Question 552 - 220-1101 discussion

The most likely issue that prevents the user's mobile device from saving pictures to an external drive at home is that the peripherals are managed via MDM (mobile device management). MDM is a software solution that allows an organization to remotely control, secure, and enforce policies on mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops. MDM can also restrict the access and functionality of the peripherals, such as external drives, cameras, microphones, or printers, that are connected to the mobile devices.

One of the possible reasons why the user's mobile device can back up classified files to an external hard drive at work but not save pictures to an external drive at home is that the MDM policy allows only authorized peripherals to be used with the mobile device. For example, the MDM policy may require the external drive to have a certain encryption level, a specific serial number, or a valid certificate to be recognized by the mobile device. The external drive at work may meet these criteria, while the external drive at home may not. Therefore, the mobile device can back up the classified files to the external drive at work, but it cannot save the pictures to the external drive at home.

To resolve this issue, the user may need to contact the IT administrator or the MDM provider and request permission to use the external drive at home. Alternatively, the user may need to use a different method to transfer the pictures from the mobile device to the external drive, such as using a cloud service, a wireless network, or a USB cable.

What is Mobile Device Management (MDM)?1

How to Manage Mobile Devices With MDM2

How to Connect an External Hard Drive to Your Phone3