In modern business, the complexity and range of use cases for mobile continues to expand. Mobile data, the catalyst for this growth, is a double-edged sword: It empowers organizations just as much as it endangers them. It provides invaluable information instantaneously and a constant connectivity that enables workers to do their jobs regardless of where they’re situated.

Its benefits notwithstanding, mobile data exposes companies of all types and sizes to innumerable risks related to its transmission, storage and overall level of protection.

Through continued global investment in its platform, services and technology, IBM MaaS360 provides the tools and resources required by worldwide enterprise mobility management (EMM) clients to carefully balance the benefits of mobility with its associated risks. This enables organizations to achieve an equilibrium that ensures:

• Compliance with local, national and global regulations;
• Data privacy; and
• A strong mobile security strategy.

MaaS360 for Cross-Country Data Compliance

Regarded by leading analysts as a best-in-class cloud offering, MaaS360 EMM epitomizes the 24/7 accessibility that empowers organizations to fully enable, manage and secure their mobile devices, apps, docs and data on a global scale. These clients must also comply with local data privacy regulations as their mobile data makes its way across international borders.

To accommodate customers seeking a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering whose operations extend across foreign countries and continents, MaaS360 has announced an expansion that will extend localized services within the next two years across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Developmental processes have already begun for the first two, for which support will launch in India and France.

MaaS360 will be added to existing IBM Cloud locations. To date, IBM Cloud has amassed 47 data centers across 26 countries, a network with which MaaS360 will continue to grow as IBM further extends its global footprint.

Built for Compliance

MaaS360 will be contextually architected with regional ordinances taken into consideration. This will enable customers to expand their flexibility via global transmissions of mobile data without violating local privacy standards.

For example, European clients, and others whose data flows through Europe, will need to abide by new EU directives arriving in May 2018. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will dictate how businesses address their data life cycles — things like management, access, storage and security. Those who fail to comply will face costly consequences. It’s important for clients to maintain focus on large-scale mobile rollouts that meet local requirements.

Expert Consultation for GDPR Readiness

Merely complying with regulations should never be the goal. Compliance should be the starting point of a larger strategy built for long-term success.

With IBM Privacy Consulting Services, customers can analyze their current processes and fine-tune their efforts surrounding data privacy. Experienced IBM mobility experts work directly with your internal business, legal, IT and management representatives to address current gaps, establishing best practices to oust the competition and maximize returns on other technology investments.

With more than a year remaining until GDPR is in full swing, now is the time for organizations to peel back the layers on their current strategies and determine how they can put their best foot forward for future success within an intensifying regulatory climate.

Leveraging IBM Privacy Consulting Services, clients can assess their readiness for GDPR and identify the roadblocks they’ll need to overcome between now and May 2018 to ensure they’re acclimatized for data privacy.

New Services to Accelerate Mobile Success

Expanding on its new service offerings portfolio, IBM MaaS360 unveiled a complete program geared toward maturity and success with secure enterprise mobility, including:

• Mobile Security and Productivity Workshops to ensure strategy, policy and technology are aligned to meet organizational goals for enterprise mobility;
• Mobility Success Services to help your organization achieve fast time to value for your investment in MaaS360 for mobile devices, apps and content;
• Health Check Services to assess full mobile environment status, review challenges and recommend actions; and

• Mobility Training Workshops to impart mobile expertise to operations, administrative and help desk teams.

Among our Mobility Success Services, customers may opt for Quick Start or Time-to-Value Services, which can be completed in as few as six days or up to three months, depending on how thorough of a review they are looking to complete.

Quick Start Services afford fast and exceptional guidance to maximize your investment. With Time-to-Value Services, we remain at your side every step of the way for an in-depth engagement to help maximize ROI and jump-start mobile transformation.

Since the organizations we work with scale widely in size and variety, each service is catered to the unique needs of the individual client. We begin by gathering specific information on the environment in its current state, analyzing findings and measuring for competency with industry standards. We then provide recommendations to ensure all facets of the program are hitting on all cylinders for a successful implementation.

MaaS360 Packaging Structure

In alignment with these new services, IBM recently released new product packaging for MaaS360 that is structured around organizational maturity within the EMM market:

1. Essentials for entry-level mobility management;
2. Deluxe for extended control over secure productivity;
3. Premier for the full gamut of tools needed for access and collaboration; and
4. Enterprise for sophisticated analysis, malware detection and effortless scaling.

Sequentially organized, each new tier is intended to grow alongside enterprises, taking into account the various malleable forces at play in the ever-changing market. These include strategy shifts, increases in device volume, software and hardware advancements, new use cases for mobile and the growing threat landscape.