Phones and tablets now hold as much company email, files, and login access as any laptop, and most small businesses manage them with nothing at all. This FAQ covers what mobile device management (MDM) does, what it costs, how it handles personal phones, and whether your business actually needs it in 2026.
By The NetSys Group Team. The NetSys Group has delivered managed IT, cybersecurity, and cloud services since 1998. Our engineers hold degrees in electrical and computer engineering and are certified Microsoft and Cisco instructors, serving businesses across NY, NJ, CT, PA, and Southwest Florida.
What is mobile device management?
Mobile device management is software that lets you set rules on the phones, tablets, and laptops that touch company data. From one console you can require a passcode and encryption, push email settings, block risky apps, and wipe a device if it is lost. It turns a pile of personal and company gadgets into something you can actually secure.
Does a small business really need it?
If staff read company email or open shared files on their phones, yes. Without MDM you have no way to enforce a screen lock, no way to remove access when someone leaves, and no way to wipe a stolen phone. For a five-person office that may feel heavy, but it is the difference between a lost phone being an annoyance and being a data breach.
What does Microsoft Intune cost?
Microsoft Intune, the most common MDM for businesses already on Microsoft 365, runs about $8 per user per month for Intune Plan 1, and it is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium (about $22 per user per month), E3, and E5. Many owners on Business Premium are paying for it without knowing. It is not included in Business Basic, Business Standard, or Office 365 plans.
Can we manage personal phones without controlling the whole device?
Yes. This is where app protection policies, sometimes called mobile application management, come in. Instead of managing the entire personal phone, you protect only the company apps on it. Work email lives in a container you can wipe, while the employee's photos, texts, and personal apps stay private and untouched. It is the usual answer for bring-your-own-device teams.
Can MDM wipe a lost or stolen phone?
Yes, and you can choose how much to remove. A full wipe resets a company-owned device to factory state. A selective wipe pulls only the company account and data, leaving a personal phone otherwise intact. Either way, a lost phone stops being a way into your email and files within minutes of you flagging it.
What is the difference between MDM and MAM?
MDM manages the whole device: passcode, encryption, apps, and settings, which fits company-owned hardware. MAM, mobile application management, manages only the work apps and their data, which fits personal phones. Most small businesses run both: full MDM on devices they own, app protection on the personal phones staff use for work.
How long does it take to set up?
For a typical small business already on Microsoft 365, a basic Intune rollout takes a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how many devices and policies you need. The first step is defining sensible policies, such as required passcodes, encryption, and which apps can hold company data. Enrolling devices after that is quick.
What happens to a device when an employee leaves?
With MDM in place, offboarding is a few clicks: remove the person's access and selectively wipe company data from their device, whether it is company-owned or personal. Without it, that data can walk out the door with them. Our IT offboarding checklist covers the full departure process, and our Microsoft 365 management team handles the setup for you.
Want mobile devices locked down without turning IT into a second job? Book a complimentary consultation and we'll scope an MDM setup that fits your team and your Microsoft 365 plan.
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