- Healthcare Mobile Application Management Offers Security, Mobility
- Lack of Security Upgrades Threaten Health IT Infrastructure
The tool mainly aims to protect business devices from consumer mobile applications and features. Unapproved access to things like mobile games and other social content may be unsecure and compromise the mobile devices and consequently, the network.
MCM solutions can exist on their own, can be added to other enterprise mobility solutions, or be one of the mobile device security tools included in an enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution.
Content management functions primarily as an authentication and authorization tool to protect networks from insider and outsider threats. It controls what users download onto their devices so nothing unauthorized can be put onto the device.
File sharing within an organization must also be secure, and MCM helps users send and receive files quickly and securely.
Multiple users can access the same content repository simultaneously and different file types can be displayed differently depending on what kind of mobile device is used to access the repository. This way smartphones can display files conveniently to users in a way that is different to how files are displayed on a laptop or tablet.
Such an approach is especially important when it comes to viewing medical files. Patient records and medical charts need to be displayed correctly for clinicians to use them effectively.
From a broader perspective, MCM works with mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) solutions to provide end-to-end support for mobile devices and how they access the network.
MDM is a life-cycle management technology that manages OS configuration, device provisioning, and remote access for troubleshooting. MDM keeps track of device activity and protects the device if it is lost or stolen. It also gives IT control to reset hardware remotely and configure network settings.
MAM controls user access to custom and commercial applications within the network. MAM controls which policies belong to which apps and protects app data by wrapping it in an encrypted tunnel. This forces users to access the app via a virtual private network.
MDM, MAM, and MCM are often part of complete EMM solutions. While EMM might seem like the best solution to cover all the bases when managing mobile devices, organizations may not need a solution that does so many things.
Entities need to keep an eye on redundancies in their mobile infrastructure. Buying an all-inclusive mobility solution may cancel out certain capabilities of management solutions that already exist in the network infrastructure.
Organizations may already have a tool with app management or content management capabilities. Entities need to assess current infrastructure tools to make sure money isn’t wasted on something they already have and that certain tools don’t conflict because they’re both trying to do the same thing in different ways.
Many organizations are also moving away from solutions that manage devices. Bring-you-own-device (BYOD) programs make it less practical to install device control solutions on a user’s personal device. Organizations can run into problems when it comes to personal privacy and wiping the data off stolen devices.
The general shift to cloud is another reason why device management may not be as prominent as it has been in the past. As healthcare organizations run more applications and store more data in the cloud, they are less dependent on the actual device to provide a line of defense.
While MDM will always be necessary to a certain degree, organizations will be less likely to depend on it to protect the network.
This is where solutions like MCM are especially useful. MCM manages a certain aspect of mobility management so it can be part of a larger solution or fill in mobile security gaps where needed.