How to create a successful mobile device management (MDM) policy: A complete guide

Published

Sep 17, 2024

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A mobile device management (MDM) policy is a set of rules and protocols that define how smartphones, tablets, laptops and other devices are used, configured, and secured within an organization. The goal is to protect company data, prevent security breaches, and ensure compliance.

In today's mobile-first business environment, employees rely heavily on portable devices to stay productive and connected. However, the growing use of personal smartphones and tablets for work has dramatically expanded the potential attack surface for hackers and data thieves. Research shows that lost and stolen devices are one of the leading causes of data breaches, while malware-infected files downloaded to employee devices are top vectors for malware infections.

To defend against these mounting threats, a robust MDM policy must be the foundation of any organization's mobile security strategy. But where do you start? How do you craft an effective policy that doesn't hinder productivity?

In this guide, we'll walk through what makes a successful MDM policy and the key steps to implementing one. Let's dive in.

What is a mobile device management (MDM) policy?

An MDM policy is a comprehensive set of guidelines governing the acceptable use, configuration, and security controls for mobile devices accessing an organization's apps, data, and network. These rules apply to both company-owned and employee-owned devices.

The purpose of an MDM policy is to mitigate the risks inherent in today's mobile-centric workstyles—risks like devices being lost or stolen, malware infections, network attacks, and data leakage through insecure channels like text messaging, personal email, or cloud storage.

To counter these threats, an MDM policy institutes safeguards around:

Permitted devices and operating systems
Required device configurations (e.g. encryption, password policies)
Allowed and banned apps
Wi-Fi, VPN, and email settings
Content sharing and copy/paste restrictions
Procedures for lost or stolen devices
Consequences for policy violations

By systematically defining usage rules and technical controls, an MDM policy creates a security baseline to keep sensitive data confidential and prevent devices from becoming conduits for breaches.

Why is a mobile device management (MDM) policy important?

The hard truth is that mobile devices have become the Achilles' heel of many organizations' cybersecurity defenses. Consider these eye-opening statistics:

97% of workers admit to using personal devices to access work accounts.
43% of employees encountered work-related phishing attacks on personal devices.
10 million attacks using malware, adware, or unwanted mobile software were blocked in Q1 2024 alone.
70 million smartphones are lost each year, with only 7% recovered.

Stories of major companies suffering multi-million dollar breaches and reputational damage due to a single lost phone or malware-infected tablet have become all too common.

At the same time, the "consumerization" trend of employees wanting to use their familiar personal devices and apps for work isn't slowing down. Today, 82% of organizations currently use BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to boost employee satisfaction and productivity, saving an estimated $341 per employee. This tension between empowering a mobile workforce and locking down corporate data can seem like a no-win situation. But it doesn't have to be. That's where a well-crafted MDM policy comes in.

When designed and enforced effectively, MDM policies enable organizations to:

Embrace BYOD/remote work without compromising security
Demonstrate compliance with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA
Protect intellectual property from device-based data leaks
Defend against malware and credential-based attacks
Gain visibility and control over their device fleet
Provide employees a consistent, frictionless mobile experience

Rather than an obstacle, an MDM policy is the key to unlocking mobility's benefits while proactively guarding against its inherent risks. It's the guardrail that lets organizations confidently support "work from anywhere" because they can trust their data is secure on any device, anywhere.

How to create a mobile device management policy: 5 steps

Developing an MDM policy that perfectly balances your organization's security and productivity needs is both an art and science. It requires aligning a web of stakeholders—from IT, security, and compliance to HR and legal.

While each organization's policy journey will be unique, most will involve these 5 core steps:

1) Define your policy's purpose and scope

Any good policy starts with clear intentions. Pinpoint the primary objectives driving your MDM initiative, such as enabling a BYOD program, securing a remote workforce or meeting a compliance mandate. With your "north star" set, define the policy's scope in terms of which devices and operating systems it will cover, whether it will apply to the whole organization or specific user groups, and if you are managing only corporate-owned devices, BYOD, or both. Delineating these boundaries upfront focuses your policy-building efforts.

2) Align policy with regulations and laws

MDM policies exist within a larger regulatory ecosystem. Collaborate with your legal and compliance teams to ensure yours aligns with applicable laws and industry mandates like HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA. Also, give special consideration to employee privacy, especially for BYOD.

Consult legal to clarify the organization's right to manage and monitor work-related apps and data on personal devices. Define employee consent procedures and spell out privacy protections, like promising not to track websites visited or view personal information.

3) Define roles and responsibilities

Effective policy execution depends on stakeholders knowing their parts. In your policy, specify roles and duties across teams. For instance, IT should lead MDM selection, deployment, and operations. Security sets security configuration baselines and investigates incidents, legal advises on compliance, while the help desk troubleshoots device and user issues and coordinates replacements.

4) Design your deployment workflows

With roles defined, map out step-by-step processes for core MDM lifecycle events like onboarding and offboarding. For onboarding, HR notifies IT of a new hire, IT ships the user a preconfigured device or sends enrollment instructions, the user enrolls their device, MDM automatically applies baseline policy, app, and security settings, and the user receives access credentials and training.

For offboarding, HR notifies IT of the separation, then IT remotely locks and wipes the device. For BYOD, IT performs an enterprise wipe deleting only company data, and the user coordinates device return or trade-in via MDM. By codifying these flows, you standardize secure provisioning and ensure no device slips through the cracks.

5) Educate and train employees

An MDM policy is only as strong as employee comprehension and buy-in. Design a training program to walk users through the reasons for the policy, expectations for device usage and security, the step-by-step enrollment process, how to get IT support, and consequences of violations. Deliver training live, reinforce it with written guides, and mandate completion as part of onboarding.

Mobile device policy examples

While each company's needs are unique, most MDM policies contain similar core components. Let's walk through a few common examples:

Identity and access management (IAM)

IAM policies define how user identities are verified and what resources they're allowed to access. These policies typically include strong password requirements, multi-factor authentication (MFA) enrollment, single sign-on (SSO) procedures, and role-based access controls for apps and data. For instance, a company might require users to enroll in MFA within five days of receiving a new device and mandate its use for accessing all business apps.

Device management

Device management policies focus on the minimum security settings required for a device to access company resources. These often include disk encryption, password or biometric authentication, remote lock and wipe capabilities, and operating system version requirements. A common example is requiring devices to have a passcode of at least six characters and automatically lock after five minutes of inactivity.

Application management

Application management policies determine which apps are allowed, banned, or restricted within the organization. This includes whitelisting or blacklisting apps, conducting app risk assessments, securely distributing custom apps, and implementing data leakage prevention controls. Many organizations only permit apps from an approved MDM catalog and require all new apps to undergo a security review before being added.

BYOD policies

BYOD policies address the unique challenges of allowing personal devices to access work resources. These policies cover employee reimbursement, minimum device requirements, selective management of work apps and data, and employee privacy protections. For example, a policy might specify that MDM software will only manage applications in the business container on the device, ensuring IT doesn't have visibility into personal apps or data.

By addressing these core policy types, companies can construct a layered mobile defense spanning devices, apps, content, and identities.

Mobile device management policy best practices

Putting policy into practice is where the rubber meets the road. As you roll out MDM to your organization, keep these best practices in mind:

Enforce authentication and access controls

One of the most effective ways to prevent unauthorized device access is through strong authentication. Best practices include requiring complex passwords, setting minimum lock timer thresholds, and most importantly, mandating MFA. With MFA in place, users must supply an additional factor, like a thumbprint or one-time code, to verify their identity. This extra layer of security is crucial for protecting devices in case credentials are compromised. Pair MFA with granular access controls that limit users to only the specific apps and data required for their role, ensuring that even if an account is breached, the potential damage is contained.

To further streamline authentication and access control, consider integrating your MDM solution with your IAM platform. This allows for a unified approach to managing user identities, access permissions, and device security policies from a single interface.

Monitor and audit device activity

MDM isn't a "set it and forget it" initiative. Maintaining a secure mobile fleet requires continuous monitoring and threat response. Your MDM software should provide real-time visibility into device inventory, operating system versions, passcode status, and policy compliance. Aim to identify devices and apps that may pose a risk due to being out-of-date or exhibiting suspicious activity. Automate alerts to your IT team for quick investigation and remediation. Additionally, conduct periodic audits to verify all devices are enrolled in MDM and that configurations match policy. An annual access review is also a good practice to ensure users aren't retaining unnecessary permissions.

Implement MDM software

Executing on policy requires the right tooling. MDM software simplifies policy configuration, deployment, and enforcement through a central admin console. Key capabilities include scalable device enrollment, granular configurations, automated policy enforcement, selective wipe of company data, and extensive logging. When selecting an MDM solution, ensure it supports your full device fleet and integrates with your identity provider. As your MDM program matures, consider investing in complementary solutions like IAM, EDR, and DLP to build an integrated mobile security stack.

Stay up-to-date on the latest threats

Threats like phishing, malware, and device vulnerabilities are constantly evolving, so your MDM policy must evolve too. Stay informed about new MDM security features, app vulnerabilities, emerging compliance requirements, and incidents reported by vendors and researchers. Set a regular cadence to review and update your policies to account for new risks. It's also prudent to revisit your policy after any MDM-related security incident.

MDM policies in action

Let's walk through a few more detailed real-world MDM policy examples and the benefits they provide:

App management policy

Mia's consulting firm allows employees to use personal tablets to access the customer database. To mitigate risks, IT implements an MDM with app restrictions. Specifically, only company-approved productivity apps can be installed, copy/paste and printing are disabled in the CRM app, the email app enforces an 8-digit passcode, and file sharing apps automatically encrypt content at rest. These app guardrails prevent sensitive customer data from being inappropriately stored, shared, or transmitted, while still allowing employees flexibility.

Remote wipe and lock policy

Tim's sales rep phone is swiped from his rental car while traveling. Luckily, his company has an MDM with remote wipe capabilities. The workflow kicks in:

Tim reports lost device to IT/security
Admin verifies Tim's identity and device info
Admin sends remote lock command to device
If device isn't recovered in 24 hours, admin does full wipe
Tim receives replacement device with MDM re-enrollment

With these controls, Tim's company can act decisively to protect any sensitive data on the device, even without physical possession.

Compliance monitoring

Chris' healthcare company, subject to HIPAA regulations, uses MDM to protect patient data. IT configures policies requiring at-rest and in-transit encryption, SIM/eSIM lock restrictions, blocked unauthorized app installs, and regular device check-ins. The MDM automatically monitors devices for compliance, triggering remediation steps like user notifications, temporary PHI (protected health information) access blocks, device location, or selective wiping of PHI data if the risk is high. These proactive policy checks and responses ensure continuous HIPAA compliance across the device fleet.

Benefits of these device management policies include minimizing data loss/theft impact, enabling secure remote work, demonstrating regulatory compliance, speeding incident response times, gaining visibility into mobile fleets, and balancing security and productivity. When consistently enforced, a well-crafted MDM policy acts as a critical countermeasure against today's top mobile threats.

Design effective mobile device management policies with Rippling

Executing a successful MDM policy takes the right combination of skilled people, defined processes, and powerful tools. That's where a solution like Rippling comes in. Rippling's MDM software simplifies the heavy lifting of policy rollout and enforcement through:

Granular device inventory and management
Extensive policy and configuration options
Easy onboarding and offboarding workflows
Automatic device compliance checks
Powerful insights and analytics
Scalable, cross-OS capabilities

Rippling consolidates MDM, IAM, EDR, and more into a single platform, so you can implement consistent, context-aware policies across your full IT stack. From deploying devices with zero-touch enrollment to dynamically adjusting app access based on location, Rippling's automation and orchestration features help you achieve airtight device security without overwhelming IT.

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Frequently asked questions

What is MDM software?

MDM software is a tool that enables IT to remotely configure, manage, and secure employees' mobile devices. Core features include device enrollment, app management, security policy enforcement, and remote wipe capabilities. Leading MDM solutions also offer IAM and endpoint security integrations.

What is an MDM protocol?

An MDM protocol is a set of rules that defines how the MDM server communicates with the MDM agent app installed on a device. The protocol governs processes like device enrollment, configuration profile updates, and remote commands. Common protocols include Apple MDM and Android Enterprise.

Could small businesses benefit from implementing MDM policies?

Absolutely. Even if a small business only has a handful of devices, an MDM policy helps protect company data and prevent threats like malware. MDM solutions are now more accessible than ever, with cloud-based options that don't require extensive IT resources to manage. Proactively putting MDM policies in place sets a strong mobile security foundation as the business grows.

What is a compliance policy in MDM?

A compliance policy specifies the conditions a device must meet to be considered compliant or secure. For example, a policy may require that devices have an 8-character password, FDE enabled, and no blacklisted apps installed. The MDM solution constantly evaluates devices against these rules and can automatically flag or remediate violations.