Mobile Device Management

With pest control technicians increasingly relying on mobile devices for everything from route optimization to customer documentation, proper device management has become essential. 

Robert Bittner

We all use mobile devices in our daily lives. While most of us don’t think too much about ensuring our personal device’s security, in business, it’s critically important. For pest control companies, whose technicians are on the road every day and depend on their devices like a third arm, mobile device management (MDM) should be top of mind. 

THE CHALLENGE OF DEVICE MANAGEMENT

Because of the complexities of MDM, companies often choose to work with a third party, from information technology (IT) consultants to full-service MDM providers. 

Charles Firth, owner of Pittsburgh-based Firth Consulting, supports several small businesses and nonprofits. He recognizes that some businesses may not yet be at the point where MDM partnerships make financial sense. In such cases, he recommends at least getting expert assistance—local, if possible—in setting up the initial system. Such a person could advise on policy, insurance issues, and software based on the company’s size and needs. “Once it’s built and running, you can manage it yourself pretty easily and make any necessary adjustments as you go,” Firth says.

From the start, any approach to MDM should include the ability to do the following: 

• Encrypt customer data.
• Track devices.
• Wipe or lock devices remotely.
• Update operating systems and security 
  protocols remotely.
• Limit or block inappropriate app use.

Whether a company decides to manage these safeguards on its own or invest in an MDM provider should be based on the company’s risk exposure, says Jonathan Keyes, senior director of operations infrastructure for Hawx Services LLC, headquartered in Ogden, Utah.

“There’s a lot of cost associated with setting up these types of systems,” Keyes says. “If you don’t have the economies of scale or the quantity of employees, then I think a smaller shop would be better off building their MDM policies and approach gradually, on their own, or perhaps with the help of an MDM consultant or IT manager. If you start growing, adding offices, or working nationwide, then you’re looking at a much more significant exposure risk.”

BUILDING AN MDM POLICY

Effective MDM begins with a comprehensive policy. “Policy is your strategy for what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it,” says Scott Homes, director of IT at Tacoma, Washington-based Sprague Pest Solutions. 

Sprague, an ISO 27001 company, based its security policies on the ISO standard along with the National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity framework. Sprague then drew from a series of best-practice templates and modified them to fit the company’s specific needs. 

For example, a best practice might require a device password every five minutes. “We’re not going to require the tech to constantly enter a password,” Homes says. “That would seriously impair the tech’s ability to do the work. So, while our policy is written to the highest degree of security, we have to make calculated exceptions for the sake of the business.”

It’s important that all employees who use mobile devices at work are trained on the basic tenets of the policies and understand why they are in place. At Sprague, this happens with new employees on day one.

“As soon as we hand them that device, we go over the policy,” Homes says. “When they attend the onboarding class in the next couple of weeks, we present cybersecurity training and discuss acceptable use. And, of course, all policies are in the employee handbook as well.”

PARTNERING WITH A THIRD PARTY 

My Pest Pros in Vienna, Virginia, currently has 10 smartphones in the field, which led it to look for a full-service partner. Leadership wanted technicians to be able to access the company’s customer resource management (CRM) system, industry apps, and apps for navigation, communication, measuring, and weather. “We also wanted to restrict access so they would not be viewing inappropriate content or using the phones for gaming,” owner Brett Lieberman says. The company also needed to be able to update the operating system (OS) automatically and remotely and to “push out” new apps as needed.

Because the company uses a mobile device from a specific provider, it started with an MDM built for that device. “[But] I found it confusing,” says Lieberman, who reached out to the provider for advice. It suggested a different MDM. “Not only was it cheaper, it was much easier to use and very robust. It allows us to do everything we need to do.”

That “everything” includes: 

• Maintaining a standard screen layout across every phone.
• Hiding the device’s phone and messages app icons so techs use the company’s proprietary apps for calls and texting.
• Installing web apps for submitting any necessary forms.

“There are some things I’ll still do in [the MDM] myself, but otherwise it handles everything,” Lieberman says.

Sprague Pest Solutions, on the other hand, has hundreds of devices—using two different OSs—deployed throughout the company. The company relies on MDM partners designed for each OS. For Homes, whose background is in cybersecurity, these are only starting points.

“Cybersecurity is all about defense in depth,” he says. “You have to use multiple approaches and multiple tools. So, we have [the MDM], but we also have [cybersecurity software] and some [other] software agents that are always monitoring the devices for signs of an attack.” 

The company uses another tool for an added layer of email protection plus artificial intelligence machine-learning engines to constantly look for anomalies and attacks behind the scenes. 

“We also have data loss-prevention software, which monitors if people are pulling an unusual amount of data through their devices,” Homes continues. “It’s one of our concerns that somebody breaks into our system, downloads client pest reports, and then launches a ransomware attack or something against a client. Maybe they post on the internet that ‘Restaurant X has rats all over the place!’ and threaten to publish the pest reports if they aren’t paid a ransom. We have to plan for potential situations like that.”
Hawx Services also takes a multilayered approach to delivering service and security across its approximately 700 mobile devices nationwide. 

The company uses an MDM supplier and has a single sign-in provider, meaning users have full access to all phone apps and functions after entering one password (or one instance of facial recognition)—“and a number of our own proprietary apps for managing service calls,” Keyes reports.

“We are satisfied with [the MDM], but it is fairly expensive, and its costs have gone up on us several years in a row. So, we have also looked at [others]. And right now, we’re taking a serious look at maybe even moving all our phones [to a different wireless carrier], to take advantage of the MDM that they provide natively for their phones.”

An online search reveals even more MDM options tailored to specific devices and a variety of needs. But one of the hallmarks of a truly capable MDM is how little friction it has with the end user. That means techs can give more of their attention to the client and the job than the device in their hand.

“To be honest,” Keyes says, “our technicians probably don’t know what an MDM is, which I think is a great end-user experience. It’s invisible to them. They don’t have to think about it.”  

6 Best Practices for MDM

For companies managing devices entirely on their own, these practices represent some recommended starting points for mobile device management.

1. Require passwords or face/fingerprint recognition. Supplement this layer of security with two-factor authentication, which requires a second code (typically sent to the device via text or email), and a secure-password generator.
2. Use antivirus software. While some phones and computers are more susceptible to viruses than others, every device is a potential entry point into your system.
3. Stay updated. Applications and operating systems should be updated regularly since they often rely on each other for optimum performance.
4. Restrict apps on company-owned devices. Configure your company-owned equipment to block or disable unapproved apps to ensure compliance and strengthen security.
5. Back up data regularly. Instead of using local drives, backup to a secure cloud service is recommended.
6. Maintain control. Employees should avoid using public Wi-Fi and public USB ports with their work devices; both introduce the potential for viruses and malware.

Finally, keep best practices top of mind for employees. Review your policies regularly, make adjustments as security and technology evolve, and inform employees about updates as needed.

Company-Owned Versus Bring-Your-Own-Device 

Today, nearly everyone carries a cellphone, making it much more cost-effective for pest management companies to allow field techs to use their personal devices. But the risk may outweigh the reward.
None of the NPMA-member companies we spoke to for this article currently allow the use of personal phones for work, although two are considering it.

“We really want techs to use the devices we provide, which are loaded with all of the apps and tools they need,” says Brett Lieberman, owner of My Pest Pros in Vienna, Virginia. “We also want to be able to prevent inappropriate workplace use by having some control of the phone. At the same time, we don’t want them getting a call at 10 o’clock at night on their personal phone from a client. That’s not fair to them.” 
The company also wants to avoid situations where a technician’s personal phone is disconnected for lack of payment or some other issue.

Carrying two phones—one company and one personal—may be an annoyance for technicians, especially if they are managing other equipment as well. However, Lieberman says that the biggest end-user complaint he gets is from people who simply prefer one type of phone over another.