Word of the Day: unified endpoint management (UEM)

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms | July 8, 2019 unified endpoint management (UEM) Unified endpoint management (UEM) is an approach to securing and controlling desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets in a connected, cohesive manner from a single console. Unified endpoint management typically relies on the mobile device management (MDM) application program interfaces (APIs) in desktop and mobile operating systems. Microsoft's inclusion of MDM application program interfaces in Windows 10 made unified endpoint management a possibility on a large scale. Prior to the release of Windows 8.1, there was no way for MDM software to access, secure or control the operating system and its applications. In Windows 10, the tasks IT can perform through MDM software include: configuring devices' VPN, email and Wi-Fi settings; enforcing passcode and access policies; installing patches and updates; blacklisting and whitelisting applications; and installing and managing Universal Windows Platform (.appx) and Microsoft Installer (.msi) applications. Mobile device management is significantly less robust than traditional Windows management tools, however. Examples of tasks information technology (IT) administrators can't perform through Windows 10 MDM APIs include: deploying and managing legacy executable (.exe) applications; enforcing encryption; deploying Group Policy Objects; and managing printers, file shares and other domain-based resources. Many vendors market UEM as a feature of their broader enterprise mobility management (EMM) software suites and some EMM vendors have made strides to close the gap between MDM and traditional Windows management tools. For example, MobileIron Bridge allows IT administrators to use MDM to deploy scripts that modify the Windows 10 file system and registry and perform other advanced tasks, including deploying legacy.exe applications. Other vendors that support UEM include VMware, Citrix, BlackBerry and Apple. Apple's Mac OS X operating system has included MDM APIs since at least 2012, when AirWatch and MobileIron announced support. Today, all of the major vendors that offer UEM also support OS X. Quote of the Day "One effective option for organizations concerned about mobile threats is to combine the best features of UEM and mobile threat defense tools." - Jack Gold Trending Terms mobile device management enterprise mobility management unified network management EUC platform digital workspace Learning Center Go beyond UEM security to prevent mobile attacks IT pros should look beyond UEM security utilities when they develop a mobile threat prevention strategy. Mobile threat defense tools can add crucial monitoring and threat detection functions to managed mobile devices. Understand how UEM, EMM and MDM differ from one another UEM, EMM and MDM tools offer varying levels of control over mobile devices, laptops and PCs. Read on to find out what exactly each type of management tool can do and how the tools differ. Why UEM could overshadow the EMM market EMM, MDM, MAM and UEM sound like the ingredients of alphabet soup, but it's actually the progression of changing products in an ever-evolving competitive landscape. Here, one expert predicts the future of the EMM market. How to navigate a sea of UEM vendors UEM has evolved from a variety of products, including MDM and EMM. Discover what this new market has to offer and which UEM vendors are taking the lead. Explore the features of unified endpoint management Choosing and managing UEM software can be complicated. It's important to understand how unified endpoint management can benefit your IT deployment and what features it brings to the table. Quiz Yourself People who think mobile security is ______________ could be in for a rude awakening. a. not that big a deal b. not that big of a deal Answer Stay in Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed! FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.