Once device management (DM) meant software updates to fix mobile phones that were shipped with software bugs. Today not only is there better understanding of the cost savings available through DM but also an increasing focus on its ability to help service providers generate revenues, improve quality of service and reduce churn. And of course the advent of fixed-mobile convergence has increased the scope of DM, in the light of which it could be argued that the critical role it plays in end-to-end management of services is even more apparent.

That, in a nutshell, is the reason why we now have the Device Management Forum (DMF), an industry grouping formed to facilitate better links between technology providers and users, and to help promote the interests of major stakeholders. Among its membership these include Nokia, Synchronica, Sicap, Mobilethink and Mossec.

The organisation's founder and CEO, Abraham Joseph, explains that one of the key triggers for the formation of the DMF was a simple matter of finding information. It came towards the end of 2005. "I was writing a feature on mobile device management and found that despite having spent a lot of time meeting and talking with most of the players over the previous two years, I had to poll dozens of web sites to get the latest news," he says. "This indicated that there was a need for a single place to go to for information on device management." He adds: "We are building our information portal to address this need."

He also noted that DM issues were being tackled by a number of disparate standards and quasi-standards organisations, many of which were addressing only small parts of the problem space and typically from a technical rather than a business perspective.

Another driver for the formation of the DMF is, presumably, the financial importance of the area. How much is DM worth? "How much the market is worth depends on what is included in the scope of DM," says Joseph. "When I look at the opportunities available to providers of device management solutions and managed services I estimate the market to be worth over $1.5 billion." Estimates from other industry observers offer a different approach to the question. For instance, Tarmo Jukarainen, director, device management, Enterprise Solutions, Nokia, says: "We estimate that device management can save $500 per device per annum," while Ben Geller, director of product marketing at Motive, a provider of wireline and wireless device management solutions and services, adds: "We estimate the opportunity for MDM in customer support to be about $0.5 billion." And, as Joseph points out, a number of acquisitions - such as Nokia's purchase of Intellisync for $430 million - have helped to put values on players in the sector as well as demonstrate the sector's importance.

Among the issues that an industry organisation devoted to devices will have to deal with is that security is going to be a big part of the DM landscape - and a problem, in more ways that one. For example, the stronger the security measures put in place to prevent unauthorised or inappropriate use of devices, the more they will get in the way of the user. With security being such a huge issue for enterprises, many want to wait to ensure that appropriate security measures are in place before any application is rolled out. As Joseph points out: "Device security is an increasingly complicated business. We are no longer just talking about protecting data on the device in case it is lost or stolen, but also about protecting the organisation from its own devices being used against it (either by its staff or by third parties), and complying with conflicting regulations around data protection and disclosure."

Miguel A Martin Valmayor, chief strategy officer of Mossec, a developer of security solutions, believes that, for enterprises, there are definitely trade-offs. "The more applications there are running on a device the greater the number of open channels and the greater the risk the organisation faces," he says. "Additionally, the greater the number of productivity-related applications running on the device, the greater the likelihood of sensitive information being on or accessible via the device. Hence, managing the applications that are deployed on the device, and managing the security to create a safe device environment are the key challenges to avoid future risks."

All of which, its supporters would argue, reemphasises the need for a grouping to tackle such issues. So what stage has the Forum reached? "We are still in the process of planning our programme," says Joseph, "but we are engaging in a range of activities including working with standards bodies and other industry groups to communicate important developments, facilitating meetings, discussion forums and workshops with key stakeholder groups and helping to match providers of products and services with current and emerging market opportunities."

It's little surprise perhaps that the DMF's membership is unequivocal in its support of the forum "It is good to have an independent body to drive the DM business case and proposition." Says Hakan Cronqvist, head of strategy and marketing at Sicap AG, a developer of device management solutions. "Also, we can pursue joint opportunities since we don't all compete."

Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of synchronisation and device management specialist Synchronica, highlights, not surprisingly, the cost benefits of delivering device configuration, management and security services over the air, and adds: "This is why Synchronica plans to play a key role in the Device Management Forum, offering the benefit of its experience and expertise in this vital area."

Having said which, this is clearly just the start. How DM and its representative body will deal with new services, not to mention ever-higher bandwidths and data rates, will be discussed in our next issue.

This article first appeared in GSM>3G Vision, an Informa Telecom and Media publication, on 28 March 2007.