Technical To-Dos Today Healthcare Deployments Running Responsibly
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are group policy settings. If you are used to managing Windows environments, then you will be happy to know that Microsoft offers a product called System Center Mobile Device Manager, which will actually let you manage devices for mobile healthcare users through group policy settings. In addition to enforcing security on such devices, the software can also be used for initial device provisioning, and for deploying mobile applications. Although System Center Mobile Device Manager works
really well, it does have two major limitations. First, you can only use group policies to manage devices that can be enrolled in a Windows domain. Today, the only mobile operating systems that fit this criterion are Windows Mobile 6.1 and Windows Mobile 6.5. Even Microsoft’s latest Windows Mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, does not include the required functionality. The other limitation is that your existing group policy
settings will not apply to mobile devices that have been enrolled in the domain. Instead, System Center Mobile Device Manager provides a completely separate set of group policy settings that are specifically designed for use with mobile devices. These settings are, however, accessible through the Group Policy Editor.
Use Exchange ActiveSync As strange as it sounds, one of the best tools for
managing mobile devices is Microsoft Exchange Server. In case you’re not familiar with Exchange Server, it is Microsoft’s enterprise email application. Exchange Server uses a protocol called Exchange ActiveSync to send email to mobile devices. So what does this have to do with mobile device management? Well, Exchange ActiveSync is an industry standard. It is supported by Windows devices, but it is also supported by tablets and by non-Microsoft devices such as the iPhone or the Android phones. Although the primary job of ActiveSync is to push
messages to mobile devices, ActiveSync can also be used to provision and secure mobile devices. For example, you can use ActiveSync policies to require devices to adhere to a certain password policy or to disable certain mobile device features such as removable storage or the built-in camera. Keep in mind, however, that even though the vast majority of tablets and smartphones support ActiveSync, not all of the ActiveSync policy settings are supported on every device. If you are considering ActiveSync as a mechanism for provisioning and securing mobile devices, then you will need to verify that the policy settings that you want to use will work with your chosen devices.
Remember Your Proprietary Management Tools Even though Microsoft Exchange can be used as a
cross-platform management tool for mobile devices in healthcare settings, it is no substitute for a mobile device management platform that is designed specifically for the mobile devices that you use. That being the case, if you have made the decision to use only a specific type of mobile device, then I would recommend seeing if the device manufacturer offers a management product for the devices. For example, BlackBerry offers a management product called BlackBerry Enterprise Server. There are also a number of third-party products for managing mobile devices. Even so, every mobile operating system has different capabilities, so even if a product claims to offer cross-platform support, there is a good chance that some management capabilities will be omitted for some devices. Some software vendors have also been known to omit certain management capabilities from their wares just so that they can provide a consistent management experience. That’s why you are best off using a device-specific management product if possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brien M. Posey, MCSE, is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with Windows 2000 Server and IIS. He has served as CIO for a nationwide chain of hospitals and was once in charge of IT security for Fort Knox.
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