Only 4 of 12 MDMs host data in India; 7 manage iPhone, Windows and Android
What the 12 MDM and UEM products in TechBag's guide cover, what they cost and where they keep data, counted from records verified in August 2026.
Of the 12 mobile device management products TechBag tracks, all 12 manage Apple devices, 7 also manage Windows and Android, and only 4 hold device data in an Indian region, as of September 2026.1 The 2021 version of this piece walked through what an MDM does. That part has not changed. What has changed is that every serious product now does it, so the decision an Indian IT team faces is narrower and more useful: which operating systems, which ownership model, and which country.
01The lifecycle is common; the coverage is not
Every product on the list runs the same five-step loop the original described. A device is enrolled, by QR code, link or, for company-bought hardware, zero-touch through Apple, Google or Microsoft. It is configured with Wi-Fi, VPN, email and the approved apps. Its inventory is collected. A security policy is enforced: passcode, encryption, restrictions, and remote lock or wipe when it is lost. And it is serviced, with updates pushed and problems fixed remotely. Where products part company is the operating systems they handle well and the device modes they support.
Every MDM manages Apple; fewer than two in three manage Windows too, and only 4 of 12 keep the data in India
Number of the 12 MDM and UEM products in TechBag's guide with each capability, verified August 2026
Source: TechBag UEM & MDM decision guide, product records · as of September 2026 · TechBag count; a capability counts only where the vendor's documentation confirms it
02What it costs, and whether you already own it
Seven of the 12 carry a published price in the guide; the other 5 are quote-only. At the low end, ManageEngine Endpoint Central Professional is US$795 a year per 50 endpoints on-premises, about US$1.33 a device a month, and free up to 25 computers and 25 mobile devices; Hexnode Pro is US$2.20 a device a month on annual billing; Scalefusion Essentials is about US$2. Apple-only depth is quoted: Jamf publishes no list price for Jamf Pro.1 2 Microsoft Intune Plan 1 lists at US$8 a user a month, but it is included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Premium and EMS.3
03If you are buying it in India
Most of these products list in US dollars, and TechBag quotes them in rupees with 18 per cent GST. An MDM inventory of employee-owned phones holds personal data, from location to installed apps, so the DPDP Rules, notified on 13 November 2025 with the safeguard and breach-intimation duties in force from 13 May 2027, apply to it; enrol personal phones with a work profile, which keeps the employer out of the personal side.4 CERT-In’s Directions of 28 April 2022 require ICT logs to be kept for 180 days within Indian jurisdiction, which is where the 4 Indian-region products earn their place.5
Sources
- TechBag, UEM & MDM decision guide: 12 product records with OS, BYOD, kiosk, declarative-management, free-tier, India-region and price tags — verified 20 to 22 August 2026
- Hexnode, UEM pricing page: Pro US$2.20 a device a month — undated page
- TechBag, Microsoft Intune intel page: included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Premium and EMS; Plan 1 from US$8 a user a month — undated page
- Legismith Partners, DPDP Rules 2025 commencement timeline — Rules notified 13 November 2025
- CERT-In, Directions under section 70B(6) of the IT Act, 2000 (180-day logs within Indian jurisdiction; six-hour reporting) — 28 April 2022
Related on TechBag: the UEM & MDM decision guide narrows the 12 products to a shortlist of three by operating system, ownership and residency.
Disclosure. TechBag is a software reseller: it earns a margin when a reader buys through it, including from vendors named here. The analysis is TechBag’s own; no vendor paid for or saw this piece before publication. Facts are labelled reported, TechBag count or our view.
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