Mobile Device Management Services for NZ Businesses
Exodesk sets up and manages supported business devices and work apps for businesses in Christchurch, Dunedin and across New Zealand. We agree which devices and apps are covered, how company information is protected and who handles changes as staff and equipment come and go.
Company-owned equipment and staff-owned phones need different arrangements. We choose the management approach around ownership, applications and the level of control your business requires, with the privacy boundary explained before rollout.
Supporting New Zealand businesses since 1989
What is mobile device management?
Mobile device management, or MDM, enrols and configures supported devices, applies agreed policies and provides management information and remote actions. The controls available depend on the platform, who owns the device and how it is enrolled.
Our mobile device management service covers device enrolment, configuration, work-app protection, the device register and changes as people join and leave. Mobile connections, plans and numbers are covered by our business mobile plans service. Protection against malware and other threats is covered by our endpoint security service, and our Microsoft Intune guide explains how Microsoft’s tool and its compliance checks fit with access controls.
What our mobile device management service covers
The scope of our mobile device management service can include device enrolment, security settings, approved app deployment, work-app protection and a register of managed devices. We confirm supported operating systems, applications and licences before agreeing the rollout.
Device management can be scoped as a rollout project, an ongoing management arrangement, or both. You do not need to move the rest of your IT to Exodesk, and we agree responsibilities with your existing IT provider or internal team.
Enrolment and device register
Supported devices are enrolled using the agreed method and recorded in a register of managed devices. A device already managed elsewhere may need a planned transfer.
Security settings and apps
Agreed settings such as screen lock, encryption and minimum operating system versions are applied, and approved work apps are deployed where the platform supports it.
Work-app protection
On personal phones, protection inside supported work apps may be enough, without enrolling the whole device. We set out which controls apply and what remains outside.
Company devices and staff-owned phones
Device ownership, the apps in use and the level of control required determine which mobile device management arrangement fits. We explain the visibility and permitted remote actions before anything is enrolled.
Company device
Supported device configuration and management.
- Broader device settings and app deployment
- Authorised remote actions identified in the scope
- Recorded in the device register
Personal device with enrolment
An agreed management method on the owner’s phone.
- Visibility explained to the owner first
- Removal powers explained before enrolment
- Used where the business needs more than app protection
Personal device with app protection
Company data protected inside supported apps.
- The whole phone is not managed
- Applies to apps built to support it
- Work data can be removed from those apps
Before staff agree to enrol a personal phone, we explain what the business can see and which actions it can take. Microsoft’s guidance on what an organisation can see on an enrolled device is a useful example: administrators cannot read email and text messages or view personal photos, and cannot see a personal device’s location, but device and management details are visible.
Which devices and apps can be managed?
Phones, tablets and computers running supported versions of iOS and iPadOS, Android, Windows and macOS can be brought under mobile device management, depending on the platform, licences and enrolment method.
Management is not limited to phones. Laptops and desktops can be enrolled alongside mobile devices, while malware and threat protection on those devices stays with endpoint security. App protection works only with apps built to support it, and neither app protection nor full-device management controls every app or every copy of a file automatically.
Some enrolment methods need a device to be reset first, and devices too old to receive updates may not be suitable. We record those exceptions rather than assuming everything can be enrolled.
Do your licences already include device management?
Microsoft lists Intune Plan 1 as included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, E5, F1 and F3, among other subscriptions. Business Basic and Business Standard should not be assumed to include it. Check the exact plan, users and features needed, including any access controls. A licence covers the software entitlement, not the work of setting up and running mobile device management.
How we roll out device management
Each mobile device management rollout moves through four stages, with exceptions recorded and staff told what to expect.
Agree the scope
Confirm devices, ownership, applications, existing management and the licences required. Record exceptions rather than assuming everything can be enrolled.
Plan and pilot
Agree policies and the staff explanation, then test with a small group before broader rollout. Where access restrictions are included, test the effect before enforcing them.
Deploy and check
Apply the agreed setup and check that devices or protected apps report as expected. Explain what staff need to do and how to get help.
Agree ongoing responsibilities
Set out who enrols new devices, follows up exceptions, changes policies and handles lost devices and leavers. Ongoing management and support hours are agreed separately.
Lost devices and staff departures
Report a missing device promptly through the agreed support route. Searching for it should not delay the steps that protect company information.
The response considers account access and the remote actions that mobile device management supports for that device or app. Depending on the arrangement, that can be a full reset of a company device, retiring the device from management, or removing data from protected work apps. Each request is processed when the device or app next checks in, so we record whether it has completed and what remains unknown. A remote wipe request is not a guarantee that every copy of company information has been removed.
When someone leaves, device actions sit alongside account changes: blocking sign-in, ending active sessions and recovering company equipment. Our employee IT onboarding checklist covers departures, and identity and access management covers the wider account lifecycle.
A lost device is not automatically a notifiable privacy breach. A breach that has caused or is likely to cause serious harm must be notified, and a clear record of the device’s protection helps that assessment. Our Privacy Act guide explains the obligations.
Ongoing mobile device management and support
Mobile device management needs an owner after rollout. New devices arrive, staff change roles, operating systems update and policies need adjusting.
The ongoing arrangement sets out who enrols new devices, follows up devices that stop reporting or fall out of policy, changes settings and apps, and handles lost devices and leavers. Support hours, reporting and responsibilities are agreed in the scope. If you want devices looked after alongside the rest of your technology, our managed IT services cover the wider support arrangement.
What affects the cost of mobile device management?
Cost depends on the devices and users in scope, the management platform, licences already held, application requirements and any move from an existing setup.
- Devices and users. How many phones, tablets and computers are included, and who uses them.
- Ownership. Company devices, personal phones and shared equipment need different work.
- Operating systems. Each platform in use has its own enrolment and settings.
- Licences. What your current subscriptions include and what needs adding.
- Existing management. Any transfer from another setup or provider.
The quote separates setup and rollout from recurring licences and ongoing management. It states the support hours, responsibilities, exclusions and how new devices or users change the cost.
Mobile device management in Christchurch and Dunedin
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide.
Rollout and ongoing support are arranged for your locations, with on-site help for enrolment or staff sessions agreed where it is needed.
Mobile device management questions
What is mobile device management?
Mobile device management, or MDM, enrols and configures supported devices, applies agreed policies and provides management information and remote actions. The available controls depend on the platform, ownership and enrolment method.
Can you protect work data on a personal phone?
Yes, where the apps and platform support it. App protection can control company information in approved work apps without managing the entire phone. Full-device enrolment is a different arrangement and is agreed where needed.
Can the business see personal messages and photos?
Intune enrolment does not let an administrator read personal messages or view personal photos. It does make device and management information available. We explain the information visible and the actions permitted for the proposed setup before enrolment.
Can a lost phone be wiped remotely?
Where the management method supports it, a remote action can request a full reset, removal of management data or removal of protected app data. The device or app must process the request. We check its status rather than treating a sent command as a completed wipe.
Is device management included in Microsoft 365?
Intune Plan 1 is included in Business Premium and certain other subscriptions. Check the exact plan and required features. Business Basic or Standard should not be assumed to include Intune, and setup and ongoing management are separate costs.
Does mobile device management replace endpoint security?
No. Device management covers configuration and management of devices or work apps. Endpoint security addresses malware and other threats. The two services can apply to the same device, with their responsibilities agreed in the scope.
How long does rollout take?
It depends on the devices, existing management, applications and staff availability. Confirm compatibility, policies and a pilot before setting the wider rollout date. Some enrolment methods may require a device reset or other preparation.
Discuss your device management
Tell us how many devices your team uses, which are company-owned, which work apps staff use on personal phones and what is managed already. We can then identify the supported approach and the work needed for rollout and ongoing support.
Talk to us about your devices
Tell us a little about your devices and how staff use them for work, and we will be in touch to arrange a time that suits.
Prefer to talk?
Christchurch
Level 1, 85 Riccarton Road
Christchurch 8011
03 343 3124
Dunedin
Level 3, Bartons Building
2 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016
03 479 2941