Before you start: write down your requirements
Before you look at products, write a one-page summary of what you need. It should answer:
- Which devices will be managed, and how many in the next three years?
- Who owns them: the company, the employee, or both?
- What problems must the MDM solve first: security, kiosk devices, app distribution, field support?
- Are there rules about where data is stored or which networks devices may use?
Mark each requirement as “must have” or “nice to have”. Use this page as a checklist and score each product from 0 to 2 on every point that applies to you. If you need a refresher on the basics, start with what is MDM.
Devices and platforms
1. Support for the platforms you actually use. Check the operating systems and versions in your fleet today and the ones you plan to buy. If you have older Android versions in the field, confirm they are supported, and ask how long support continues.
2. Support for your device types. Phones and tablets are the easy part. Rugged handhelds, scanners, kiosks, in-vehicle tablets and Android-based embedded devices often behave differently. Test at least one of each model you own.
3. The ownership models you need. Company-owned devices are usually fully managed. Personal devices need a work profile that separates work and personal data. Single-purpose devices need a dedicated mode. See device ownership models for the details.
4. Kiosk and dedicated device mode. If any device should run only one app or a small set of apps, test how the product locks it down, what happens after a restart and how an admin can unlock it. Our guide on kiosk mode explains the options.
Deployment and data
5. Cloud, on-premises, or both. Decide which model you need now and which you might need later. A vendor that offers both with the same product gives you room to change. The trade-offs are covered in cloud vs on-premises MDM.
6. Data residency. Ask in which country and with which provider cloud data is stored, and whether subcontractors abroad can access it. Ask for the data processing agreement before you sign.
7. Closed network operation. If any devices work in isolated networks, confirm that enrollment, commands and app updates work without internet access and without public push services.
8. Control over data collection. You should be able to decide per group of devices whether location, logs and similar data are collected at all. This is essential for data protection, as explained in MDM and data protection.
Enrollment and daily management
9. Enrollment methods. Look for QR code, NFC and zero-touch enrollment for company devices, and a simple flow for personal devices. For large rollouts, check bulk enrollment and enrollment profiles that apply the right settings automatically.
10. App management. The MDM should install, update and remove apps silently, including your own in-house apps. Check allowlists and blocklists and how the product reports which app versions are installed.
11. Remote support. Help desk staff should be able to see and, where allowed, control a device screen remotely. Ask how sessions are encrypted and whether they work in your network.
12. Location and geofencing. If you need location, check how often it updates, what it costs in battery and whether you can trigger actions when a device enters or leaves an area.
Security and compliance
13. Policy depth. Check password rules, hardware restrictions (camera, USB, Bluetooth), operating system restrictions and how policies are assigned to groups. Make sure you can see which devices actually applied a policy.
14. Compliance rules and automatic actions. A good MDM detects problems, such as a rooted device or a missing policy, and acts on them automatically. Ask whether it can verify device integrity through hardware-backed attestation.
15. Lost device response and certificates. Test remote lock and wipe. If you use Wi-Fi or VPN certificates, check how the MDM distributes and renews them.
16. Admin access control. Check roles and permissions, separation by organization or department, directory integration such as LDAP, and records of who did what in the console.
Integration, vendor and cost
17. API and integrations. If you want to connect the MDM to a help desk, an asset system or your own tools, check that a documented API is available and what it covers.
18. Scale. Ask how many devices the product handles in a single installation, and how it is used by organizations of your size. For on-premises, ask for hardware sizing.
19. Support and local presence. Find out who answers when something breaks, in which language, during which hours and with which response times. Check whether support is included or sold as a separate package.
20. Pricing model and total cost. Compare the full cost over three to five years: licences, feature tiers, installation, hosting, support and staff time. Watch for features that are sold only in higher tiers.
Running a useful pilot
A pilot should prove the points that matter most, not every feature. A simple plan:
- Pick two or three teams with different needs, for example office staff and a field team.
- Enroll at least one device of every model you own.
- Apply your real policies, not the vendor’s defaults.
- Test one incident end to end: a lost device, a broken app or a user who needs remote help.
- Ask the pilot users and help desk staff for feedback after two weeks.
Score each product again after the pilot. The scores before and after often differ.
How DeepManage does it
DeepManage is an Android EMM (enterprise mobility management) solution that runs in the cloud or on-premises, including closed networks. It supports company-owned, work profile and dedicated devices, and every feature is included, with no feature tiers. iOS support is coming soon.
If you are evaluating DeepManage, our features overview maps to most of the points above, and pricing shows the full cost. We offer a guided demo instead of a free trial, so we can walk through your own checklist with you.