Your employees use their personal phones for work email. Maybe personal laptops too. That means company data – client information, emails, files, credentials – lives on devices you don’t own and don’t control. If that phone gets lost, stolen, or compromised, your business data goes with it.
Mobile device management (MDM) solves this without requiring company-owned devices for everyone.
BYOD vs. Company-Owned: The Decision
Company-Owned Devices
You buy it, you own it, you control it completely. Full management policies, full wipe capability, standardized hardware. Best for: employees who primarily work from these devices and handle sensitive data.
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
Employee uses their personal phone/laptop for work. You manage the company data on it without touching their personal stuff. Best for: mobile workers who check email on their phone, field staff with personal tablets.
Hybrid (Most Common)
Company-owned laptops for primary work. BYOD phones for email and communication. This gives you full control of the primary work device while respecting personal phone ownership.
What MDM Does (via JumpCloud)
For Company-Owned Devices
- Full disk encryption enforced
- Screen lock required after inactivity
- Password/biometric requirements
- Application whitelist/blacklist
- Automatic OS and app updates
- Remote lock and full wipe if lost/stolen
- GPS location tracking (if policy allows)
- VPN auto-configuration
- WiFi profile deployment
For BYOD (Personal Devices)
- Company email and files in a managed container (separate from personal data)
- MFA required for company app access
- Remote wipe of company data only (personal photos and apps untouched)
- Minimum OS version requirements
- Jailbreak/root detection (compromised devices blocked from company data)
- No access to personal data by company administrators (privacy preserved)
The Offboarding Scenario
Employee leaves. They have company email on their personal phone and files synced to their personal laptop.
Without MDM: Hope they delete the apps. Ask them nicely. No way to verify. Company data walks out the door.
With MDM: One click. Company email app wiped. Synced files removed. Access tokens revoked. Their personal photos, messages, and apps are completely untouched. Done in seconds.
The Lost Device Scenario
Employee leaves their phone in an Uber. Has company email, client contacts, and access to shared files.
Without MDM: Panic. Change all passwords manually. Hope no one accesses the device. Notify clients if data may be exposed (breach notification).
With MDM: Remote wipe company data immediately. If company-owned, full device wipe. Device is now useless to whoever finds it. No data exposure, no breach notification needed.
What We Deploy
JumpCloud handles MDM across iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. One platform managing all device types with appropriate policies for company-owned vs. BYOD. Enrollment is simple (user installs a profile), management is centralized, and offboarding is instant.
Need IT help? Seashore IT provides managed IT for businesses with 5-250 computers across the Western US. Flat monthly rate, 30-60 minute response, 24x7x365. Call (833) 997-6886 or email info@seashoreit.com.
Seashore IT – Your transparent IT partner, aligned to your goals, embedded in your success.