how your team uses phones, tablets and laptops today: who has company devices, who uses personal ones and what happens when someone leaves. We will review it, explain what we see in plain language and tell you what we would and would not change.
Book a Free Device Management Review
Tell us a little about your business and someone from our team will reach out to set up a time. Your information stays private.