Wireless mobility management (WMM) is the process of assigning, controlling and managing the devices, services and infrastructure related to an organization’s mobile communications. That includes smartphones, tablets and other connected devices, the carrier plans behind them and everything needed to keep them working, secure and cost-effective.

Many parts of telecom and IT have long been handed to third-party providers, but mobility is often still managed in-house. That’s changing. As organizations look to gain efficiency while supporting growing demand from users, mobility has become one of the next areas of IT to modernize.

Why More Companies Outsource Mobility Management

In the past, many organizations were wary of outsourcing telecom and IT infrastructure management. They worried about security, about relying on outside staff and about cost. Mobility managed service providers (MSPs) were sometimes seen as risky and expensive as well.

Today, delegating IT management to MSPs is standard practice. Organizations that rely on a third party’s expertise have benefited from easier adoption of new technologies, lower IT costs and more dependable support, and mobility is following the same path.

What Wireless Mobility Management Covers

WMM makes sure devices and their telecom services work correctly throughout their entire lifecycle:

  • Ordering and provisioning new devices and services
  • Monitoring and controlling usage
  • Changing carrier plans as needs change
  • Support, repairs and replacements
  • Retiring, wiping and recycling devices

Mobility management has become increasingly important as employees rely on mobile devices and wireless connectivity to do their jobs from anywhere. Since COVID-19, managing employees’ devices and services while they work remotely has become one of IT’s core responsibilities.

Table showing a typical split of responsibilities between a company's IT team and a mobility managed service provider. The IT team owns mobility policy and budgets and approves new devices and plans. The mobility MSP owns ordering, provisioning and configuring devices, carrier plan changes and porting, invoice audits and disputes, help desk and repairs, lost or stolen device response, retiring and recycling devices, and usage and cost reporting, with the IT team in a supporting role

Poor Mobility Management Puts Your Company at Risk

Poorly managed mobile devices are a source of waste: unused lines, plans that don’t fit usage, billing errors and devices that are never returned. Good mobility management saves both money and time.

Poor management also creates security risks. Mobile devices that fall out of compliance with company policies can open a security hole, because those devices have access to your company’s sensitive information. Mobile device management (MDM) tools help reduce that risk by enforcing security policies and allowing lost or stolen devices to be locked or wiped remotely.

What a Good Mobility Management Service Does

The first step in wireless mobility management is defining the goals for your mobile program and understanding what makes it hard for IT to manage devices today.

A good mobility management service increases employee satisfaction and productivity, while tracking usage and data consumption to improve efficiency and the user experience.

Benefits of a Wireless Mobility Management Platform

  • Lower costs: visibility into every line, device and plan lets you eliminate unused services, move users to better-fitting plans and catch billing errors.
  • Enhanced security: enforcing security policies, encryption and authentication on every device protects critical data such as customer information and intellectual property.
  • Better user experience: employees get devices and services faster, with a single point of contact for support, repairs and replacements.
  • Improved operational efficiency: automated ordering, provisioning and reporting free IT teams from routine requests and make it easier to resolve problems quickly.
  • Scalability: a mobility management platform supports organizations of any size, from small businesses to global enterprises with multiple carriers and countries, with centralized management and reporting.

Using WMM to manage mobile devices, hardware and services more efficiently, IT managers and business leaders can achieve a higher return on their mobility investment.

Asignet Mobility Managed Services

Asignet Mobility Managed Services operates through workflows designed for each company and every need. The platform compares carrier billing information with each user’s actual service, so you pay only for what your employees use. Learn more about mobility managed services with lifecycle automation.

Talk to Asignet about saving money and increasing efficiency in managing your wireless mobility.