Customized COSU equipment management solutions

Corporate Owned Single-Use Units (COSUs) are used across many industries. They typically consist of an Android TV-powered device that is locked to a single purpose. You can find them in airport lounges, hospital lobbies, and at trade shows and conferences, often used as information kiosks, touchscreen check-ins, and video displays.

There are two types of COSU devices: customer-facing and employee-facing. The former provide digital services or information services to customers, such as kiosks, e-ticketing kiosks, or video displays. When companies use COSU for large-scale activities, they usually need dozens or even hundreds of devices.

Managing all these devices securely and ensuring they work as intended involves a lot of time, effort, and money if done manually. A smarter and more efficient approach is to deploy a mobile device management (MDM) solution through cloud connectivity.

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Why use a mobile device management solution?

MDM software provides enterprises with a more efficient way to manage hundreds or even thousands of devices. If the IT team has to manually handle each device in their COSU, there will be no time to do anything else. In addition to time considerations, every time the software needs to be updated and patched or a new application needs to be installed, the company will also send a team to the local site for operation, which consumes manpower costs.

With MDM software, technicians can connect to all devices wirelessly at the same time. From their desks, they can perform regular monitoring and maintenance tasks. At the same time, administrators can perform security checks and deploy measures to protect devices and their data from unauthorized use. In addition, MDM provides the following advantages.

• Flexible deployment - Administrators can remotely monitor COSU devices. Whether the devices are offsite or somewhere in an office building, the monitoring team can quickly find them and provide cloud services such as diagnosis, updates, or data transfer.
• Easier integration – MDM software can provide API integration with collaboration tools. When COSU is used for data-centric purposes such as enrollment tools or survey platforms, they can seamlessly send data directly to CRM or analytics software.
• Device-agnostic management – ​​MDM software will be more effective if it works across multiple device types and operating systems, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, or Linux.

Get started with COSU Device Management

Companies that require employees to use only authorized devices at work usually provide COSU devices that are managed by the IT team. However, some companies allow employees to connect their personal devices to the corporate network.

This is often a win-win situation for companies and employees. For employees, it means managing one device instead of multiple devices. For management, it means fewer devices to buy and more cost savings. However, with one device, how can employees separate work and personal activities?

COSU device management including BYOD

The practice of using personal devices, known as BYOD, has long been an issue for many organizations. Policies that allow employees to use their personal devices provide a more convenient way for employees to connect to the office network.

This practice does present risks, and managing a COSU network that utilizes BYOD devices will require a qualified MDM solution to ensure that work data remains secure in the office. In addition, the software should allow for flexible deployment, seamless integration, and device-agnostic capabilities. This ensures that employees can enjoy the benefits of BYOD while their devices remain secure.

When managing COSU and BYOD devices for employees, enterprises must:

• Review corporate security strategy and assess the risks of integrating BYOD systems with COSU units.
• Determine access levels within the corporate network, providing qualification requirements for each access level to provide differentiation.
• Set policies and guidelines for devices. To this end, IT teams should prepare an acceptable use policy (AUP) that covers what activities are and are not allowed when devices are connected to the network.
• Create work profiles, assign access levels, policy restrictions, and configure security settings.

Manage COSU equipment efficiently with smart solutions

Configuring access levels and ensuring device security will become an easier task if you use a strong MDM solution. In particular, using a single-purpose device management solution can help prevent devices from straying from their purpose. MDM software also provides an effective window for monitoring and maintenance, and ensures that devices are protected from unauthorized connections.

The ideal MDM software should be a device-agnostic platform that can accommodate both COSU and BYOD devices. It should have cloud connectivity to connect to all devices wirelessly. Additionally, COSU device management software must adhere to data privacy guidelines such as GDPR, HIPAA, FERPA, and others. Private data must be handled securely, and awareness of applicable policies can help avoid costly breaches. The software should also have the ability to generate usage data in each device to create reports and analytics.

Once connected to the network, devices can now be monitored to determine their location and whether their use is in compliance with policy guidelines. In the event that administrators suspect an attempt to destroy data or actually steal a device, administrators can activate security measures. In extreme cases, this may include locking the device or wiping the data to prevent data theft.