Enabling and securing mobile work

Today, many employees of companies and public services are required to perform their duties outside their usual workplace. To enable them to easily and securely access the data they need, advanced technological solutions are essential.

Work tools have evolved considerably over recent years. Today, every employee within a company or public service uses digital technologies through various devices. These devices are often mobile and are therefore regularly used outside the workplace. However, accessing emails or more sensitive data, for example from home, raises obvious security and confidentiality concerns.

Like many municipalities, the City of Esch-sur-Alzette faced this type of challenge. To securely manage the connection of mobile devices to the City’s servers, the municipality already had a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution in place. However, it presented several issues, starting with the fact that it only supported a single mobile operating system. In addition, the solution was hosted on-premises, meaning that the City’s IT department had to intervene for every server and application update.

An automated solution supporting all operating systems

The City of Esch eventually found a single solution to address these various challenges thanks to Proximus NXT, an ICT specialist. Proximus NXT deployed MobileIron’s Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform, which enables the automatic enrollment and configuration of employees’ mobile devices, while also allowing them to be managed through the City’s Wi-Fi network, regardless of the operating system.

This solution enables municipal employees to access, at a minimum, their email accounts when working outside their offices. For users of devices running on the iOS operating system, it is now possible to directly install applications purchased by the City, whether in tens or hundreds of units. The City’s IT department can customize the application store available to employees by authorizing certain applications or assigning others to specific users. Thanks to MobileIron’s Docs@Work application, users can also securely access, view, annotate, and share documents in an intuitive way.

Enhanced user experience and time savings

MobileIron’s UEM solution provides a significantly improved user experience for all mobile device users within the City. When an employee receives a mobile device, they simply need to turn it on and log in with their usual credentials to immediately access the services and applications they are entitled to use. This solution also saves valuable time for the City’s IT department. Freed from the regular update tasks that previously required their intervention, IT teams can now focus on higher-value activities.

Ultimately, the City is highly satisfied with both the solution adopted and the work carried out by Proximus NXT. It also plans to continue expanding this collaboration.

“Proximus NXT’s experts are highly responsive and provide us with flawless support,” explains Christophe Cabral, Systems Administrator within the IT Department of the City of Esch-sur-Alzette. “We plan to extend our collaboration by integrating certain cloud services, such as Office 365, into the MobileIron solution, but also – and above all – by implementing the necessary prevention measures and controls to protect our users against the various mobile threats and attacks.”

The MobileIron UEM solution deployed by Proximus NXT is now used by department heads across the City’s various administrations, municipal employees, Sudstroum staff, and even the City of Esch’s councillors and aldermen. The municipality’s primary schools will also benefit from the solution in the near future.