AirWatch Brings MDM To Windows Phone 8

AirWatch Tuesday added device and application management support for Windows Phone 8 to its mobile device management (MDM) platform.

This is welcome news to IT. Because MDM vendors mainly have competed in iOS and Android management software, administrators at many companies are doubtless wondering if they will be able to manage the Windows Phone 8 devices that should begin showing up next week.

Windows Phone 8 was an easy addition for AirWatch, said Victor Cooper, global public relations representative. "Since we're OS/platform agnostic, we've incorporated the Windows Phone 8 support 'module' into our comprehensive solution suite," he said. "IT administrators are able to manage all OSs from a single, Web-based console."

The AirWatch platform supports iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Mac OS X, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone 7 and 8.

AirWatch will support these device and application management features:

• Company Hubs, Microsoft's company-specific app distribution technology.
• Device reporting, configuration and analytics.
• Over-the-air updates to enterprise applications.
• Exchange ActiveSync configuration.
• Enterprise and full device wipes.
• SD card disabling.

Other features will be supported, Cooper said, but those can't be disclosed until the official release of Window Phone 8.

"The release of Windows Phone 8 further represents Microsoft's growing mobile enterprise presence," said AirWatch CEO John Marshall. "Now, businesses can maximize existing investments in Microsoft technology and streamline mobile integration into their infrastructures. By leveraging the new capabilities of the platform, mobility is now an extension of the overall framework."