System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 (MDM) is now available to AT&T business customers who use smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.1. In conjunction with the availability of Mobile Device Manager, AT&T also announced today the availability of the MDM Early Adopter QuickStart Program that was developed cooperatively by AT&T and Enterprise Mobile and is an exclusive offering designed to assist AT&T customers with deploying the Microsoft mobility solution.

Mobile Device Manager is an enterprise-grade mobile device management solution that also provides security, mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN) and software distribution for Windows Mobile devices. Mobile Device Manager is natively supported by the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.1. Windows Mobile 6.1 is now available for free download to AT&T Tilt™ and MOTO Q™ Global smartphones from AT&T. Additional new smartphones launched by AT&T later this year will feature Windows Mobile 6.1 with support for Mobile Device Manager.

With Mobile Device Manager, AT&T customers using Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphones now have secured access to applications, files, corporate data and other information that is located on the corporate network and previously inaccessible without a secure VPN connection. For example, customers can now access information such as price sheets, marketing collateral and legal documents on the corporate network — items that were often previously available only through PCs or laptops.

Mobile Device Manager also gives the corporate information technology (IT) departments of AT&T customers that use Microsoft software's new security and management tools that work well with existing infrastructure investments, such as Active Directory and SQL Server. Mobile Device Manager's tight integration into Active Directory extends group policy management capabilities to Windows Mobile smartphones. This integration allows IT managers to manage smartphones similar to the way they manage desktop computers, making them first-class citizens on the corporate network.

"Quite simply, Mobile Device Manager will allow our corporate customers to get significantly more value from their Windows Mobile phone deployments," said Michael Woodward, vice president, Business Voice/Data and Wireless Products for AT&T's wireless operation. "Through Mobile Device Manager, our customers' mobile employees now have access to a greater degree of information through their smartphones to make them even more productive, while also providing at the IT level the security and device management capabilities that our customers require."

Stephanie Ferguson, general manager, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft Corp., said: "Microsoft is committed to providing businesses with powerful, familiar and flexible mobile solutions, and we've extended the management capabilities for IT professionals with Mobile Device Manager. We applaud AT&T and Enterprise Mobile for creating the Early Adopter QuickStart Program so that their business customers can more immediately deploy and benefit from Mobile Device Manager and Windows Mobile 6.1 phones."

The deployment process for Mobile Device Manager can be made much more efficient through the MDM Early Adopter QuickStart Program from Enterprise Mobile, a Watertown, Mass.-based company that develops, deploys and manages solutions based on the Windows Mobile platform.

The MDM Early Adopter QuickStart Program enables enterprises to try Mobile Device Manager's unique abilities to manage mobile devices, define access rights, provide additional security features for data transmissions, coordinate over-the-air software updates and protect the corporate network from unauthorized access. Using the program, customers can define their mobility management and security requirements and build a "test" scenario as well as deploy a proof of concept for evaluating and testing within their environment.

"As organizations chart a course for wider rollout of mobility strategies, device management continues to emerge as one of the biggest challenges," said Mort Rosenthal, chairman and chief executive officer of Enterprise Mobile. "Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides enterprises with the technology infrastructure to overcome this challenge. This robust technology platform coupled with AT&T and Enterprise Mobile's MDM Early Adopter QuickStart Program allows enterprises to determine their mobility management and security requirements and develop a customized mobility strategy to ensure a successful enterprise-wide mobility rollout."

Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 is available through Microsoft resellers. The MDM Early Adopter QuickStart Program is available through a co-sale arrangement between AT&T and Enterprise Mobile.

Information Source:    AT&T

Image courtesy of Enterprise Mobile website