Kaseya offers mobile management for iOS and Android devices

Systems management firm Kaseya is aiming to help organisations keep on top of staff bringing devices such as the iPhone and iPad into the workplace with a new Mobile Device Management module.

Available later this month in the UK, the module can be deployed as an on-premise server or operated by a service provider, the latter providing a convenient way for smaller businesses to manage and track mobile devices, including laptops, the firm said.

Employees sourcing their own devices for work has become a major concern for businesses in terms of potential data loss, explained Kaseya senior sales engineer Tony Bambury.

"It's not about the device, it's about information on the device and the potential cost to the company if it goes missing and gets into the wrong hands," he said.

Kaseya's Mobile Device Management module can remotely lock or wipe a lost or stolen device, in common with many other mobile management tools, but can also back up and restore data including contact information.

The client-side agent can be set to repeatedly play an audible message declaring that the unit is stolen property, and customers can choose to track the geographical location of GPS-equipped devices to help with recovery, according to Kaseya.

Other capabilities include support to push out configuration settings for email and wireless LAN to each device, while the management agent itself can be deployed by sending the user a text message containing a link to download the executable.

Bambury said that the big growth area for Kaseya is currently the small-to-medium business market.

"We've got many customers with 20 or 30 users, typically supported by a mid-size service provider using our software to offer systems management as a service," he said.

Management agents are available for Apple iOS and Android devices, plus Windows and Mac OS X laptops. Support is also planned for BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7, according to Bambury.

Pricing for Kaseya Mobile Device Management module has yet to be fixed. The software also integrates with the firm's existing systems management suite.