Modern IT landscapes are complex—and growing even more so. Countless assets and a wide variety of devices are managed by IT teams. At the same time, the business expects IT to deliver strong services.
A dedicated Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution is not only a key component for handling these challenges effectively. It also enables outstanding monitoring, significant time savings, and a high Return on Investment (ROI).
This article outlines how device management software creates real added value. It considers the benefits of pairing MDM solutions with a ticketing system. The article examines its role in IT Service Management (ITSM) or Enterprise Service Management (ESM). Finally, it gives an overview of various budget considerations.
What Is Device Management Software Today?
Mobile Device Management refers to software solutions and related strategies that efficiently manage, monitor, and secure endpoints regardless of location or operating system. Endpoints are devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Intelligent device management means that devices running in the environment are remotely identified, monitored and maintained.
Integrations with other tools are essential to gain a holistic view of IT environments. In addition, automation provides smart ways to save valuable resources.
Connections and Overlaps
Mobile Device Management is part of IT Asset Management (ITAM). Today, MDM is evolving into intelligent endpoint management. This combines MDM with customer management—leveraging AI-driven analytics and increasingly relying on automation.
In modern IT operations, it makes sense to connect device management with IT Service Management (ITSM). Device management helps support hardware. ITSM supports service processes. Request management, problem management, incident management, or change management are examples of service processes.
On this basis, IT environments can be managed holistically with ease.
ITSM becomes Enterprise Service Management (ESM) when its principles are extended to other areas of the business.. Device management also complements ESM. It helps teams manage both services and technology through a central platform, structured processes, and clear responsibilities. While ESM orchestrates services, MDM becomes a crucial service component (more on this later).
Key Functions—and Their Role in Providing Services
When combined with service management, Mobile Device Management brings several significant practical advantages. Even small teams can gain a surprisingly good overview of large diversified IT environments.
After device enrollment, MDM functions and service management work together to offer a number of benefits.
- Device history and inventory data: Tckets can be auto-populated with prior device information. This could include device properties or earlier service cases. This saves time, provides clarity, and marks the first step toward adequately resolving a support request. It also helps technicians understand if someone is using a personal device.
- Software and patch management: Installations, updates, and patches can be managed across many devices through MDM software. This helps proactively avoid disruptions which aligns perfectly with proactive problem management. Teams can eliminate root causes before they lead to problems and incidents.
- Remote maintenance: Being able to easily maintain devices remotely is essential in MDM. For instance, if a device is lost or stolen, teams can make sure work data is not compromised by remotely wiping the device. When done reliably, first-level support experiences huge relief, as users contact support far less often with maintenance issues.
- Automatic escalations: Device security is easier to manage. For instance, if devices violate security or compliance policies, automatic escalations can be triggered. This resolves issues as quickly as possible.
- Policy management: Policies can be directly integrated into change management processes. This includes information on how devices, apps, and data should be used.
Integration with a Ticketing System
It’s already clear that Mobile Device Management has strong relevance for service management. To make work easier, the mobile device management solution should be integrated with a ticketing system.
Here’s how integration with a ticketing system makes sense:
- Relevant device information is automatically available in tickets through a shared data foundation.
- Events within MDM tools automatically trigger ticket creation.
- Response times and SLA (Service Level Agreement) compliance improve.
- Self-service portals can integrate device-related content (e.g., tailored suggestions for a “slow device”).
The combined power of device management and a ticketing system propels IT teams forward.
The key lies in having all device data and service processes in view. In this way, teams can act efficiently and logically.
Device Management in the Context of Enterprise Service Management (ESM)
Device management software plays an increasingly strategic role in Enterprise Service Management (ESM). It benefits the IT department but all other areas of the business.
A typical example is employee onboarding. HR initiates a service request. By using device management, IT can automatically provide, configure, and deliver the appropriate device. At the same time, these steps can be documented, managed, and tracked through the central ticketing system.
This is an excellent example of ESM in action.
In short: When device management is systematically integrated into the ESM platform, seamless, end-to-end processes emerge that increase efficiency and transparency across the enterprise.
IT saves time and is positioned as a driver of strategic services. IT becomes the heart of the digital organization.
AI in Device and Service Management
Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds a prominent place in service management. But it also optimizes and accelerates processes in device management.
Several use cases for AI come into play. For instance, device and ticket data can be used to generate predictions that support maintenance processes. AI also enables intelligent routing decisions in device management, such as when certain device types are frequently affected.
In service management, AI applications help in many ways. They can:
- classify tickets,
- generate responses,
- provide real-time translations, or
- perform sentiment analysis. Sentiment analysis gauges the emotional tone of inquiries.
AI creates numerous opportunities. It accelerates processes. It helps teams handle higher volumes, achieve better results, and generate forward-looking insights. The potential in this area is far from fully realized.
How Integrated Device Management Software Helps Save Budget
Using resources intelligently, acting efficiently, achieving Return on Investment (ROI): these have always been important in business. Today, they are even more critical due to increasing market pressure.
When organizations ask whether to implement an MDM solution, budget is taken into account in two ways:
- The solution must be worth its price. The price includes the acquisition cost. It also includes factors that go into Total Cost of Ownership, such as training or maintainance.
- The software should pay off and generate more financial value than it costs. Ideally, benefits such as productivity gains, automation, or error reduction should outweigh the expenses.
This is precisely what integrated device and service management achieves:
- By reducing manual effort (e.g., in incidents and problems), support costs decrease.
- Proactive monitoring extends device lifespans, reducing the need for costly replacements.
- By providing key context information, device management enables faster and more comprehensive problem resolution.
- License and asset management are optimized, ensuring licenses and devices are used more efficiently and in a coordinated manner.
- Transparency on device status and usage enables well-founded, targeted investment decisions.
- Remote device management makes it easier to enforce security, thus protecting the business from potential fines.
Conclusion
Device management plays a crucial role in IT operations and strongly overlaps with ITSM and ESM. It can also be described as the data-driven backbone of AI-powered automation.
Efficiency, security, and cost control are pressing topics—heavily supported by intelligent, integrated device management. That’s why it makes sense to integrate device management with a ticketing system or an ESM platform. It saves costs long-term, unifies processes, and maintains a holistic overview of IT-related workflows.
At the same time, device management remains a vital subcategory of IT Asset Management. It enables comprehensive device administration and application management regardless of location and operating system. This creates the foundation for fast remote support, delivers valuable automation, and ultimately saves considerable time and money.
Organizations that successfully leverage MDM software solutions to manage devices lay the foundation for intelligent data use and integration with ITSM and ESM processes. This includes automation and AI benefits.
