How MDM Solutions Contributes to the Growth of Logistics Industry

These days everyone owns a mobile phone. There are approx. 5.15 billion mobile phone users in the world. There is no denial in the fact that these little devices have completely transformed our lives, starting from our shopping habits to the way of doing business. There is no industry left untouched with this trend of using mobile phones for day to day operations.

The increase in the usage of mobile devices has brought a major change in the logistics industry also. From managing supply chains to keeping track of freight, mobile phones play an important role and there has always been the demand for enterprise mobility solutions in every industry. In business, the term “logistics” refers to placing the right thing, in the right place, and at the right time, by managing the flow of goods from the point of origin to the end-user’s destination.

As per the data shared by Zion Research Analysis global MDM market size to register a global CAGR of 22.9% during 2018 – 2028. Also, the global market size of Mobile Device Management (MDM) is anticipated to grow from $4.3 billion in 2020 to USD 15.7 billion by the year 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approx. 29.6% during the forecast period.

Mobile devices these days are used by managers to truck drivers, dispatchers, sales personnel, and receivers. Companies can now easily track the real-time location of goods, deal with the third-party systems, execute the procedures, and streamline deliveries, and many more. As mobile phones took over the industry it started posing some difficulties in the workplace, and data security became the biggest concern.

Talking about the logistics industry, one of the first things which come to our mind is privacy and security. In today’s time, the delivery boy has all the information about the customer, from the name, address to the mobile number. Hence, there needed a guarantee where this information of the customer is secure along with the complete access of the information with the delivery person. And this is where enterprise mobile application development companies steps in to create innovative and smart Mobile Device Management (MDM) systems.

What is a Mobile Device Management (MDM) System?

The inherent risks of a “bring your device” (BYOD) policy have given rise to the mobile device management (MDM) system, which is mainly used to monitor, manage, and secure employees’ laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices that are being used in the workplace.

According to Novell, every 53 seconds, a laptop or tablet is stolen, and 113 cell phones are lost or stolen every minute. Hence, losing essential data is one of the major concerns of the users using these devices. MDM solutions let you manage the apps being installed or removed on mobile devices, monitor the devices in the MDM server, configure basic settings on devices, and set up devices that will be used for specific purposes.

How Do MDM Solutions work?

Mobile device management software usually runs on either an on-premise solution or in the cloud. The cloud computing services integrated into mobile devices allow management as well as IT admins to remotely configure and manage devices using MDM’s software or server.

With the help of MDM’s management console, IT admins can send push configurations and apps to mobile devices through OTA. With a robust server, admins can send out a set of commands through Application programming interfaces (APIs) to apply them on devices’ OS.

When referring to an MDM vendor, ask the types of models they offer. Do they offer just on-premise service or cloud-based SaaS development services? When it comes to implementation, SaaS is quicker and cost-efficient, also they do not require additional hardware for management, monitoring, maintenance & updates, unlike on-premise.

Best Practices for Mobile Device Management

The key ingredient for MDM is to deliver an end-to-end solution between vendors, IT administrators, and users, whether it is a cloud-based or on-premise model. A good mobile device should –

  • Increase security
  • Ease of overall mobile management system
  • Increase production
  • Improve efficiency
  • Save time

So, the best practices to follow for mobile device management are –

Automatic Updates – Beyond instant accessibility of the cloud, MDM free organizations from buying or installing, and even maintaining hardware. The platform deters the associated fees while automatically updating the new features at the company’s disposal.

Easy Search – Cloud-based solution offers the ability for quick search. So, any organization can quickly and seamlessly access the devices, integrations, reports, apps, and secure documents effortlessly.

Automated Reports – Mobile device management offers advanced solutions, such as reporting and inventory tools, to delegate easy-to-follow and comprehend reports. With these tools, users can have daily updates that are automatically generated without the need for manual inputs.

Key Benefits of Enterprise Mobility Management in Logistics and Supply Chain

Entrepreneurs working in the transportation business are always seeking smart transportation and logistic software development to keep the data secure, as maintaining the privacy and security of their customers is a major concern here. Where mobile devices have brought connectivity in this sector, there is always a fear of data breach. A mobile device management system is helping logistics providers maximize their company ROI by providing them actionable insights into their processes. Let us dig in deep to check with the benefits of the Mobile Device Management system.

Greater Productivity

There are many teams involved from production, administration to logistic installation in a typical supply chain. In this, many teams need to coordinate with each other to get the goods delivered. MDM solution helps in getting the relevant information at the tips of finger thus helps the team create a plan of action that is optimized for speed and customer satisfaction. Mobile device management is helping the logistics providers in increasing the ROI and showing the actionable insight into the process.

Systematic Asset Tracking

The safe and on-time delivery of the goods to the customer is what a customer and companies get satisfied with. There are many benefits of enterprise mobility solutions as it can help in tracking the goods and their condition until they reach the final destination. Cloud-based MDM solution assists in maintaining a consistent trail of the entire journey of the asset until its final destination. It also provides the option to the customers to track the details of their shipment until it is not reached to them.

Quicker Transit Time

Transit time is very important and with the help of the effective mobile solution, the time taken is transit is surely fastened. The communication between the various hubs and the predefined process of tracking provides the real-time position of goods, hence making the transit time quicker, faster, and smoother.

Effective Warehouse Management

The administration, installation, and security have become easier to maintain in the warehouse with the help of a Mobile Device Management system. As multiple devices are used in the warehouse-like handheld devices, mobile, barcode printers, and scanners, RFID tags it is essential to have a system in place which encompasses it. So, if you are also looking for effective warehouse management, you must reach out to a company offering proficient product engineering services to get your own customized MDM solution developed.

Cost Savings

Every business owner wants to achieve maximum results in the minimum possible cost, and only then he can encash the maximum of his investment. The logistics and supply chain industry is quite complicated and there are a lot of stages involved in the whole process. Also, at each stage there are too many people involved handling different departments including multiple applications such as pick up & dispatch management software, warehouse management software, inventory management, and many more.. It gets really difficult for an entrepreneur to manage the cost at each stage.

The minimization of risk automatically helps in reduced costs. Once you achieve all the above, it turns into lowering of extra overheads and thereby optimizes the cost burdens on the enterprise’s shoulders. It restricts the employees to use the data beyond a threshold limit and triggers a push notification to the admin for corrective measures. By handling the employees’ data bandwidth using an MDM Solution, it ultimately helps in cost savings.

Other Industries Where MDM Solutions Can Be Used

1. MDM for SMBs

Cloud-based software is increasingly being relied upon for managing and tracking the fleet of devices remotely without the need for an in-house specialist. SMBs can leverage the MDM tool to administer devices from a single portal to increase efficiency and manage security risks easily.

2. Managed Service Providers

MSPs can use MDMs for seamlessly establishing secure and legislation-compliant processes. Through a centralized MDM portal, IT professional services providers can provide streamlined IT services and view all their customers’ devices and manage them vigilantly.

3. Retail and Service

MDM’s in the retail industry can serve as point-of-sale (POS) terminals, info screens, and self-service checkouts. Mobile Device Management can turn the devices of multiple users into Single-app kiosk mode while setting device restrictions. Further, device managers can enable customization with wallpaper for a consistent brand experience.

4. Healthcare and Telemedicine

The increasing remote patient monitoring methods have enhanced the need for secure and robust mobile device management. Patient health data are highly sensitive, which require extensive security. MDM helps the healthcare industry store and handle data while complying with industry regulations – HIPAA standards.

5. Education

Be it an intermediate level of learning or advanced level, every organization, and educational institute can facilitate teaching and learning through mobile devices. However, these need to be configured before teachings. With MDM, administrators can easily configure devices and remotely set restrictions for device usage, such as blacklist any harmful applications or block access to specific websites while offering flexible licensing.

The Final Takeaway

Enterprise mobility is evolving and getting stronger every year and with this, there is a huge demand for enterprise mobility services in the market. Each enterprise needs to have an effective mobile solution and create a smart enterprise mobility strategy that will offer a secure, controlled, and flexible work environment like working beyond business hours, from remote locations or field-based jobs. There are multiple aspects to go through while choosing the right mobile device management solution.

Logistics itself is not a simple process, and this industry demands to adopt the mobile culture and integrate the existing processes with the new one. Improved mobile device management software will help the logistics provider in reducing the cost and boost efficiency, but also managing the timely shipments and earning customer trust.