By Mike Anderson

The mobilizing of enterprises continues at an incredible pace. Initial attention has been on control and security for the tremendous influx of varied devices, and mobile device management (MDM) has matured incredibly fast. Enterprises recognize that to bring mobile into their architecture and leverage mobility to make transformational change takes a broader strategy.  Our Aragon Research Globe for Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) is nearing completion, and it brings into focus to this view beyond MDM with analysis of more than 20 vendors competing for a place in EMM.

BYOD Means Employees and Other Constituents

While the heart of managing mobility is on security, the integration of mobile capabilities into enterprise applications and business processes exposes the need for more. Enterprises need to address users who may or may not be employees, and devices that will also be a mix of business and personally owned. For many, the mobile access to enterprise networks, systems and data will come more from unplanned configurations than from those articulated in policies and standards.

Enterprise Mobile Management: Expanding Competition

There is tremendous competition in EMM, and more than 100 vendors contend for the business through varying portions of what enterprises need. The leaders in MDM like MobileIron, Zenprise and AirWatch continue to aggressively expand their reach into EMM. Mobile app management (MAM) approaches to addressing the needs behind BYOD require a strong app store such as offered by Partnerpedia, and from vendors such as Apperian, AppCentral and App47 who provide solutions that are much less onerous on users. Security vendors including Trend Micro, Symantec, McAfee and Sophos are responding the mobile wave and are expanding their reach into EMM. Providers focused on mobile app development also see the value of integrating into the broader mobile lifecycle, and providers like Kony and Antenna Software also address management capabilities for apps and devices.

EMM Consolidation is Heading Up

EMM has emerged rapidly as MDM needs have transformed well beyond device management. Convergence and consolidation is rapidly becoming a characteristic of this market. As the work for this report has progressed we’ve seen Citrix acquire Zenprise and Good Technology acquire AppCentral and establish a deep partnership with BoxTone. And the big names in enterprises from mobile to system management are in the game, with IBM and SAP being notable with multiple acquisitions and RIM in need of resurgence to hold onto its powerful enterprise presence in EMM.

Aragon Research Globe for Enterprise Mobile Management

Although moving rapidly, mobile in the enterprise is still in its early stages. The shift from gaining control of mobile devices toward using mobile as an enabler of business transformation is the next wave, and it is also moving fast. Making this approach to mobilizing the enterprise a reality requires a holistic approach to EMM, and MDM is part of an accelerating consolidation movement. As this unfolds, our analysis in the Aragon Research Globe for Enterprise Mobile Management brings focus to this shift and the expectation that enterprises are going to need multiple tools to complete their mobile strategy.