Which solution is the best for securing our company's mobile devices (phones and tablets)?

For most companies, the best overall approach is an enterprise Mobile Device Management (MDM) / Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform, rather than trying to secure phones and tablets individually.

My top choice: Microsoft Intune

If your company already uses Microsoft 365 / Entra ID, Microsoft Intune would be my first recommendation. It manages both iOS/iPadOS and Android, can enforce security configurations and compliance policies, and can use device-risk information from Microsoft Defender to make access decisions.

A strong setup would be:

• Intune — central device management and security policies.
• Microsoft Entra ID + Conditional Access — require compliant devices and appropriate authentication before accessing company resources.
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint — mobile threat protection and risk detection.
• App protection/DLP policies — prevent corporate data from being copied into personal apps or accounts.
• Automatic OS/app updates and minimum-version requirements.
• Remote lock/wipe for lost or compromised devices.
• Encryption, strong authentication, screen-lock, and jailbreak/root detection.
• Separate BYOD policies so personal devices don't receive unnecessarily invasive management.

NIST's current mobile-security guidance specifically recommends centralized management and endpoint-protection technologies for enterprise mobile devices, including both company-owned and BYOD devices.

When I'd choose something else

Bottom line: If you tell me your company size, whether devices are iPhone/iPad, Android, or mixed, whether they're company-owned or BYOD, and whether you already use Microsoft 365, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 solutions and compare security, cost, administration, and ease of deployment.

The best solution for securing company mobile phones and tablets is a Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform , paired with Mobile Application Management (MAM) for personal or mixed-use devices.

Top platforms like Microsoft Intune, VMware Workspace ONE , and Jamf (specifically for Apple fleets) give administrators centralized control to enforce security baselines.

Top Mobile Security Approaches

Core Steps to Implement

If you share your environment details, I can narrow down the right platform:

• Are the devices company-owned or personal (BYOD)?
• Do you use mostly iOS, Android, or a mix of both?

For most companies with a mix of iPhones/iPads and Android phones/tablets, I’d recommend Microsoft Intune as the best overall solution.

Why Intune is my default recommendation

1. It manages both major mobile platforms. Intune supports Android and iOS/iPadOS, as well as Windows and macOS, so you can eventually manage the broader endpoint fleet from one platform.

2. It protects corporate data—not just the device. Its Mobile Application Management (MAM) capabilities can protect company data inside applications, including on BYOD/personal devices that aren't fully enrolled.

3. It supports Zero Trust-style access control. Intune can combine device compliance with Microsoft Entra/Conditional Access so that, for example, an employee's email or corporate apps can be blocked when the device is jailbroken/rooted, out of compliance, or otherwise considered risky. Microsoft also integrates Defender for Endpoint risk signals with Intune compliance decisions.

4. It gives you centralized enforcement. You can enforce things such as:

• Strong passcodes/biometrics
• Encryption
• Minimum OS versions
• Automatic security updates
• Approved/blocked applications
• Remote lock and wipe
• Corporate-vs-personal data separation
• Compliance policies
• Conditional access to corporate resources

When I'd choose Jamf instead

If your company is almost entirely Apple, I'd seriously consider jamf.com.

Jamf is purpose-built around Apple's management architecture and provides particularly deep iPhone/iPad management, zero-touch deployment, inventory, compliance baselines, app management, and security capabilities.

So my rule of thumb would be:

Mixed iPhone + Android → Intune Almost entirely Apple → Jamf Microsoft 365/Entra/Defender already heavily deployed → Intune is especially compelling

One important point: MDM alone isn't a complete mobile-security strategy. The strongest setup combines MDM/UEM + identity/conditional access + endpoint/mobile threat protection + strong application/data policies.

If you tell me (1) number of devices, (2) iPhone vs Android percentage, (3) whether you use Microsoft 365/Google Workspace, and (4) whether employees use personal phones, I can recommend the specific architecture and licensing approach I'd use.

There is no single "best" solution for every company, because the right Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) tool depends heavily on your existing tech stack, budget, and whether your devices are company-owned or personal (BYOD).

Industry-leading solutions stand out for different organizational needs:

• Microsoft Intune: Best if your company already uses the Microsoft 365 / Azure ecosystem. It provides seamless cloud-based security, deep integration with Office 365, and robust compliance policies without needing a separate standalone suite.
• Apple Enterprise / Jamf: Best if your mobile fleet consists entirely or predominantly of iOS and iPadOS devices. Jamf is widely considered the gold standard for deep Apple ecosystem management and zero-touch deployment.
• Google Endpoint Management / Workspace: Best for organizations heavily embedded in Google Workspace with a heavy reliance on Android Enterprise devices. It’s streamlined, cost-effective, and built directly into the Google admin console.
• Hexnode UEM or ManageEngine: Best for multi-platform environments (mixing iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS) where you need a dedicated, highly rated, cost-effective mid-market solution outside of the Microsoft umbrella.
• SOTI MobiControl or 42Gears SureMDM: Best for ruggedized devices, specialized hardware, or dedicated IoT/tablets used in logistics, retail, or field services that require strict kiosk lockdown modes.

To help narrow down which platform fits best, tell me:

• What operating systems do your phones and tablets use (mostly iOS, mostly Android, or a mix)?
• Are these devices company-owned or personal (BYOD)?
• What primary software ecosystem does your office use (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace)?

For most companies, the best solution for securing corporate phones and tablets is a Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform, not just a basic mobile device management (MDM) tool. The “best” choice depends heavily on your existing ecosystem, device mix, and security requirements. Leading options include Microsoft Intune, Omnissa Workspace ONE, Ivanti, and Jamf.

Best overall choice for most businesses: Microsoft Intune

Best fit: Companies already using Microsoft 365, Entra ID (Azure AD), Defender, Teams, or Windows devices.

Strengths:

• Strong iOS and Android management
• Conditional access (block noncompliant devices from accessing company data)
• App protection policies (secure corporate data inside apps without fully controlling personal devices)
• Remote wipe and device retirement
• Works well with Microsoft security tools
• Often cost-effective if you already license Microsoft 365 plans that include it

Intune is commonly selected by organizations that want identity, endpoint management, and security controls in one ecosystem.

Best for Apple-heavy companies: Jamf

Best fit: Organizations with mostly iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Strengths:

• Deep Apple platform support
• Excellent Apple Business Manager integration
• Strong app deployment and configuration controls
• Good user experience for employees

If your fleet is almost entirely Apple, Jamf is often a stronger specialist choice than a general-purpose UEM.

Best for large, complex environments: Omnissa

Best fit: Enterprises with mixed device types, global operations, rugged devices, or complex compliance needs.

Strengths:

• Broad OS support
• Mature enterprise mobility capabilities
• Strong automation and reporting
• Good for heterogeneous fleets

Workspace ONE remains a major enterprise UEM option for organizations managing many types of endpoints.

Best for mobile-first or specialized environments: Ivanti

Best fit: Organizations with rugged devices, frontline workers, or complex mobile policies.

Strengths:

• Strong mobile management heritage
• Good support for diverse device environments
• Automation and security integrations

Ivanti is often considered where mobile devices are a core operational tool rather than just employee productivity devices.

My general recommendation by scenario

Minimum security capabilities you should require

Whatever product you choose, look for:

• Mandatory encryption
• Strong passcode/biometric policies
• Device compliance checks
• Remote lock and wipe
• Mobile threat detection
• App allow/deny controls
• Separation of corporate and personal data (especially BYOD)
• Certificate-based Wi-Fi/VPN authentication
• Automated enrollment (Apple Business Manager / Android Enterprise)
• Integration with your identity provider and security monitoring tools

If you tell me:

1. number of devices,
2. iPhone vs Android percentage,
3. company size,
4. whether you use Microsoft 365/Google Workspace, and
5. whether devices are company-owned or BYOD,

I can narrow this down to a specific recommendation.

Securing company mobile devices requires a Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution. The "best" option depends heavily on your company's size, budget, and primary operating system ecosystem (iOS vs. Android vs. Windows).

Here are the top industry-leading solutions categorized by organizational needs:

• Microsoft Intune — Best overall for companies already using the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with Azure AD (Entra ID), Office 365, and Windows PCs, making it a natural choice for Windows-heavy shops wanting unified management.
• Jamf Pro / Jamf Now — Best specialized choice for Apple-heavy environments . If your workforce primarily uses iPhones, iPads, and Macs, Jamf offers the deepest, day-one support for Apple-specific features and security frameworks.
• VMware Workspace ONE (Omnissa) — Best for enterprise-grade, cross-platform flexibility . It excels at managing complex, highly diverse device fleets with advanced conditional access and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) integration.
• Google Endpoint Education / Enterprise — Best for Android-centric or budget-conscious organizations. It offers robust native management directly through the Google Workspace console without needing heavy third-party software.
• Ivanti UEM (MobileIron) — Best for highly regulated industries (like finance or healthcare) requiring deep on-premise or hybrid deployment options and strict compliance controls.

To help narrow down the best fit, could you tell me:

• What operating systems do your mobile devices use (mostly iOS, Android, or a mix)?
• What productivity suite does your company use (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, etc.)?
• Roughly how many devices do you need to manage?

There is no single "best" solution for mobile device security because it completely depends on your existing tech stack, your device mix, and whether you are managing company-owned hardware or personal employee phones (BYOD).

The industry standard approach is implementing a Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform. The top solutions categorized by your organization's specific needs include:

• Microsoft Intune : Best overall if your company is already embedded in the Microsoft 365 / Entra ID ecosystem. It handles iOS and Android seamlessly, integrates security policies directly into apps like Outlook and Teams, and is often already included in your existing Microsoft licensing tier. Learn more on the Microsoft Intune Overview.
• Jamf Pro : Best choice if your mobile fleet consists strictly or primarily of Apple devices (iPhones and iPads). It offers deep, native configuration and zero-touch deployment tailored specifically to Apple’s ecosystem. Explore features via Jamf Apple Device Management.
• ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus : Best cross-platform alternative with a generous free tier (up to 25 devices) and scalable paid tiers. It provides balanced multi-OS management across iOS, Android, and Windows from a single console. Check out details at ManageEngine MDM.
• Scalefusion or SOTI MobiControl : Best if your mobile devices include rugged, specialized, or frontline/kiosk hardware (e.g., warehouse scanners or dedicated retail tablets). They specialize in strict single-app or multi-app lockdown modes.
• IBM MaaS360 : Best for highly regulated or compliance-heavy industries (finance, healthcare) needing advanced AI-driven threat management and mobile threat defense (MTD).

To help narrow down the ideal choice, let me know:

• What operating systems are you managing (mostly iOS, Android, or a mix)?
• Are these company-owned devices or personal (BYOD) devices?
• Do you already use a primary ecosystem like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?

For most companies, the best overall solution is a modern Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform with MDM + mobile application management (MAM) + conditional access, rather than relying on antivirus alone.

My top recommendation: Microsoft Intune

If your company already uses Microsoft 365 / Entra ID / Defender, I would generally choose Microsoft Intune. It manages iPhones/iPads and Android devices, supports both company-owned and BYOD scenarios, and can enforce compliance before allowing access to corporate resources.

A strong architecture would be:

Intune + Microsoft Entra ID + Microsoft Defender for Endpoint + Conditional Access

That gives you:

• 🔐 Device encryption and security policies
• 🔑 MFA and conditional access
• 📱 Remote configuration, lock and wipe
• 🚫 Automatic blocking of noncompliant/compromised devices
• 📦 Controlled application installation
• 🏢 Separation of company data from personal data on BYOD
• 🔄 OS/update compliance
• 📊 Centralized inventory and compliance reporting
• 🛡️ Mobile threat detection through Defender/MTD integration

Microsoft specifically supports using Intune compliance with Conditional Access to automatically block a compromised device from accessing corporate resources.

When I'd choose something else

For an Apple-heavy organization, Jamf has particularly deep Apple management and security capabilities, while also offering mobile management across iOS/iPadOS and Android. www.jamf.com Jamf can also integrate with Intune to feed device compliance into Microsoft's ecosystem.

The important part: don't just buy an MDM

CISA's guidance recommends treating a device as untrusted if it isn't properly configured, patched, monitored, or if it is jailbroken/rooted—and denying it access to corporate resources. It also recommends strong authentication, curated apps, separation of business and personal data, and automatic updates.

So I'd implement this baseline:

MDM/UEM → device compliance → identity/MFA → conditional access → mobile threat defense → protected business apps/data

If you tell me (1) roughly how many phones/tablets you have, (2) iPhone vs. Android split, (3) whether you use Microsoft 365, and (4) whether employees use personal phones, I can narrow this down to the best solution and configuration for your company.

For most companies, Microsoft Intune is the best overall solution for securing company phones and tablets, particularly if you already use Microsoft 365/Entra ID.

Intune provides both mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) across iOS/iPadOS and Android. It can enforce security policies, manage apps, require encryption/passcodes, check device compliance, remotely wipe corporate data, and integrate device compliance with access controls.

My recommendation

How I'd secure the devices

For company-owned phones/tablets, I'd use:

Intune + Entra ID + Microsoft Defender, with policies such as:

• Require strong PIN/password and biometric authentication.
• Require current supported OS versions and security updates.
• Encrypt device storage.
• Block rooted/jailbroken devices.
• Require MFA and use device-compliance checks before allowing access to company resources.
• Automatically deploy and manage approved applications.
• Restrict copying corporate data into personal apps.
• Enable remote lock/wipe for lost or stolen devices.
• Use Apple Automated Device Enrollment for corporate iPhones/iPads and Android Enterprise for Android devices. Intune supports Apple's automated enrollment as well as BYOD enrollment models.
• Add Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for mobile threat protection; Intune can deploy and configure Defender on Android.

For BYOD, I would not necessarily enroll the entire personal device. Intune's App Protection Policies can protect company data inside supported apps even when the device isn't enrolled in MDM. That gives you a better privacy/security balance.

Bottom line

If you're a Microsoft 365 organization, I'd choose Intune unless you have a specific reason not to. It's especially compelling because you can manage mobile devices, applications, identity/access, and endpoint security through a connected Microsoft security stack rather than buying several separate products.

If you tell me (1) number of devices, (2) percentage iPhone/Android, (3) whether they're company-owned or BYOD, and (4) whether you use Microsoft 365, I can recommend the best architecture and licensing approach for your company.

Securing company mobile devices requires a Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution. The "best" choice depends on your company's size, budget, and primary operating system ecosystem.

Here are the top solutions on the market, categorized by their strengths:

• Microsoft Intune : Best for organizations already embedded in the Microsoft 365 / Azure ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, offering strong conditional access policies and compliance tracking without needing a separate identity provider.
• Jamf Pro / Jamf Now : The gold standard if your company is heavily or entirely Apple-focused (iOS, iPadOS, macOS) . Jamf Now is great for small businesses, while Jamf Pro offers deep, enterprise-grade automated deployment and management for Apple devices.
• VMware Workspace ONE : Best for large enterprises requiring complex, multi-platform environments (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and ruggedized IoT devices). It provides robust virtual desktop integration and advanced security analytics.
• Ivanti Neurons for UEM (formerly MobileIron) : Excellent for enterprises prioritizing heavy-duty security and compliance , particularly in regulated industries like finance and healthcare where deep device-level isolation and zero-trust network access are mandatory.
• SOTI MobiControl : The undisputed leader for ruggedized devices, warehouse environments, and IoT fleets (handheld scanners, logistics tablets, specialized Android devices). It handles remote control and app deployment in remote or harsh environments exceptionally well.
• Google Endpoint Management : Best for small-to-medium businesses running primarily on Google Workspace / Chromebooks / Android . It is built right into the Google Workspace admin console, making it cost-effective and simple to deploy if you aren't managing a massive Apple or Windows fleet.

To help narrow down which solution fits your company best, could you tell me:

• What is the approximate number of mobile devices you need to secure?
• What operating systems do they run (mostly iOS, mostly Android, or a mix)?
• What is your primary productivity ecosystem (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or standalone)?