Do you ever lose track of how many devices are connected to your systems? You’re not alone. Between hybrid work, personal phones accessing company files, and remote logins from cafés or home offices, today’s work environment is crawling with endpoints, and not all of them are under control.
From quiet malware creeping into mobile apps to laptops that lack critical patches, every unmanaged device is a possible point of entry. Cybercriminals know this. They’re not just targeting data centers anymore. They’re after smartphones, tablets, and even that old work laptop your employee took on vacation and never updated.
If your team is still relying on old-school policies or manual tracking, it’s time to shift. This guide walks through what endpoint and mobile device management (EMDM) involves, why it matters more now than ever, and how to create a system that scales with your business without overwhelming it.
Attackers have gotten smarter, and devices have gotten riskier. In early 2025 alone, Kaspersky logged more than 12 million mobile-based attack attempts. Meanwhile, Zimperium reported that over 18% of enterprise devices already showed signs of malware, that’s nearly one in five.
It’s not just the tech. People make mistakes. The 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that 68% of breaches had a human element, usually someone clicking, ignoring, or misconfiguring something on a device that should’ve been locked down in the first place.
Smartphones are often the weak link because they are personal, always on, and usually overlooked by IT until something goes wrong. Attackers use stealthy mobile malware tactics like fake app updates or permission abuse to slip in unnoticed.
If you can’t see it, patch it, or wipe it remotely, you can’t protect it. That’s the whole case for having a real, working endpoint and mobile device strategy.
You don’t need an army of admins or a complicated stack of tools to secure devices. What you do need is a structured approach that gives you visibility, control, and the flexibility to adapt as things change.
Here’s a practical roadmap to help you get there.
Start with a plain-language inventory. That means tracking:
You’d be surprised how many businesses overlook the shadow IT factor: personal phones accessing cloud apps like email, CRM, or file shares. Those are still endpoints, and they still pose a risk.
Not every department, user, or team needs the same rules. Don’t force it.
BYOD works well for flexibility, but you’ll need controls like selective wipe and limited data access. Similarly, COPE setups give IT more oversight without taking away all personal use, while CYOD lets employees choose from pre-approved devices, simplifying management.
Whatever model you choose, tie access to security posture. If a device is out of date, jailbroken, or missing a passcode, it shouldn’t open sensitive files.
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) tools are where this all comes together. UEM is your remote command center for managing device security, no matter where your people work.
Top platforms like Microsoft Intune, Jamf (especially for Apple environments), and Omnissa (formerly VMware EUC) earned high marks in IDC’s 2024 evaluations for their ability to support hybrid teams.
What you’ll want to be able to do:
Once your platform is in place, define your baseline standards. These should include:
It’s not just about what comes in through the front door. Malware often hides in surprising places, such as attachments, USB drives, browser extensions, and even old plugins. Make sure your standards also account for less obvious malware vectors.
Manual patching doesn’t scale. Automate as much as possible.
If you’re not keeping track of which devices are lagging, those are the ones most likely to get hit first.
What happens if someone loses a phone that has access to your internal dashboard, or if a user installs a sketchy browser plugin?
You’ll need to:
Test these workflows before you need them. Don’t wait until a real breach to find out your remote wipe feature only works for Windows 10.
Device management is never really “done.” It’s an ongoing loop. To stay ahead:
And don’t just collect the data, act on it. Your policies should evolve as your business (and the threat landscape) does.
Most businesses don’t fail at security because they don’t care. They fail because they don’t see what’s happening until it’s too late. Devices get missed, apps go unmonitored, and access quietly expands.
But with a focused strategy and the right tools, you can keep your organization protected without handcuffing your team. It starts with visibility, then policy, and then automation. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be effective.
At Vudu Consulting, we help businesses of all sizes make sense of endpoint and mobile device security. Whether you’re rolling out your first UEM platform or just trying to get ahead of your patch backlog, we’ll help you get the pieces in place and working together. Contact us to get started.
