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Norman Chan - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Leader of the Mobile Solution at UDS Data Systems Limited
Reseller
Top 5
System architecture and requirements are simple to use
Pros and Cons
  • "The keywords menu is better than other MDM. They have an Out of Contact policy, which other MDMs don't have."
  • "They have legacy design architecture, and sometimes the support isn't helpful."

What is our primary use case?

I am a distributor of SOTI in Hong Kong.

This solution is most suitable for government companies.

SOTI is good for medium to large-sized companies. In Hong Kong, we have so many customers that the smallest customer in Hong Kong has about 10 users, and our largest customer has more than 32,000 devices.

One of the customers that we support is in the government sector. They are using Workspace ONE for 8,000 devices.

We mainly give them support on the MDM for Workspace ONE.

What is most valuable?

The keywords menu is better than other MDM. They have an Out of Contact policy, which other MDMs don't have.

The SOTI system architecture and requirements are more simple compared to Workspace ONE.

They have a script engine that's very good for engineer support.

What needs improvement?

They have legacy design architecture, and sometimes the support isn't helpful.

Sometimes the innovative features are very difficult.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have worked with SOTO MobiControl for 13 years.

Buyer's Guide
SOTI MobiControl
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about SOTI MobiControl. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability as eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

If a customer goes directly to SOTI support, sometimes they can't solve the problem immediately. Usually in Hong Kong, we do the first tier of support for all of our customers.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment process is simple because the legacy interface is easy to understand and easier to use than Workspace ONE. The SOTI Next-Generation UI is just like Workspace ONE, so sometimes it's difficult to use.

SOTI is changing from the classic user interface to a more modern type of user interface, which is more difficult to use.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's a little bit expensive. The Hong Kong government has a perpetual license for SOTI rather than a subscription.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution as eight out of ten.

My advice is to find the right consultant.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Automation Specialist at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
We're able to connect with our drivers at a moment's notice, support them in the field

What is our primary use case?

We're a mobile refueling company. We go out into construction sites where they have fleet trucks. We do about 650 million gallons of fuel a year, and we have about 180 fueling trucks in the Midwest, east of the Mississippi. We use the Zebra MC67 devices, with software that we've purchased to control the truck when it distributes fuel to a semi or a reefer trailer or a large earth-moving piece of equipment. We do deliver to trains. All the fuel delivered is real-time to the end customer.

For us to manage that we have MobiControl, not only for setting them all up and connecting them, but also for managing and synchronizing files, and for our logistics center - which is the call center - to help the drivers change routes online in real-time. We remote into them and we make changes, or we make changes on our side and then we can watch what happens on the handheld. We walk through issues with the drivers, if they have issues on the handheld.

How has it helped my organization?

The tool has become incredibly valuable for us in terms of helping the drivers.

It was the tool of choice. We had the tool, we owned it, but as we got better at using it, its success became self-evident. The ability to remote into the device, help the drivers, set up devices in the field, all that pooled together into being critical. 

And now, with its growth in other environments, our IT department is exploring other uses for agents and remote access. We're not a really big company in terms of the corporate level, so it takes a little time for us to get traction on stuff. But it is certainly the key to the logistics side of our business. We couldn't have our call center without some remote access tool. Our decision to stay with SOTI was, initially, a default decision, but then it grew into all the capacity.

It is the key component in our logistics center. Every one of our logistics personnel is trained on SOTI as an end-user, to be able to help people in the field. It's as simple as that. It's the primary tool when it comes to assisting drivers in the field.

What is most valuable?

For us, the ability to connect with the driver at a moment's notice and support them in the field is paramount.

On a side note, it helps me set them up and manage them remotely. Without remote management, I'm not sure we could execute that, with that many trucks in the field. Our market area is Wisconsin, Michigan, all the way down to Florida. There's no other way, at this point in time, that I could think of how we would do it, other than having remote software. 

We stay with Mobi because of the functionality. It's amazing software.

What needs improvement?

We're not using MobiControl to its capacity. We're not driving the ports out of it, we are just starting to enter it. It's a function of time and personnel, in getting to all the other attributes it has. At this point in time, until my staff and I can really dig into MobiControl and take it to another level, I don't think it would be fair for me to talk about improving anything. And right now, I probably couldn't tell you what to improve.

We're at a level that SOTI MobiControl can far outdo what we're using it for right now. I would not be doing MobiControl justice if I said they have to improve something, because I'm not working from a position of being a super-user, I'm just becoming one right now.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's extremely stable. I rarely have any issues with it. Even with the patching of the servers, it's all Microsoft Server-based, it's not running on Linux. If the patching failed - which it hasn't - but if the patching failed, the restore is really straightforward.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's very much scalable to our needs. It's a function of devices out there. We acquired 220 device licenses, and we float between 200 and 210. I do have spare devices, I still need that room. Then, depending on our company strategy, if we're going to provide another device - we're looking at the tablets - if we do that, then we acquire as we need. If we're willing to pay for them, we can get as many as we require.

How are customer service and technical support?

SOTI's customer service is top-notch. We have asked for and have received incredible customer service.

We recently signed up for SOTI Enterprise Support. It was worthwhile to do it, with the additional training, and the call testing. It's a huge opportunity for us to continue to explore the functionality of SOTI in a contained environment.

The customer service has always been excellent. I've never had bad customer service. And I've called. I'll say, "How can I do this in here?" and they'll run through some scenarios. SOTI MobiControl also works with our partners like Zebra. Zebra was on the phone with tech support from SOTI and it took four minutes to figure out what I wanted to do between the two, and I got a solution. They helped me out when I needed it. How can you put a price on that?

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We had no previous solution. 

How was the initial setup?

The part I can speak to is the version updates. The initial installation went quite well. We had five users five years ago. Now we've got 50 users. How we used devices five years ago is way different. We did not have a call center at the time, and now we have a call center. The version update is what I can talk to you about because I pushed for it, to get the latest and greatest version, and they were incredibly helpful.

We had older servers it was running on, so we had to update the servers. The quality of the technical people at SOTI was phenomenal, it didn't take much to figure it out. We were able to import our stuff from an older server to a newer server and connect to the database with minimal impact.

Once that happened, all consecutive version updates are basically pushing a button and letting it chug and it's done, it's up. We have a really solid platform for what we're doing right now.

We were on version 9 or 10. Once the servers were updated to the most current servers that support version 14.3, after that, it was straightforward. It took 15 minutes to do the last two updates that came in. MobiControl was already up, and all we had to do was update the agents. I had no issues with the devices in the field connecting. So as far as I'm concerned, it was a 20-minute window.

In terms of updates, we haven't had any bugs. As soon as the device comes online, I can do a global Agent Upgrade within 24 to 36 hours, and the handhelds all update. I haven't had an issue with an agent. It just works.

What was our ROI?

Time is money. I have a truck out there, a $450,000, 5,000-gallon steel truck that's automated out there, and I'm paying a very qualified driver to run it. These guys have commercial driver licenses, and every hour they're not pumping is an hour of cost.

For every shift, there are five or six hours man-hours we have to have put aside to process those customers, to get them into our system, so their information is available, and that, of course, is manual time. If a truck's not running, not moving, not pumping, it's costing us something.

If you're running around with a half-million-dollar asset, or even a $350,000 asset, it needs to make money. It needs to be pumping fuel to make money. So, yes, we have return on investment with this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's a reasonably priced tool for what we're using it for. To be fair, I don't have much to compare to. But being in IT for 20 years, I thought it was really reasonable. When you take into consideration the maintenance cost on it, it's is very low. There's a one-time license fee for a device. But you can call support under standard support, which I had up until about two months ago, and it has been excellent. All that updating I mentioned was done under our standard license.

What other advice do I have?

When you get customer service tied in with a reasonably-priced service and product, there really is no other reason to go anywhere else.

At this point in time, I would give it a ten out of ten. The reason I say that is because it's not just the software, not only the stability of the software, but it's the customer service. You get somebody on the line and you're not waiting 40 minutes. Call Oracle once and see how fast you get somebody.

I'll give it a ten in my world because, when I call and reach out to support, or if I call to reach out to my technical rep, or if I call and reach out to my account manager, I get a response. I may leave a message, but he'll call within a couple of hours. I always get an answer very quickly. They have automated voice menuing but it's not eight layers deep, and each layer's not ten layers of options. It's quite refreshing.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
SOTI MobiControl
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about SOTI MobiControl. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Mohamad Charara - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager, Development& Information Technology at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
An MDM solution for device management and application control on devices

What is our primary use case?

I have almost 800 mobiles for our distributors. What we can lock is just what we call QOS mode. We limit them to specific functionality on the phone to minimize the risk. We control because our app is not published in the Google Play Store. We push the updates manually using SOTI. We use it for device management and application control on those devices.

What is most valuable?

The solution’s price is good because Google’s MDM costs 15 dollars while SOTI costs around two. The user experience is excellent because of the way you log in, move from one menu to another, and do the activity or the process.
According to price, stability, and features, SOTI is a good choice.

What needs improvement?

SOTI MobiControl is nice and powerful but has some complications. The interface is not easy. In IT, if you manage multiple platforms and systems, it becomes tedious and hard. Also, there are issues with phones supported by SOTI.

SOTI MobiControl's support should be extended to a broader range of phones, especially in Africa, where many people do not have access to high-end devices. Investing in expensive devices that could be lost or stolen overnight is not logical.

In addition to expanding device compatibility, we would also like to see the platform made easier to use and more control over settings.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SOTI MobiControl since 2018.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is not 100% stable. Sometimes, it generates a bug that we need to change the XML file manually.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution’s scalability depends on the hardware. You have to add a license only for scaling.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support was extremely helpful and was always available whenever we needed them. There were not many complications, but they were beside us whenever we needed assistance.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The SOTI team was hands-on and very supportive. They supported us enough to tackle any issues. 

13 people and all system admins were involved in the deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I rate the product’s pricing a six out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We tried Scalefusion.

What other advice do I have?

Maintaining quality is not challenging. We just opened a ticket with the maintenance team, who are available and helpful. Sometimes, the account manager knows the mobile and test environments and can advise us not to throw out a version but to wait for a bug fix. They actively support us, and maintenance does not take much time. Also, I have it hosted on my servers and not in the cloud.

The challenge with IT is that it doesn’t always commutative. I launched my application with SOTI installed on my mobile phone. It’s challenging to quantify its security impact. Overall, it provided us with a higher level of control over the devices, which is essential for the smooth operation of an enterprise application, including the users’ knowledge and the application itself.

I strongly recommend considering an MDM solution for any enterprise. The recent transition to a uniform licensing structure has simplified the decision-making process, whether you opt for on-premises or cloud deployment. Overall, it’s a valuable solution that I encourage people to adopt.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Phuong Soksambo - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administration Unit Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Though it has good and responsive support, its scalability needs to improve
Pros and Cons
  • "I have experience with technical support. They are quite good. Also, they very quickly understand the issues and what are the requirements from my side. Response time is also good."
  • "The remote screen of the solution gets stuck at times. So, that needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are using SOTI MobiControl to control our corporate devices, which we have issued to our field staff to do some application performance.

What is most valuable?

It is a mobile device management tool that we can control through the mobile device. So, it's the corporate device to control. So every user needs to use only the app, only the application since there's a way that we have set things. Hence, they cannot do anything besides that.

What needs improvement?

SOTI MobiControl needs to improve its geographic interface. The remote screen of the solution gets stuck at times. So, that needs to be improved.

For future releases, my suggestion for improvement is that somewhere in the setting and policy profile, where it's a little bit complicated. So if something can improve on that to make it user-friendly and easy to understand, then it would be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SOTI MobiControl for a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight and a half out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is a bit complex. I found something that is a little bit complicated, but I can say that the solution is overall good. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Approximately we have over 2,000 users in our company using the tool.

How are customer service and support?

I have experience with technical support. They are quite good. Also, they very quickly understand the issues and what are the requirements from my side. Response time is also good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is neither easy nor too complicated. The solution is deployed on the cloud.

Actually, we have a team for maintenance, and we also help each other. So around 10-15 people are required for maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation within our organization.


What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

On a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price, I rate the pricing a five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I used to see the demonstration from another vendor, and I can say that it was quite similar to SOTI MobiControl. So each product has its own pros and cons. So, I don't want to give any opinion on that.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Eric Joly - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Integration Engineer at Zetes
Real User
Top 5
Effective remote management capabilities and easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is straightforward."
  • "The documentation could be improved in SOTI MobiControl."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for SOTI MobiControl is remote management, software installation, and device management, among other things. It can eliminate the need for manual processes and reduce costs compared to doing everything manually.

By using an MDM tool like SOTI MobiControl, you can automate processes that would otherwise require manual effort, which can save time and resources. It can result in cost savings over the long term.

What is most valuable?

I appreciate the stability of the product, as well as its flexibility. It is easy to use, and many useful tools are available. I can do many things with it, which is valuable for my needs.

What needs improvement?

When it comes to areas of improvement, it would be great to have easier access to information on the Internet because it's not always easy to find what you need. The documentation could be improved in SOTI MobiControl.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for around 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. Around 40 customers are using SOTI MobiControl.

How are customer service and support?

The customer service is okay.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward, but that's probably because I know the software well. The complete configuration took around two hours. We have some on-premises deployments, but most use cases are on the cloud.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's a yearly subscription for three years. It is quite expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend using SOTI MobiControl for other users.

Overall, I would rate it a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer2133219 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Manager at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
We have a return on investment from the solution because we have secure devices and discipline at work
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a scalable solution."
  • "They should improve the lockdown feature."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for its lockdown feature for our devices. So, when we give mobiles to our on-field technicians, we want only our corporate application to work on it. We don't want them to install any unauthorized software on it so as to ensure the security of the device and the data. We allow only authorized applications to run on their devices with the solution's help.

What needs improvement?

They should improve the lockdown feature. Presently, it gets revoked sometimes, and the user can do some unintended activity. Sometimes, the mobiles get stuck as well. They should work on these kinds of operational issues.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for five to seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. We have some issues, such as one of the devices might face problems once in a while. Otherwise, it is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. We have scaled up several devices and applications to it. We have 800 hundred solution users in the region under my administration. Currently, we are using the solution specifically for field devices. But, we plan to connect office devices to solutions. So, the number of devices may increase in our organization.

How was the initial setup?

It takes 25% of a person's time to deploy and maintain the solution.

What was our ROI?

There is a return on investment in the solution because we have our devices secured. Also, we have discipline in working. In addition, they address security patching as well.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We purchase the solution's yearly license. There are additional costs if you want to use extra features. For example, I have a printing license on the Microsoft platform. If I had to use printing in SOTI, it would have charged me extra cost.

What other advice do I have?

Besides the price, it is a good solution. I recommend it to others and rate it as an eight.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Mario Car - PeerSpot reviewer
Account Manager at Bidvest Mobility
Reseller
Top 10
Quick deployment and offers various features like Lockdown, application deployment, and various settings
Pros and Cons
  • "It's been very stable over the past few years."
  • "There is room for improvement in the support."

What is our primary use case?

We are not the end user. We are the service provider, so we basically manage the customer's devices using SOTI MobiControl. We deploy the applications, we also implement the lockdown, and various other features.

What is most valuable?

The lockdown, application deployment, and various settings are the most valuable for me. 

What needs improvement?

The cost could be a bit better, especially in emerging markets like South Africa.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have experience with this product.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's been very stable over the past few years but less stable since we upgraded to the newest version a few months ago. 

We recently had an issue before the new year 2024 where we couldn't deploy anything or stage devices. However, we logged a call with the sales team, which was resolved.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. 

We have all sorts of clients, small, medium, or enterprise businesses, for SOTI MobiControl.

How are customer service and support?

I don't deal with them directly, but our dedicated MDM Guardic team does.

The team did mention that initially, it took a while to get issues resolved. But recently, there's been a big improvement. Support is quite responsive now, and I get answers relatively quickly.

However, there is still room for improvement in the support. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

What about the implementation team?

From the initial setup to when the device is ready to be used, it takes a couple of minutes. It takes a couple of minutes, depending on the network's stability. We often encounter network issues.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is an expensive product. I would rate the pricing a ten out of ten, with ten being very expensive, especially in emerging markets. 

Many competitors are coming in much cheaper, making it challenging to convince clients to choose SOTI over other MDMs.

What other advice do I have?

It is a helpful tool, we'd be lost without it if we didn't have it.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Amit-Sarkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Apple Mobility Service Manager at ZONES PVT LTD
MSP
Top 5Leaderboard
A budget-friendly solution that can be used to manage all types of devices, including Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android
Pros and Cons
  • "SOTI MobiControl is the right solution for customers who want a reliable and low-cost MDM solution."
  • "SOTI MobiControl is very good for Android and Windows, but it should add a little bit on the Apple side because it doesn't have much control on the Apple side."

What is our primary use case?

SOTI MobiControl can be used to manage all types of devices, including Windows, iOS, Mac, Chromebook, and Android.

What is most valuable?

SOTI MobiControl is the right solution for customers who want a reliable and low-cost MDM solution.

What needs improvement?

SOTI MobiControl is very good for Android and Windows, but it should add a little bit on the Apple side because it doesn't have much control on the Apple side. SOTI MobiControl should have more control over the devices.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SOTI MobiControl for one month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SOTI MobiControl has good stability. The dates are really not based on the devices. It takes time to get updated after the machine update.

I rate SOTI MobiControl a six out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

You can properly scale the solution if you don't need an advanced solution.

I rate SOTI MobiControl a seven out of ten for scalability.

How are customer service and support?

The solution’s technical support is pretty good.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is a little complex, but not too much.

What about the implementation team?

The solution's configuration can be done in one hour, and verifying takes one day. To deploy SOTI MobiControl, you should have the devices and the tool. Once it is ready, you need to configure the Apple Business Manager and Identity Manager. Then, you can enroll the devices within 15 minutes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

SOTI MobiControl is a budget-friendly solution. Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for SOTI MobiControl.

What other advice do I have?

SOTI MobiControl is deployed on the cloud in our organization. Users can go for this solution if they want a budget MDM solution.

You can use SOTI MobiControl to manage all your devices in one platform, like Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android.

Overall, I rate SOTI MobiControl an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SOTI MobiControl Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SOTI MobiControl Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.