Adopting an industry-leading UEM technology for Samsung devices: Why enterprises should make the switch

It is common knowledge now that enterprises require a large number of mobile devices, both at work and remotely. Over the past couple of years, most notably from the start of the pandemic, public debate over adoption of remote device management functionalities such as Unified Endpoint Management solutions have come to the forefront of the securities industry.

Some companies do not possess the necessary infrastructure to manage a number of work devices deployed to employees. This is where a Unified Endpoint Management solution comes in. You can find out more about what you need to look for in a UEM solution in this detailed article by Davey Rosh.

We’re going to be talking in particular about Samsung devices, and why adopting a leading UEM solution would be the best course of action for your IT department and your company overall. Before that, let’s take a look at UEM technology adoption in general.

Any given solution has its perks that would undeniably improve an existing infrastructure. But it really isn’t that straightforward, is it? After all, how long would a certain solution hold up, and would it be worth the investment? The question to be asked isn’t what you would gain by choosing a certain solution, but what you would lose by not choosing it. This is a viable argument that can be put forth when debating the necessity of a Unified Endpoint Management solution.

What would you lose?

In order to take your company into the future, one must quickly embrace changing trends. Adapt to survive has always been the law of the jungle. An inability or reluctance to switch to a UEM solution may be due to the following reasons:

• Short-term focus on expenditure: In the short term, even though completely revamping an entire IT department to a more remote solution – a UEM in this case – would make their lives so much easier, due to the initial costs incurred and the hassle of setting up a new solution, IT departments may fail to justify the purchase price and would prefer to use the existing tools in their arsenal. Long-term, however, UEM Technology more than makes up for the initial costs. It’s a leap of faith, but it’s leap worth taking.Setting up the new UEM solution, as well as learning to use the web console would prove to be a hassle, but once mastered, it would yield results almost immediately. Since it’s all remote, it will prove to save a huge amount of time and money. Hexnode UEM provides for a wide range of features, as well as supporting almost all major platforms. The entire range of a company’s device fleet can be managed with little to no hassle from a single web console. All it takes is a little time and patience at first – it’s smooth sailing from there on out!
• Moving from antiquated hardware and software: Antiquated hardware and software has always been a part of a company’s core workflows. It’s not easy to move from a very complicated infrastructure to a noticeably different one. However, the costs of constantly upgrading to new technology would be overwhelming in the long-term. That’s not including the complications arising from attempting to regularly upgrade old technology.Perhaps the most pressing matter would be the security risks. For example, if a certain operating system or PC stops receiving official support, companies would have no choice but to upgrade all the systems, or risk compromising their entire security system. To be fair, both options would pose their own problems; upgrading abruptly would lead to compatibility problems and not upgrading would expose company data for malicious actors to exploit. A trustworthy UEM solution would allow organizations to establish a framework to not be overly dependent on hardware, making upgradation of devices much easier. With Hexnode UEM, an IT admin can deploy software updates to multiple devices at once, saving time and money.
• Planned Obsolescence: Planned obsolescence is the calculated act of making sure the existing version of a product will become dated or useless within a given time frame. Some companies practice planned obsolescence with the aim of upgrading to the latest product when it is released. This is true of both manufacturers, consumers and enterprises. But in today’s world, the newest product could arrive as early as a year of the previous product. With this in mind, enterprises have grown wary as they think this applies to UEM solutions as well.This could be further from the truth. While UEM solutions can evolve to accommodate the latest tech, it will still be able to support existing devices, ensuring that things run as smooth as ever. The transition to the latest versions will be smooth. Hexnode UEM can onboard a wide range of devices such as mobile phones, tablets, PCs, XR/IoT devices and so on. Even if your enterprise will need to upgrade devices regularly, the device management solution will not need to do so.

How does a UEM help in Samsung device management?

Samsung device management is one such avenue within the myriad of devices out there that require a unified solution. There are a number of reasons as to why a UEM would be welcomed: one being that Samsung devices are amongst the most widely used devices within enterprises. It is THE product to use in Android device management. The second reason is Samsung Knox for Enterprise extensions that have recently become free to use for Android developers.

Knox Platform for Enterprise (KPE)/Samsung Knox

Knox Platform for Enterprise (KPE) offers additional configuration and security options for Galaxy phones and tablets. Samsung Knox puts forward the most advanced configuration and management options. It provides end-to-end device management solutions for IT admins to better handle their endpoints, from configuration to device deployment. In case of theft or data being compromised, the Knox platform locks down the container to prevent data leakage.

Samsung Knox devices offer a bunch of additional protection and security capabilities that range from hardware and software encryption to VPN connectivity to support for Mobile Data Management and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and much more.

A leading UEM solution such as Hexnode, with its integration with Samsung Knox, offers a wide range of security features for hardware. While Knox is not supported on all Samsung devices, enrolling your device via Samsung Knox Enrolment ensures that your network and data will be better protected.

Knox Mobile Enrollment (KME)

With Knox Enrolment, IT admins can:

• Bulk enroll thousands of devices to your UEM portal at once.
• Automatically install software and activate the required security settings provisioned by the enterprise from the UEM console.
• Re-enroll devices even if the device is erased and factory reset.
• Set up thousands of devices and connect them to multiple MDM configurations per account.

Once enrolled, IT admins can configure a number of features via Hexnode such as:

• Disabling hardware/software features such as camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, data roaming, the power off button, and so on.
• Set up single app kiosks, multi app kiosks, background app kiosks, digital signage displays, configure Kiosk Launcher and Kiosk Settings.
• Enable location tracking features like GPS and set up geofences.
• Configure Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPNs and APNs.
• Encrypt devices, set up device and work container password restrictions, lock and wipe devices as well as set them in Lost Mode.
• Track amount of data usage and set up usage restrictions.
• Configure email accounts and Exchange ActiveSync settings.

These are just a few of the configurations offered by Hexnode UEM for Samsung devices.

Knox Service Plugin (KSP)

In addition to this, with the help of Knox Service Plugin (KSP), Samsung Knox’s OEMConfig app, enterprises can access the latest KPE features as it gets released. The app enables users to reduce the time delay between a device-specific feature release and the feature incorporation into the UEM, thereby rolling out the feature customization in no time.

What industries can benefit from this combination?

Samsung being one of the largest mobile device manufacturers in the world, are also producers of rugged devices. Samsung’s range of devices are adopted by industries worldwide, including but not exclusive to:

• Education
• Finance
• Government
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Transportation

Hexnode’s Android Enterprise capabilities as well as it’s integration with Samsung Knox grants IT admins and users all the necessary features to fully secure devices, in order for them to perform the specified function at the highest levels of efficiency and productivity.

Rugged devices to improve productivity

Frontline workers can benefit from Samsung’s durable and flexible range of rugged devices. Their Galaxy Rugged series is built with customizable features and top-of-the-line functionality to support the day-to-day tasks of frontline workers.

Here are some of Samsung’s Galaxy Rugged devices:

• Galaxy XCover Pro
• Galaxy Tab Active3
• Galaxy Tab Active Pro

In addition to this, Samsung Knox Capture, Samsung’s enterprise-grade barcode scanning functionality ensures that workers require no other equipment, instead just scanning from their rugged mobile device. Hexnode’s Android Enterprise capabilities as well as it’s integration with Samsung Knox grants IT admins and users all the necessary features to fully secure devices, in order for them to perform the specified function at the highest levels of efficiency and productivity.

Even today, many enterprises are reluctant to make the switch to a more remote form of device management like UEMs. In the short-term, it may seem valid, but for the health and future of an enterprise infrastructure, relying on a solution like Hexnode UEM is the way to go. The capabilities it offers, especially in the case of Samsung devices, would further secure company networks and data.