MS Exchange and MDM: What’s the difference?

Whether it's a matter of security updates or locking a company cell phone in the event of loss, external access to the mobile devices in circulation among employees is necessary for security reasons alone. Microsoft Exchange, ActiveSync, and the company's mobile device management system work hand in hand to achieve this. But what does that mean exactly? Let's take a closer look at this somewhat complicated-looking construct: Exchange ActiveSync is the protocol that connects mobile devices to the managing Exchange server. Among other things, the Exchange server stores employee emails, tasks and calendars via the respective email account. Basically, this data can be accessed via ActiveSync, via IMAP or via POP. The company's MDM software docks onto this and, based on these accesses, enables device distribution within the framework of COPE (corporate-owned, personally enabled) or COBO (corporate-owned, business only) allocation models.

Which mobile devices are available with Exchange MDM?

Exchange and ActiveSync can be enabled on most device types, including Android and Apple. As it operates using familiar, universal Microsoft apps, it integrates well with different operating systems. For this reason, it is a viable option for device fleets that are composed of a range of hardware that spans operating systems.