GroovyGuru
Member
Recently, I have been looking at Mobile Device Management ("MDM") services. These are typically used by businesses to add controls and restrictions to devices, to install specific apps to the device, among other things like location tracking. These are typically for mobile phones but they can be for computers too. I was mainly looking at Android services.
I started my search by looking on the Android Enterprise Services Directory. I visited the websites of all 166 companies there. I discounted any that were not in English, did not have clear pricing (if your pricing is fair, why are you hiding it behind a sales email?), were Apple devices only, had a minimum devices limit, or were too expensive (over the equivalent of around £6 per device). This got me down to 20 services. I then searched on both Google and Reddit for free and paid services, looking at several results, which added a further 15 that were not in the directory, although this time I added some to my list that did not meet some of that previous criteria.
I now had a list of 35 services to go through. I put these on a spreadsheet, and went through them one by one, making use of trials. I mainly looked at their feature set, and how easy the administration interface was to use. I found that there were wild differences between services. With feature sets, some were very basic, whereas some were very advanced yet lacked some basic options that I should expect to see. With administration interfaces, some of them had shockingly poor English, or looked like the interface was created by a child.
This is the list of the services I tried, alongside a brief reason on why I wouldn’t use them, and that you should avoid them:
I started my search by looking on the Android Enterprise Services Directory. I visited the websites of all 166 companies there. I discounted any that were not in English, did not have clear pricing (if your pricing is fair, why are you hiding it behind a sales email?), were Apple devices only, had a minimum devices limit, or were too expensive (over the equivalent of around £6 per device). This got me down to 20 services. I then searched on both Google and Reddit for free and paid services, looking at several results, which added a further 15 that were not in the directory, although this time I added some to my list that did not meet some of that previous criteria.
I now had a list of 35 services to go through. I put these on a spreadsheet, and went through them one by one, making use of trials. I mainly looked at their feature set, and how easy the administration interface was to use. I found that there were wild differences between services. With feature sets, some were very basic, whereas some were very advanced yet lacked some basic options that I should expect to see. With administration interfaces, some of them had shockingly poor English, or looked like the interface was created by a child.
This is the list of the services I tried, alongside a brief reason on why I wouldn’t use them, and that you should avoid them:
- 42Gears & SureMDM - They want to discuss a trial over the phone, I couldn't be bothered
- AirDroid - Seemed promising but doesn't have the Android app store
- Applivery - The admin interface was frustrating to use
- AppTec360 - The interface was horrible
- Citrix - Minimum of 25 devices
- Cortado - The interface was horrible, and there is a 30 minute wait before apps would install (other services are near instant)
- Cubed Mobile - Website didn't work, and my email was never replied to
- CubiLock - I requested a trial but never heard back from them
- DriveStrike - Required a card payment to start the trial
- EasyControl MDM - They can't even spell "United Kingdom" correctly and the functionality was poor
- Emteria - The free plan is poor and the paid plans are extremely overpriced
- Esper - The functionality offered was poor
- Ezmdm - I didn't receive any confirmation emails, having tried multiple times
- Headwind MDM - I requested a trial but never heard back from them
- Hexnode - Minimum of 15 devices
- IBM - It wasn't awful but it lacks some very basic functionality
- Itarian - They don't support the QR code enrolment, only app enrolment, which is a hassle
- Ivanti - Their contact form wouldn't accept any email address that I tried
- Jumpcloud - Doesn't support Android
- LimaxLock - Although advertised as a kiosk solution and not MDM, it had few features
- Mambo - I had a problem signing up but they don't have ANY contact details on their website at all
- Mobivisor - I requested a trial but never heard back from them
- Prey - Doesn't seem to be a proper MDM solution
- Scalefusion - I felt it was pretty shit all over
- Sophos - The functionality offered was poor
- Soti - Very difficult to use and has poor documentation
- Tabnova - The interface was horrible and was filled with spelling mistakes
- TinyMDM - To remove an app, you have to provide the name of the package, and cannot select from a list
- VMWare Workspace One - The signup process was such a hassle that I abandoned it
- Waza MDM - I couldn't start the MDM service on two different trial accounts
- WizyEMM - They had an annoying setup procedure, and the forceful app installation function didn't work
- Codeproof - This is the most feature rich MDM I've ever seen. Everything from custom error messages through to Chrome browser controls (which I didn't see in any other solution), and a good kiosk mode. However, the web interface is a bit annoying, with lots of redundant features still there, and needing to log off and clear my cache/cookies to see some changes (a refresh wasn't enough). The support is reasonable but the documentation is basically nothing, and that is disappointing.
- Ensemble - This was a very good all rounder, but the interface can be weird in places and the Ensemble app is buggy. No iOS support.
- ManageEngine - I wouldn't buy from them, but the first 25 devices are free. The admin interface can be confusing, but it works. My only concern is the Android app has some questionable reviews and complaints about battery life. It seems an overall decent solution.
- StixMDM - It only costs $0.99 per device, and is great for the basics, but it lacks any advanced functionality. If you only need basics, it's a decent all rounder. No iOS support.