Every IT admin is familiar with the “Software Update Available” pop-up. This message comes up on our mobiles when we’re working, when we’re scrolling through social media, and even when we’re happily asleep. Some of us are eager beavers who prefer to immediately install new updates, while others would rather ignore updates for as long as possible. Below, we’ll discuss why both of these approaches could prove to be disastrous for an organization.
Software updates usually include either enhancements to device security or new features. While both of these are important, many organizations prefer to deal with each of these types of updates differently. Up until iOS 11.3, there was no way to restrict users from manually updating their OSs—opening up enterprises to potential security flaws if users updated without proper vetting.
Although iOS 11 included a large number of feature enhancements, it also brought with it plenty of bugs. For instance, a vulnerability was discovered in iOS 11 that resulted in mobile devices crashing when receiving a particular character. While this vulnerability might seem innocuous, there may come a day when these types of vulnerabilities are leveraged to wreak havoc in organizations—and it might not happen that far into the future.
When it’s time to update, organizations need to be able to test out newly released features and push those updates to devices only once they’re satisfied with the functionality of these new features. While testing out the features, how can we prevent users from manually updating the OS on their devices? Also, once the testing is complete, how can we ensure that bandwidth bottlenecks don’t occur if every user attempts to update their device at the same time?
Though security updates are usually available as soon as these types of vulnerabilities are discovered, how can organizations ensure that all their employees will install these security patches on their mobile devices in a timely manner?
This is where the OS update management feature of Mobile Device Manager Plus comes into play. This feature allows organizations to automate, schedule, or delay OS updates on mobile devices. You can choose to push security updates immediately to all mobile devices, or delay these updates until you’re sure that these features do what you expect them to do.
If you’ve already taken the first step toward mobile security by using Mobile Device Manager Plus, then upgrade to the latest build and reap the benefits of the new OS update management feature. If you’re new to the game, download Mobile Device Manager Plus today and secure all your mobile devices.
