CASE STUDY
Aderans Co., Ltd.
Aderans Co. Ltd. 1,500 iOS devices nationwide managed by BizMobile Go!
2017-03-22
Interviewed
Mr. Akihiro Mitsuboshi, Manager, Information Systems Department
Aderans Co., Ltd. offers products and services related to wigs and hair, not only for consumers but also for artistic performers. They are using smartphones and tablets throughout Japan to cover their various operations, and require a tool to manage all of them in a seamless manner. This is where BizMobile Go! fits in perfectly.
Aderans Co., Ltd. has two nationwide chain stores for consumers. One store chain offers exclusive order-made products, while the other chain offers ready-made products in over 250 stores, mostly located in department stores. They have around 1,000 iPads in use by these stores, and 500 iPads and iPhones used by their sales force. The applications installed on the devices and the security policy for them varies widely because each store offers different products and services, and also because the users of these devices, who are company employees or store staff with different roles, use the devices for different purposes.
We handle very sensitive information in our stores with these iPads, such as customer profiles and scalp condition information gathered by our special equipment. It is very important to manage and control iPads, since we use our custom developed Apps on them in our ready-made stores for stock management and for customer management instead of using PCs, said Mr. Akihiro Mitsuboshi, Manager of Information Systems department, Aderans Co., Ltd.
Aderans Co., Ltd. has been using MDM offered by a mobile operator since 2009, when they first introduced iPhones into their operation. Use of MDM in the beginning was limited to asset management of these iPhones, mainly to control telecommunication cost in their headquarters and stores.
We introduced iPads in 2012, when an IT expert employee proposed switching to a more functionally rich MDM service, said Mr. Mitsuboshi.
Our decision was made on superior responsiveness and growth potential to catch up with the latest industrial trends and technology
For the introduction of a new MDM service, Aderans Co., Ltd. compared every MDM service available in Japan, including services from global vendors. After comparing 7 or 8 services in detail, they decided to adopt BizMobile Go! for several reasons.
When you consider MDM as a tool to improve your operation, it is not satisfactory to just focus on the quality and perfection of its services and features. It is quite important to require consistent development of the services and features to keep up with the changes in the environment over time. Generally, Japanese vendors are better suited to handle the challenges and requirements of Japanese enterprises and they take care of us cordially. Among them, BizMobile Inc. has been very active in understanding changes in the market and also has responded to our requirements and inquiries in great detail said Mr. Mitsuboshi.
During their investigation, Aderans Co., Ltd. carefully compared the MDM services, from the management consoles, which varied greatly among the different vendors, down to the detailed reports produced by the systems. BizMobile Go! has advantages that it is relatively easy to use and that it fully supports the Device Enrollment Program (DEP), a service offered by Apple Inc. to support deployment of iOS devices. Furthermore, BizMobile Go!s Template function is very useful for the introduction and operation of MDM. Before we started using BizMobile Go!, every time we deployed new devices, we had to set various security policies and configure and install applications, which vary among departments and stores. By using the Template function, we can now prepare various groups of devices by simply assigning templates configured for order-made stores, ready-made stores or the sales department, said Mr. Mitsuboshi.
To switch to a different MDM service, Aderans Co., Ltd. gathered all the 650 new replacement devices in a room in the head office, connected them to a wireless network and configured all the devices in just 3 times, each time with a group over 200 devices. Application updates were performed remotely over the Internet, once the devices were deployed. The kitting process for each group, including transportation of devices, took about one month and the total time required to complete device replacement for all the stores across Japan was just 3 months.
MDM usage is still developing
The major goal for switching the MDM service was to enhance manageability and controllability, so that we could use the iPad as a business tool, said Mr. Mitsuboshi. In fact, the purpose of using an MDM service is not only its deployment but rather its operation. From this point of view, BizMobile Go! has satisfied the expectations of Aderans Co., Ltd.
In cases where additional application installation is required, configuration changes are necessary, or template allocation is needed due to personnel changes, there is no need to get the devices transported to our head office. Every operation is quicker, since we only need to simply change contents of the template or remotely change allocation of the templates from the former department to the new department where the employee is moving. Our employees and our IT department can utilize the devices in a smooth manner without any stress during these operations, said Mr. Mitsuboshi. BizMobile Go! receives a high evaluation by its customers as a cloud-based service, by not only focusing on operational ease-of-use through features such as Template driven configuration, but through the design of its management console, which provides a smooth, easy-to-use interface that does not impact device operation by end users. It also cuts the cost of collecting and delivering devices for re-configuration and steadily cuts hidden costs by decreasing the wait time before a device can be used.
When asked of what is expected from BizMobile in the future, We are satisfied by the good partnership developed and that we can freely consult them. We believe that BizMobile can develop not only MDM products but also products and services that use MDM as a core function, such as those that integrate MDM and applications in one package. We also expect BizMobile to offer seminars to introduce information related to this industry and to various device vendors, replied Mr. Mitsuboshi. BizMobile will continuously support businesses of Aderans Co., Ltd. by developing and operating BizMobile Go!. Aderans Co., Ltd. has been very much focused on handling of personal information. They are preserving the security of personal information by offering order-made products only in their own stores, by using vein authentication to control the start up of PCs, and by physically securing operation in stores by splitting office space and store space. Personal information can only be accessed from its private network. In the case where an iPad is lost, the device can be located using BizMobiles location tracking service, and using BizMobile Go! the device can be remotely disabled wherever it may be.
Aderans Company Limited
Founded: March 1, 1969
Capital: 12,944 million yen
Headquarter: Sumitomo Fudosan Yotsuya Bldg. 6/7F, 13-4 Araki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Management: Nobuo Nemoto, CEO, Representative Director, Chairman
Yoshihiro Tsumura, COO, Representative Director, President
Business: Hair-related business, control and management of business activities undertaken by subsidiaries and affiliates
Number of employees: 6,103 (as of end of February 2016)
