Merck Boosts Mobile Development
and BYOD Flexibility with AirWatch
The Challenge
Global companies require flexibility for smooth international
operations. Highly dynamic markets must keep pace with
continuously shifting challenges, especially in the rapidly changing
mobile space.
Topics such as ”Bring Your Own Device“ (BYOD), country-specific
legal questions, cross-border app management comprising test
environments, separate management of different user groups,
paperless field services, integration with existing document
management solutions, and global policy settings are creating new
opportunities for businesses and end users but also impose
technology challenges on IT departments.
Solution Overview
• Customer: Merck KGaA
(EMD in the U.S. and Canada)
The Client
Merck KGaA − operating under the umbrella brand EMD in the U.S.
and Canada − is a leading pharmaceutical, chemical and life science
company with total revenues of € 11.2 billion in 2012, a history that
began in 1668, and a future shaped by approx. 38,000 employees in
66 countries. Historically, the company managed solely BlackBerry®
devices. Today, a wide range of Apple® iOS devices are in use, with
Windows® Phone 8 and Android™ devices in a test environment.
Smartphones and tablets are used for online browsing and internal
applications and Merck needed the ability to distribute and manage
mobile apps to user groups based on country and job function, as
well as manage test environments.
• Industry: Pharmaceutical,
Chemical and Life Science
• Geography: Global
• Features: MDM, MAM, MCM,
BYOD
• Devices: 3,000 − 5,000
AirWatch® stood out due to its terms and conditions, the solution’s
flexibility, and close relationships with device manufacturers. “The
fact that AirWatch is one of the few providers that works directly
with Apple and Samsung was an important piece in our decision
making process,” says Matthias Feldmann, Director, IT Global
eWorkplace Group Information Services, Merck KGaA. “During
implementation, AirWatch’s direct access to partners enabled us to
clarify questions with Samsung’s development department.”
+1 404.478.7500 | info@air-watch.com | air-watch.com
Copyright © 2012 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Solution
Merck uses AirWatch’s Enterprise App Store throughout the
company. It is employed to host and manage internal and public
apps and to distribute apps to employees throughout the world.
The ability to deploy and test multiple versions of the same
application from one central place is of great advantage to the
company. “Not having to arduously install developer profiles on
devices to distribute apps and no longer having to contract an
agency to download apps through administration programs or pages
has simplified mobile working,” explains Mr. Feldmann. “We can
now manage apps centrally, automatically, and by user group.“
“During implementation, AirWatch’s
direct access to partners enabled us
to work directly with Samsung’s
development department.”
− Matthias Feldmann
Director, IT Global eWorkplace,
Group Information Services,
Merck KGaA
Merck is currently testing AirWatch Secure Content Locker™ (SCL)
with SharePoint integration and plans a company-wide rollout
following trial completion. For its planned BYOD program, Merck
considers the ability to encrypt attachments, remove them from
emails, and push them into SCL one of the main advantages of
using AirWatch. SCL will allow the company to respond to the
increased security requirements for corporate documents.
To clarify any legal questions and enable a global solution, Merck
involved its global data privacy officer, the legal department, the
workers’ council and its IT committee. “Implementing a solution
required a bit of planning, but ultimately worked without problems,”
explains Mr. Feldmann. “As the software is mainly used to manage
and configure devices, personal information is only saved to a very
limited extent and we were able to unanimously agree on a
solution that conforms to our data protection requirements.”
The biggest advantage for Merck is the flexibility of the AirWatch
solution, allowing users to enroll their own devices and configure
them in the self-service portal. This saves the IT department time
and effort and allows employees to make some device
management decisions. The flexibility of being able to enroll
devices anytime, regardless of the operating system, is also of great
importance to Merck. “The entire mobility solution has been
impeccably designed and AirWatch continuously brings new
solutions to market,” says Mr. Feldmann. “From a cost savings
point of view, we see major advantages when compared to our
alternative management solution.”
+1 404.478.7500 | info@air-watch.com | air-watch.com
Copyright © 2012 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved.