Modern device management is the practice of combining cloud-based enrollment, management and security features to accomplish systems management goals, empowering users to be secure and productive on any device, anywhere – regardless of their location.

If you use KACE Cloud Mobile Device Manager together with the KACE Systems Management Appliance, you can take advantage of the new Modern Management approach for Windows and Mac computers. KACE Unified Endpoint Manager enables Modern Management of your Windows and Mac laptops – similar to how you manage iOS and Android mobile devices. This product provides license reconciliation to avoid double counting co-managed nodes for Windows and Mac devices and enables your KACE Systems Management Appliance to correctly interpret inventory imported from KACE Cloud Mobile Device Manager.

Device management types

Your organization typically uses one or more of the following ways of device management:

• Modern Management: Cloud- and profile-based management of computers, similar to mobile device management.
• Traditional Systems Management: Premise-based, traditional, deep, granular management for computers and servers, including discovery, scripting, software installation, patching, software asset management, vulnerability scanning, IoT devices (printers, projector, SNMP-enabled devices). Agent or agentless monitoring.
• IoT: Two types of device management:
  • Agentless SNMP-enabled devices like printers, projectors, network devices
  • Agent-managed POS, signage, SNMP enabled devices and Chromebooks

Device license types

Your managed devices utilize one of the following license types when it comes to endpoint management software:

Device type	Mobile	Modern	Traditional	IoT
Mobile device	X	X
Server			X
Windows device		X	X
Linux device			X	X*
Desktop		X	X
Laptop		X	X
Chromebook				X
IoT agentless inventory (e.g., printers, projectors)				X
*IoT Embedded (e.g., Microsoft OS, Linux, Raspbian)			X

Choosing a device management type

To identify which device management styles work for the users in your organization, review the following scenarios.

• End users:
  • Mobile employees: They are not office-based and often travel for business. They do not require granular management, keeping their needs fairly simple. Everything is done through the cloud as opposed them connecting to an on-premises system. They use their laptops as mobile devices or tablets. KACE Unified Endpoint Manager can interact with Apple, Google, Microsoft's cloud services to help enroll, configure and manage the laptop.
  • Office-based users: They are usually online more than mobile employees, and as such need much more granular, traditional management that involves software and IT asset management, patching, and other features. This is the preferred method for managing most laptops and desktops for that reason, particularly for those who prefer on-premises solutions, and have a history of working with Group Policy, Microsoft AD, patch management and other traditional management features.

  • Data center staff: Modern Management is not an alternative for the users that work in a data center facility. Servers must be managed very granularly with limited access.

• Administrators: Each organization has an overall endpoint management style preference. In addition to the three end-user types listed above, there are different administrative needs to consider.

  Domain	Modern	Preference	Traditional
  Inventory	X	Either	X
  Hardware Asset Management	X	Either	X
  Enrollment (Apple, Google, Microsoft)	X
  Discovery			X
  Cloud	X
  On-Premises			X
  Subscription License	X
  Perpetual License			X
  OpEx	X
  CapX			X
  Over The Air	X
  Agent			X
  Profile	X
  Scripting (E.g., software distribution, Poweshell)			X
  Active Directory			X
  Group Policy			X
  Software Asset Management			X
  Patching			X