Top 7 mobile device management tools to consider

What features should an MDM tool include?

The feature sets for MDM tools focus on the deployment and management of the physical device, which admins can control from a central corporate interface. These features enable IT to deploy software, patches and updates, and most have a remote control feature for remote support access. MDM functionality can cover everything from troubleshooting to lifecycle management. Still, organizations should prioritize a few key features when comparing MDM tools.

Provisioning and deployment

MDM software helps IT teams provision, enroll and deploy devices for new and existing users who have changed roles. Mobile device management can also help upgrade and patch software to those devices via policy. The provisioning and deployment feature should be flexible, enabling IT to define logical groups with similar operative tasks to make management simple and responsive.

To maintain day-to-day operations, a product must offer competent, responsive support for IT staff and end users.

Support

To maintain day-to-day operations, a product must offer competent, responsive support for IT staff and end users. Offline systems give way to unproductive users, which translates into lost revenue. A vendor with an efficient support framework can get those systems back online quickly and reduce costs.

A remote access tool is also key to workforce support. This lets support staff connect directly to the malfunctioning system and make modifications. All remote support tools are not created equal -- many don't work well, aren't able make changes the remote system, or are very slow. Make sure to assess customer support with trial support incidents to see how it will work in the real world.

Reporting and analytics

Admins need reports on critical data to evaluate the operational aspects of the IT environment. Every organization has different key indicators for its environment. Some products provide only limited, inflexible reporting. Others provide customizable reports, including user-defined queries, formats and distribution methods.

Working in conjunction with reporting, analytics provides invaluable data to determine how managed devices perform. This data might include metrics such as device productivity, downtime and deployment and provisioning efficiency. An MDM product should also enable customizable analytics, including templates, to make it easy to get started.

Application management

The app management aspect of MDM covers the deployment of new applications, as well as upgrades and patches to already-running software. In BYOD environments, an MDM tool's app management capabilities must enable IT to deploy applications to users' personal devices while maintaining data security and access.

Client management

CMT features help with hardware-related management tasks. For example, an MDM product might offer a centralized console to manage all devices on a network. The CMT component should also handle device compatibility for all endpoints and OSes. Depending on the organization, endpoints could include:

• Windows, Mac and Linux laptops and desktops.
• ChromeOS, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
• Printers, scanners and other IoT devices.

Some organizations have legacy CMT tools from their hardware vendors. The MDM platform should integrate with these legacy tools -- potentially by replacing them altogether. This is another detail that IT admins should test when evaluating a new product.

Other vital MDM features include the following:

• Integration. IT should be able to integrate devices into the corporate environment using standard APIs and tools.
• Scalability. The MDM platform should be flexible enough to increase the quantity and configuration of managed devices over time.
• Ease of use. MDM should provide a positive user experience. Organizations should examine a product's usability features -- such as a convenient dashboard for common tasks -- and overall ease of use. While highly subjective, admins can look at user reviews to evaluate an MDM's user-friendliness.
• Security management. To defend against malware and other threats, organizations should select an MDM tool with strong cybersecurity features. IT can use MDM to add and update mobile security policies and software such as antivirus.

7 MDM tools to consider

Finding a suitable MDM provider can be difficult as more tools become available. Many that have popped up in the past year or so don't have the maturity or scope of some tried-and-true options that have been around for much longer. Still, some relatively new tools have potential and deserve consideration as well.

The following list was chosen based on industry research into MDM tools compatible with Windows, Android and Apple ecosystems. The author based the analysis on a G2 overview of products and user reviews, as well as surveys from Gartner and other lists of MDM products. This list is not ranked and instead appears in alphabetical order.

Google Workspace

For user-friendly Android management, Google Workspace is one option to consider. It includes the Google Admin console and a range of endpoint management feature sets. Reviews pointed out integration, scalability and customer support as the platform's strengths, with many noting its device enrollment and provisioning features. Overall, users judge Google Workspace highly in terms of UX but give it low marks in implementation for Windows and macOS. Another common criticism is that administrators must dig through many layers to find some settings.

Google offers several pricing plans, most of which are part of the Frontline, Business, Enterprise or Essentials editions. The Business editions cater to small to medium-sized organizations, while all have a 300-user limit. The business tier consists of the following plans:

• Business Starter edition. This plan costs $6 per user per month with an annual plan, or $7.20 per user per month with a flexible pricing plan.
• Business Standard edition. This plan costs $12 per user per month with an annual plan, or $14.40 per user per month with a flexible pricing plan.
• Business Plus edition. This plan costs $18 per user per month with an annual plan, or $21.60 per user per month with a flexible pricing plan.

Hexnode UEM

Organizations looking for a mature, well-known management tool might opt for Hexnode, a historically popular product. Hexnode received positive reviews for its provisioning and enrollment options, as well as customer support features such as remote assist. The platform also stands out for its strong reporting functionality and admins can group devices and users to apply policies. However, some reviewers said that it's expensive for the features available and doesn't handle Windows or Apple devices very well.

Hexnode doesn't provide specific price ranges for its different plans -- Express, Pro, Enterprise, Ultimate and Ultra. It does offer a 14-day free trial for any plan. For more pricing information, IT managers should request a quote from the vendor.

Jamf Pro

Two popular MDM vendors focus strictly on Apple products: Jamf and Kandji. This focus is helpful because it enables admins to use Apple's native security features.

Jamf Pro is the enterprise-level MDM platform in Jamf's software suite. It has very good customer ratings for support and client management, but reviewers said it was difficult to learn, with a poor user interface and a high learning curve. Well-reviewed features include the ability to deploy apps and configuration changes to large groups of devices with a single click and perform test enrollments. This enables quick response to security patches.

With Jamf's business pricing model, Jamf Pro costs $3.75 per device per month for iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and watchOS devices, and $7.89 per device per month for macOS devices. With the education pricing model, the costs are $9 per device per year and $18 per device per year, respectively. Jamf Pro's website states that device minimums do apply, but it doesn't provide a specific number.

For more features, customers can bundle Jamf Pro with other Jamf products under the Business or Enterprise plans. Jamf Business costs $14.34 per user per month and has a 25-user minimum. Jamf Enterprise requires a quote and has a 25-user or 50-device minimum.

Smaller organizations can also consider Jamf Now, the entry-level counterpart to Jamf Pro with fewer advanced tools and integrations. This costs $4 per device per month and has no user minimum.

Kandji

Apple administrators can also consider Kandji for MDM. Reviews indicate that this product has a high rate of user satisfaction. In particular, users liked the simple single pane of glass for management and effective integration with third-party products. Ease of use is another advantage of Kandji, and this is one area where it outperforms Jamf Pro.

One of the complaints reviewers had about Kandji was its pricing model, with high costs for laptops under management compared to mobile devices. However, organizations must request a quote from the vendor for pricing information. Kandji does offer a 14-day free trial.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central

For another historically mature and popular product, ManageEngine Endpoint Central has been a leader in the MDM market. This product performs well in terms of scalability, customer support and ease of use, and it has excellent patch management functionality. The remote assist tool is also simple and effective, which helps admins easily resolve support incidents. ManageEngine performed more poorly in terms of analytics and complex initial setup.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central offers a Free edition for up to 25 endpoints, and the pricing for the other editions varies based on the number of devices under management and other factors. For a starting price, these plans cover up to 50 devices:

• Professional edition. The on-premises version of this plan starts at $795 per year, or $1,987 with a perpetual license. The cloud version starts at $1,045 per year, or $104 per month.
• Enterprise edition. The on-premises version of this plan starts at $945 per year, or $2,362 with a perpetual license. The cloud version starts at $1,245 per year, or $124 per month.
• UEM edition. The on-premises version of this plan starts at $1,095 per year, or $2,738 with a perpetual license. The cloud version starts at $1,395 per year, or $139 per month.
• Security edition. The on-premises version of this plan starts at $1,695 per year, or $4,238 with a perpetual license. The cloud version starts at $2,045 per year, or $205 per month.

Admins can also consider ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus, the vendor's standalone MDM product. While this option is similarly reliable and user-friendly, it's only suitable for managing mobile devices. Like Endpoint Central, Mobile Device Manager Plus offers a Free edition and a 30-day free trial. Paid plans include the following:

• Standard edition. The on-premises version of this plan starts at $9.90 per device per year, while the cloud version starts at $1.28 per device per month.
• Enterprise edition. The on-premises version of this plan starts at $17.90 per device per year, while the cloud version starts at $2.38 per device per month.

NinjaOne

While relatively unknown a few years ago, NinjaOne is now one of the most well-reviewed products in the MDM market. Users said NinjaOne delivered excellent scalability, usability, device provisioning and deployment, customer support and reporting. Other popular features include the platform's remote support tool and high visibility to all endpoints, which enables a smooth, reliable patch management function.

NinjaOne provides a monthly payment plan on a per-device basis, in addition to a 14-day free trial. Further pricing information is only available via a quote from the vendor's website.

Scalefusion

Another newcomer to the MDM market is Scalefusion. This platform is especially good for integration into existing and third-party systems. Reviewers rated it well for usability, security management, analytics and app management. Many also highlighted its ease of use for deployment, device enrollment and policy enforcement, as the interface makes it possible to manage many devices from a single point of view.

There are some drawbacks in terms of pricing. Initial setup can be costly, and there are no monthly payment options; an annual payment is required upfront. Still, Scalefusion's fees are significantly lower than many competitors. A 14-day free trial is also available. Customers can choose from the following pricing plans:

• Essentials. This plan costs $2 per device per month, billed annually.
• Growth. This plan costs $3.50 per device per month, billed annually.
• Business. This plan costs $5 per device per month, billed annually.
• Enterprise. This plan costs $6 per device per month, billed annually.

Gary Olsen has worked in the IT industry since 1983. He was on Microsoft's Windows 2000 beta support team for Active Directory from 1998 to 2000 and has written two books on Active Directory.