Mobility Cheat Sheet: From COIT to MDM, The Acronyms You Need to Know

Every job has a language all (or at least partly) its own. IT pros, however, must be multilingual to understand the slew of acronyms of all types, from data backup and protection to virtualization and mobility. The mobile workplace and BYOD trend — or, as some call it, COPE or BYOA — produces new acronyms every day, it seems. Confused already? Don't fret. Here's a cheat sheet of all the enterprise mobility acronyms you need to know:

BYOA: Bring Your Own App is a growing trend where employees use mainly consumer-based apps at work. From third-party email providers like Mailbox and cloud-based note taking services such as Evernote, IT departments are scrambling to ensure the security of company data in the cloud.

COIT: The consumerization of IT is an all-encompassing term for the trend of employees using consumer devices as work devices.

BYOD: One of the biggest buzzwords in technology today, Bring Your Own Device means that people use their own smartphones and tablets for work, which can open businesses to endless chaos should they lack a BYOD policy.

COPE: Put simply, this acronym (short for corporate owned personally enabled) describes the practice of giving employers more control over employees' personal devices. It's a practice where employers decide protocols for personal devices, including operating systems, acceptable devices and wireless plans. Employees choose their preference from these employer-mandated options. 

EMM: Enterprise mobility management is the internal group encompassing IT, the chief mobility officer (not all companies have one ... yet) and all people on the mobile enterprise team who manage wireless networks, mobile devices and applications.

MAM: Mobile application management lets IT control specific apps on BYOD devices — say, an employee’s email, calendars and expenses — while leaving other consumer-only data, such as photos and contacts, untouched. To access the company-facing apps, employees must enter a password, which provides an extra layer of security. 

MDM: This acronym stands for two different things. The first, mobile device management, refers to a company's ability to remotely lock or wipe the hard drive of an employee's device. The second, mobile data management, refers to the IT department's over-arching data management strategy.

MIM: Mobile information management allows only approved applications to access and transmit company information, using device-specific encryption of secure data.

MRM: Mobile risk management is the macro-strategy, tied employees' widespread use of mobile devices, for analyzing and eliminating potential problems related to finances, reputation and competition. 

ASP: An application service provider is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, such as SalesForce and WebEx.

API: An application program interface, or API, allows different types of software or systems to interact with one another in order to exchange data. Java, for example, is a common code that can run across multiple platforms. 

IMEI: This unique number, an international mobile statement equipment identity, is essential when a device is stolen or lost to protect data or disable the device — even if its SIM card is replaced.

WAP: A wireless application protocol is the standard for displaying data on mobile devices.

WLAN: A wireless local area network lets users link devices that are connected on the same network.

ODBC: An open database connectivity lets management applications "speak" with each other and exchange data.

h/t: Chief Mobility Officer

[Image via Can Stock]