Did you know there are around 1 billion smartphone users all over the world? It is true. In 2010 alone table sales were around 19.5 million units.
This is why more and more companies are hopping on the smartphone bandwagon and offering these types of phones to employees for business purposes.
This is where mobile device management becomes a big part of the process. Companies need a way to distribute phones to all of their employees.
The costs of offering iPhones to all of the employees at a company can be very costly, which is why so many companies are employing BYOD, or Bring your own device.
The BYOD model is also being used in schools, because it benefits students and school districts.
The way the BYOD model works is an employee would use his or her own iPhone, and it would be connected directly to the company network. The biggest challenge with this model, however, is security.
The iPhone management and iphone security aspect of mobile device management is a challenge because employees are using their personal phones and devices, like iPads for business purposes.
Buying iPhones and other mobile devices for employees these days does not make a whole lot of sense for a company since most employees already have their own. In fact, a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners survey found that, out of a thousand consumers, one in five planned on using their personal iPad for business. See this link for more references.