Dell Readies Enterprise MDM Platform for 2014

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Set to launch next year, Dell’s new Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) product will provide enterprises with a unified mobile device and application platform.

Instead of current piecemeal approaches to managing “bring your own device” (BYOD) environments, Dell EMM will enable customers to “take advantage of an integrated mobility solution for secure endpoint management of devices and workspaces,” boasted the company in a statement. The solution enables one-stop access and configuration of the product’s mobile device management (MDM), mobile device management (MDM) and mobile content management (MCM) capabilities, enabling quick MDM implementations.

Dell EMM bundles “world class security technologies” along with “new digital workspace applications and a flexible deployment model with mobility services to help expedite time to value,” said the company. Dell EMM also provides Secure Remote Access gateway functionality, courtesy of SonicWALL. Dell bought SonicWALL last year, a secure remote access and firewall specialist, in a deal reportedly worth between $1 and $1.5 billion.

SonicWALL isn’t the only acquired tech that Dell is baking into the MDM/MAM product. It is comprised of “strategic IP” from Credant, KACE and Wyse, all companies that Dell has acquired since 2010.

The integrated solution delivers encrypted security, compliance reporting, policy management and self-service features aimed at mobile enterprise workflows. The software suite also includes the company’s virtual management server and console app for VMware, Dell Data Protection Virtual Edition, and supports containerized apps.

“The result is a comprehensive mobile enablement solution that elevates data security and mobile workforce productivity,” claimed Dell.

In terms of device and mobile OS support, Dell EMM covers the gamut. According to the company, it allows IT managers to “configure and define security and compliance policies for iOS and Android smartphones; Windows, Android and iOS tablets; Linux, Mac and Windows laptops and desktops; as well as thin and zero cloud clients.”

Plans call for Dell EMM to launch during Q1 2014 and will be available as an annual software subscription.

Dell faces some stiff competition in the white-hot enterprise MDM market. Atlanta-based AirWatch, an enterprise mobility management startup that has emerged as a favorite among tech VCs, recently added app scanning capabilities to its expanding MDM toolkit in a move similar to that of rival MobileIron.

Even security software companies are getting in on the act. Firms like Trend Micro, Kaspersky and Sophos, firms that are better known for their anti-malware solutions, have entered the MDM fray.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Datamation. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.