You may have recently decided to take the leap towards digitizing your church environment. Helping to make our lives that little bit easier, investing in effective and reliable church management software is becoming increasingly common, and remains unmatched in efficiency by traditional methods.
From sharing exciting new media to bringing your sermons to life with visual aids, more and more churches are being drawn to the lively and vibrant energy that screens and software can provide. However, more media means extra technical terms, and many of us are getting lost behind the jargon.
If you have ever found yourself wondering about some of these new terms and what they mean for your church, then look no further. Read on to learn more about what mobile device management is and the best services that are out there.
What Is Mobile Device Management?
Enabling you to control all of the devices in your organization remotely, MDM makes maintaining digital security an effortless process. Through the installation of an MDM, IT administrators can monitor all of the devices that have access to sensitive data. This means that certain apps can be banned, websites blocked and devices can even be secured if stolen.
Protecting your churchgoers from harmful online websites, while guarding their private personal information, mobile device management is sure to bring you peace of mind. Whilst the convenience of use of a mobile phone device is incredible in many ways, they can also open you up to problems such as data leakage, and unauthorized data access.
Secure your systems with premium mobile device management software and know that you are doing the best to protect the most vulnerable in your community. By removing the element of risk, you can grant workers and volunteers access to confidential information, without putting your church in jeopardy.
Jamf MDM
Currently managing over 17 million Apple devices worldwide, Jamf is a trusted solution that provides Apple users with flawless MDM software. Helping to create employee freedom and satisfaction, all while prioritizing security, Jamf is the favorite for a reason. Choosing an MDM to fit the size and scope of your church doesn’t have to be difficult with a highly scalable option like this.
Whether you are a part of a smaller team of 199 or fewer employees or a large church network that employs IT professionals, Jamf has a package for you. Jamf Now doesn’t require any IT workers to get it running, making it a very attractive option for smaller churches that have less experience in IT.
If you have android devices, however, Jamf will be of little help. Solely focussed on the Apple ecosystem, Jamf has access to an incredibly large community of Apple IT experts, known as Jamf Nation. Here, Apple IT professionals discuss with their peers to solve problems and share their practices. We can feel safe in the hands of a company that knows exactly what they are doing.
Plus, Jamf includes supporting features such as antivirus protection, compliance monitoring, security visibility, behavior detections, and threat hunting. Whilst this is a very attractive option, it does come in more expensive than choosing the free Apple Server option. Jamf’s business plan costs $12 per user, and requires a minimum of 25. So, this could add up to be costly, rapidly.
Apple MDM Server
If saving is on the agenda for your church, then take a look at the software already inbuilt to your apple device. Simply download the free app ‘Apple Configurator 2’, found in the App Store, and you are ready to go. Offering the ability to configure devices remotely according to a pre-prepared blueprint, Apple Server can deploy standardized settings to a selection of devices.
However, the Apple Configurator is particularly inefficient for larger organisations, as it requires each device to be manually added to the system. Another drawback of this system is that it does not support the ‘Bring Your Own Device’ model, as members would have to have their phones wiped before gaining access to the system. Very few church members would be willing to do this in reality.
Lacking the monitoring and reporting capabilities that are offered by Jamf, Apple’s internal server is rather inadequate when directly compared. Whilst it could be a useful option for smaller churches with tighter budgets, the shocking rating of 1.9 stars on the App Store must have been earned somehow.
Which Is Best?
In the current digital age, cyber security is of the utmost importance. We know that it is easily overlooked, especially in the open and welcoming environment of a church. However, the private, personal details of your members are very much desired by hackers and criminals.
Unfortunately, religious organizations have fallen victim to many cyber security attacks in recent years. Highly expensive and potentially devastating, violations like these are best not left to chance. The long-term effects of a church security breach must not be understated, as the damaging effects on your reputation could be hard to shake.
Investing in a trusted software, such as that offered by Jamf, is more than worth it. The smooth and effortless methods of use, alongside the extra security features that are provided, make Jamf our choice.