According to Moore’s law, technology is expected to become twice as fast in half the size every 18 months. And in reality, the prediction is not very far off. Consider the rapid evolution from the first mobile phones (which weighed up to 4.5 lbs) to the latest smartphone iterations (less than 150 grams!).
The rate at which technology is booming not only affects the landscape of how people interact with one another, but drastically alters how we view the world.
So the question remains: How do organizations adapt to a mobile-first world that’s largely dominated by micro-moments and constant connectivity?
Introducing Enterprise Mobility and Security
In today’s world, users are expected to work from any location while accessing resources from a number of different content repositories. Compared to when users had to clock-in at a designated location to access information stored away in file cabinets, they can now obtain content on any device at any time.
However, the ability to access sensitive information on unsecured, third-party devices opens up the possibility of data breaches, insider threats, and more.
To address this pressing issue, Microsoft has introduced the Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS) suite. As an addition to its services catalog, Microsoft EMS confronts all of the risks introduced by the growing mobile workforce.
Microsoft’s EMS product suite allows organizations to adopt:
- Hybrid Identity Management
- Mobile Device Management
- Data Protection
The Core Focus of Microsoft EMS
The core focus of the Microsoft EMS tool set ensures that sensitive documents can be securely accessed by users, regardless of their location and device. It also helps facilitate user productivity while maintaining compliance and reducing risk.
Additionally, the Microsoft EMS suite seamlessly integrates with the products within Office 365, including SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, and Skype.
What is Enterprise Mobility Management?
As Azure grew into the new portal, so did the functionality of Mobile Identity Management. Microsoft expanded its mobility management offerings to include Mobility Device Management and Mobile Application Management.
Under the umbrella term of Enterprise Mobility Management, its new features incorporate the ability to:
- Manage apps through an identity repository and single sign-on (SSO).
- Manage identities and access to cloud-based applications.
- Monitor and protect access to applications.
- Provide users with a consistent experience across platforms.
In addition to access, authentication, and authorization management, Microsoft also included a security layer in the form of Rights Management Services for applications and content stored on Azure and Office 365.
Microsoft then consolidated the following products to comprise the EMS suite:
- Azure Active Directory Premium
- Azure Rights Management (Rights Management Services)
- Microsoft Intune
- Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics
Overview of the Enterprise Mobility and Security Suite
Azure Active Directory Premium
Azure Active Directory Premium not only provides the single sign-on feature for each user in the organization, it also adds various levels of security that provide conditional access, multi-factor authentication, and reporting facilities on user access.
Azure Rights Management
Azure Rights Management is now incorporated into Azure Information Protection, which provides document-level security for the organization. By creating restriction policies, users can lock down content stored inside documents and emails either manually or automatically.
Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics
Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics provides organizations with a simple and intuitive way to assess their environment’s integrity by identifying suspicious user and device activity. It leverages deep packet inspection (DPI) technology to detect threats and attacks in real-time.
Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune provides the connective tissue between personal devices, applications, and company data. It provides administrators with complete control over device and application access, while also assessing the risk profile of devices that connect to sensitive information.
Organizations that are armed with Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility and Security suite are able to:
- Protect themselves from attacks using identity-driven security.
- Extend desktop experiences to mobile devices while preserving the same user interaction.
- Protect users, devices, applications, and data with mobile device and application management.
Conclusion
As a direct response to the growing mobile workforce, the Microsoft EMS suite introduces a new level of mobility and security. It also presents a solution set to the challenges that organizations face regarding mobile device management.
If you’re in need of more security than what Microsoft EMS offers, then check out how Metalogix ControlPoint can help you deploy total governance over your Office 365 and SharePoint environment, secure sensitive information, and monitor anomalous activity.