D&H Offers Branded Mobile Device Management To Address BYOD And "Consumerization" Trends In SMB
— Solutions from Microsoft and Sophos Help Businesses Manage Mobile Devices on a Unified, Secure Platform, Creating Sales Opportunities for Resellers Looking to Capitalize on Mobility —
HARRISBURG, PA – D&H Distributing, the leading North American computer products and consumer electronics distributor, is helping its resellers profit from the burgeoning BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend by offering mobile device management from trusted, market-leading partners. These solutions, including Microsoft’s System Center 2012 and Sophos’ Mobile Control software, allow business owners to manage a secure mobile workforce via a consistent technology platform, despite those employees’ use of disparate personal devices in the workplace setting.
The “consumerization” of the office environment has presented a challenge to business owners, especially for smaller offices with fewer IT resources and a limited ability to provide office-issued mobile devices to the staff. In a recent Gartner report on BYOD, analysts predict that 80% of organizations will utilize tablets by 2013. As consumer devices become more sophisticated and ultra-portable, as seen in the new Ultrabooks and “thin and lite” technologies, employees are pervasively using their own personal devices in the workplace. Furthermore, employees are accessing corporate networks from their homes via those consumer-bought units. Such practices make it difficult for business owners to manage or secure their data and their systems.
“BYOD has been top-of-mind for a lot of resellers. It’s a thrill that so many VARs are finding success with mobile solutions, including tablets and Ultrabooks,” said Jeff Davis, senior vice president of sales at D&H. “Many manufacturers are developing devices in the new ‘thin and light’ format to accommodate different mobile platforms. It’s always been our role to encourage our customers to sell a more comprehensive technology solution. Mobile Device Management allows resellers to market a turn-key solution for the mobile workplace, which is revolutionizing the way businesses function, but is creating its own set of challenges at the same time.”
To help more resellers capitalize on mobility, D&H offers several solutions that address these crucial issues. The combination of Microsoft’s System Center 2012 and Sophos’ Mobile Control software can help offices migrate varied mobile devices (including individual tablets and smart phones) to a unified platform, collectively managed under the same network rules and security policies. This includes functions that lock or blank-out mobile devices after they have been lost or stolen.
Microsoft System Center provides configuration management, delivering consistent software and updates to each employee’s mobile device. Software is loaded on company servers, and is used to manage client machines, including user access and security management, and software update distribution. The solution includes an “Identity and Access Management” feature, which integrates with Sophos’ Mobile Control software. This tool authenticates and coordinates access to the network from each mobile device.
Sophos Mobile Control extends light-weight security and device control to the mobile user. This software is also located on the corporate server, with an agent loaded on each employee’s mobile device, acting as a protected gateway to the network. Via a portal interface, either the employee or a system administrator can return a lost device to its factory defaults (all personal settings and data eradicated) or “brick” the device, wherein all applications and functions are disabled.
Both Mobile Control and System Center 2012 are available through a licensing agreement, which helps make a Mobile Device Management deployment more affordable for the SMB companies that are most frequently served by D&H’s customers. Resellers can contact D&H’s award-winning Licensing Desk at licensingdesk@dandh.com or 800 340-1001, option 2.
About D&H Distributing
As the nation’s leading technology distributor, D&H provides a wealth of resources to empower solution providers and consultants, delivering a broad selection of SMB categories, products and applications. The company’s offerings span server and infrastructure, SOHO and mobile applications, consumer electronics and gaming. D&H’s multi-market expertise, account-dedicated sales teams, sterling service and flexible financing options are unmatched in the industry.
With an impressive 94-year history serving as a trusted advisor to the reseller channel, D&H has been able to consistently reinvent itself based upon changing market conditions. The company prides itself on creating business partnerships with an astute focus on ease-of-doing-business, relationships, value, performance and service.
D&H was named Cisco’s Worldwide Small Business Distributor of the Year for 2010, won the Microsoft Licensing Operational Excellence Award seven years running and was named Microsoft’s OEM Distributor of the Year. The company ships out of five separate locations in North America, including its US headquarters in Harrisburg and its Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. Additional US warehouses are located in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; and Fresno, CA. Call D&H toll-free at (800) 340-1001 or visit www.dandh.com.
SOURCE: D&H Distributing