Android devices are popular because they’re reliable, secure, and open. It can be effectively used for businesses, no matter what the business, it’s a strong platform that everyone prefers to use. Hence, its safety, security and reliability must be double-checked. This is where the concept of Android MDM can be applied.
Table of Contents
- Android MDM solutions
- With so many Android MDM alternatives, how do you choose?
- 1. IBM MaaS360 with Watson
- 2. Citrix Endpoint Management (Earlier XenMobile)
- 3. ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus
- 4. Esper
- 5. Scalefusion
- 6. Miradore
- 7. Microsoft Intune
- 8. MobileIron
- 9. SOTI MobiControl
- 10. Hexnode
- Conclusion
Android MDM solutions
Android MDM solutions provide management options for IT admins to monitor, control, and safeguard corporate or personally owned Android devices from a centralized interface.
To offer enterprises holistic Android device management, the Android MDM software must include the following features:
- Device Enrollment
- Containerization
- App management
- Security management
- Content management
- Device health monitoring
- Audits and reports
As the saying goes, “No competition, No progress”. Good and healthy competition pushes us to achieve more. So is the case with these Android MDMs.
With so many Android MDM alternatives, how do you choose?
Don’t worry! To make your research easier, we have made a list. Let’s have a look at the top 10 competing Android MDM solutions.
1. IBM MaaS360 with Watson
MaaS360 Mobile Device Management is the first cloud-based MDM solution that fully supports the Samsung MDM API. Watson AI integration offers artificial intelligence-based security features and reports. It helps in simplifying, and augmenting a wide range of complicated endpoints and mobile settings.
Features:
- Supports Android beta applications
- The admin interface is simple and easy to use.
- The Android enrollment settings can be configured using the Android configurator, KNOX Mobile Enrollment, QR Code for Android for Work Managed Device Provisioning, and Android Enterprise Zero-Touch Enrollment.
- Supports single sign-on to web and cloud apps
- Provide malware detection and elimination
Some issues that require improvement:
- The app crashes sometimes on Android M Devices.
- It is not an appropriate option for small and medium-sized enterprises. This product is ideal for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and larger networks.
Pricing: IBM MaaS360 has four plans: Essentials, Deluxe, Premier, and Enterprise, with pricing ranging from $4, $5, $6.25, and $9 per device each month, respectively.
Trial-Period: 30 days free trial
2. Citrix Endpoint Management (Earlier XenMobile)
The Citrix Workspace app is designed for Android versions 7 and higher. Citrix’s ‘Worx’ applications, which are available for Android, provide a collection of Citrix-powered apps that can be customized and are targeted at enhancing workplace security.
The Citrix endpoint management service may be used to manage ‘Worx’ apps. Citrix Endpoint Management utilizes user context restrictions based on role, location, or device to protect sensitive data. The system is sophisticated, utilizing machine learning and analytics to assist in identifying high-risk user behavior.
Features:
- The Citrix Workspace app for Android is available in languages other than English.
- Provides advanced security features.
- Offers distinct micro-VPN features.
- Supports manual enrollment and enrollment invitations.
Some issues that require improvement:
- User onboarding is time-demanding.
- The graphical user interface is not user-friendly.
- Bulk enrollment methods are not supported for Android devices.
Pricing: starts at $2.25 per month per device
Trial Period: It offers a maximum of 60 days trial to its customers
3. ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus
The ManageEngine MDM provides a lot of options for Android device management. The two main types of Android devices supported include:
- Samsung devices and
- Non-Samsung devices.
The Non-Samsung devices are further divided into:
- Container Management and
- Complete Device Management
Features:
- Includes a remote desktop management solution for troubleshooting remote devices through chat, video, audio, shortcuts, and so on.
- Utilizes Profile Management to enforce policies.
- Helps to cut overhead costs using power management techniques such as turning down inactive PCs, receiving system uptime data, and remotely managing desktops.
Some issues that require improvement:
- Geofencing features are not supported.
- The user interface is tricky and crowded to use.
Pricing: Standard edition starts at $495 per year for 50 devices.
Trial-Period: 30 days free trial
4. Esper
The Esper solution is designed for practically any device running Android 6.0 or later. Esper’s CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous deployment) pipelines allow organizations to release software updates regularly without concern of damaging a device or causing an issue for consumers.
Features:
- Provides great customer support.
- Offers OS customization and device telemetry.
- Ensures secure remote provisioning, deployment, and debugging for Android devices.
- It has quarterly managed firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates.
Some issues that require improvement:
- It takes a long time to set up a device.
- Esper products are limited to Android.
Pricing: starts at $4/device/month and they also offer custom pricing for their customers for custom enterprise solutions.
Trial-Period: It offers a free trial for its customers.
5. Scalefusion
Scalefusion has simplified device management for Android devices by using a dashboard that has a minimal learning curve. It provides location monitoring, certificate administration, content management, network settings, and other capabilities for Android devices.
Features:
- It includes support for dedicated devices, COPE (Corporate-owned Personally Enabled), and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).
- Offer good customer support and a simple user interface.
- It can track date, time, route history, and location and also provides location reports for easier troubleshooting and security.
- Provide over-the-air deployment and provisioning for Android devices.
- Supports account sign-in using Gsuite and Office 365.
Some issues that require improvement:
- No messaging is allowed in the offline dashboard
- It may cause problems while performing a remote cast session.
- It provides limitations in custom app storage
- In kiosk mode, there is no multi-monitoring capability.
Pricing: $2.00 – $4.00 per device per month.
Trial-Period: 14-day Free Trial
6. Miradore
Miradore is a cloud-based mobile device management software that offers an intelligent method to manage Android devices, both company-owned and personal. Distributing business-critical apps, automating device management across different operating systems, and protecting company data are all made easier with Miradore.
Features:
- Miradore allows you to use passcodes to safeguard your device and data, encrypt your device, and establish a secure container for business data.
- Provides good customer support.
- Improved blacklisting functionalities as well as better location tracking.
- It includes warranty tracking as lifecycle management.
Some issues that require improvement:
- There is no actual integration of the device remote control.
- It lacks patch management that includes fully automatic patch deployment for Android devices
- It does not have web content filtering for Android devices.
Pricing: Miradore has two subscription plans: free and premium. The premium edition costs $2 per month per device.
Trial-Period: 14-day Free Trial of its premium plan for users to test their features out.
7. Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune boosts mobile productivity even though it takes a very long time to understand all the different parts which may change at times. Intune can be used on both personal and corporate devices. Once enrolled, the devices will receive the policies and profiles created by the organization.
Features:
- Supports various enrollment methods for Android devices that include BYOD, Android Enterprise COSU, COBO, COPE, Android DA and AOSP.
- Widely used because it is included in the Office365 EMS package.
- Offers App Protection Policies that can be customized.
- For enterprises that rely on a Microsoft-centric environment, Microsoft Intune is the finest device management solution.
Some issues that require improvement:
- Device location functionalities are absent in this solution.
- The dashboard is not customizable.
Pricing: As part of Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility+Security E3 package, pricing starts at $8.80 per user per month.
Trial-Period: 30-day free trial is available for all the users
8. MobileIron
MobileIron is an MDM solution that allows admins to control device access to resources like email, calendar, contacts, and other central apps. IT admins can set up devices with the required settings to allow access to Wi-Fi networks, email accounts, and applications using MobileIron.
Features:
- Compatible with Android versions 8.x through 11.
- Provides Automatic user/device recognition and email protection.
- Offers zero sign-on authentication.
- Employees can utilize MobileIron’s self-service portal for a range of functions. This is where users can unlock and lock their devices, modify their account information, retire, erase, force check-in, and view their location.
Some issues that require improvement:
- It lacks remote access and history/version control features for Android devices.
- There are no inventory reporting techniques available for Android.
- It lacks customization and is tough to explore and configure.
Pricing: starts at $4.00 per device per month. It also offers a 12-month contract option.
Trial-Period: 30-day free trial
9. SOTI MobiControl
Soti’s MDM, MobiControl enables enterprises to centrally manage and watch over devices. It enables the configuration and deployment of managed apps, including OEMConfig apps, in settings without access to the Google Play Store or the Internet.
Features:
- It has integrations with Android Zero-Touch Enrollment.
- Facilitates fast provisioning and enrolling.
- It cuts the time it takes to distribute data and apps across large numbers of Android devices by up to 60%.
- Offers a simple installation procedure.
- It is useful for stopping unauthorized software from being installed on corporate-owned devices and gives the option of locking the devices against unapproved software.
Some issues that require improvement:
- Profiles may only be configured using an older version of the user interface.
- It lacks proper customer support.
Pricing: ranges from $3.25 to $90 per device each month.
Trial-Period: 30-day free trial
10. Hexnode
The Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) software, Hexnode, streamlines management of all types of Android endpoints, from mobile phones to XR devices, and allows a variety of endpoint management features. Android Enterprise (AE) and Hexnode allow enterprises to establish extensive control over every controllable feature of a device.
Features:
- It supports the Knox Service Plugin feature which is a Samsung OEMConfig application that enables organizations to access and use all Knox management capabilities as soon as they are available on their UEM consoles.
- It enables the display of custom animations during device boot up and shutdown.
- Its various enrollment options include:
-
-
- No authentication enrollment
- Email/ SMS enrollment
- Self-enrollment
- QR Code Enrollment
- ROM enrollment
- Android Enterprise enrollment (that includes Android for Work)
- Non-Android Enterprise Enrollment as Device Owner.
- No Touch Enrollment:
-
- It provides app logs that can help with device troubleshooting.
- It offers geofencing and location tracking.
The Android MDM solution from Hexnode lets you manage every Android device in an enterprise with maximum ease of use and flexibility.
Get started with Hexnode’s Android Management solution to improve efficiency, increase productivity, save time and overhead costs of managing your corporate devices.
Datasheet
Hexnode Android Management Solution
Some issues that require improvement:
- It lacks patch management feature and email protection.
- The bulk enrollment procedure in Android is time-consuming.
Pricing: It offers 5 plans: Express, Pro, Enterprise, Ultimate, Ultra. The price range starts from $1.08 per device per month for the Express.
Trial-Period: 14-day free trial
Conclusion
Android MDM is a complete solution for all enterprises that ensures both productivity and mobile device security. From limitless mobile experiences to limited control over just corporate data and apps, Android provides flexibility to have control over the devices in an organization. MDM solutions help organizations to deploy, configure, and manage corporate endpoints from a centralized console.
Get started with Android Device Management
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