How to Prevent Factory Reset on Android Work Devices?

Android devices are essential to businesses worldwide, from managing e-commerce delivery to helping employees work remotely. But what if an employee accidentally—or intentionally—does a factory reset on one of your company-issued Android devices?

Well, you'd end up losing all the business data stored on that device, which can be costly. Plus, your business could face compliance issues due to data loss and device misuse, leading to hefty fines or penalties.

So, how can you stop this from happening?

The answer is Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution. It’s an ideal solution that helps businesses tackle the negative impacts of unauthorized factory resets on company-owned devices.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through MDM, the risks of an Android factory reset for businesses, what's a hard reset on Android, and how MDM can help you protect your data against unauthorized hard reset.

What is a Factory Reset?

A factory reset is the process of erasing everything on an Android device—from apps and data to personal settings—leaving the device just like it was when first powered on. There are typically two ways to do a factory reset:

1. Soft Factory Reset

A soft factory reset is the easiest way to reset an Android device to factory settings using the Settings menu. It erases all user data, apps, and settings. However, it keeps the OS version and system apps intact and does not delete data stored on SD cards (unless chosen to).

2. Hard Factory Reset

A hard factory reset is done using hardware buttons or recovery mode. It is primarily used when the device is unresponsive, stuck in a boot loop, or locked due to forgotten credentials. In this kind of reset, all personal data gets erased, and the phone returns to factory settings.

How Does Factory Reset Impact Businesses?

While factory resets might sound harmless, they can become a serious issue in a business setting.

Companies often provide Android devices to employees with important apps, data, and specific configurations. If someone does a hard factory reset, all of this gets erased, leaving the device unusable until the IT team steps in to set everything up again.

More critically, after a reset, the device becomes susceptible to misuse. Without proper controls, employees or unauthorized users can use the device for personal activities, such as installing unauthorized apps, browsing non-work-related websites, or even using it as a personal phone.

By deploying the MDM solution, businesses can protect their devices from being misused, ensuring they are strictly used for professional purposes, even after resets.

Risks of Android Factory Resets for Businesses

Data Loss

An unauthorized attempt to factory reset can wipe all the files on the Android device. If employees store critical data locally without a cloud backup, businesses risk permanently losing essential information.

Security Vulnerabilities

Factory resets can remove important security apps, leaving the device exposed to threats. If an Android work device is reset after getting stolen or lost, it could be reconfigured and misused without IT being aware.

Non-compliance with Regulations

Certain industries like finance and healthcare follow strict regulations and compliances like HIPAA and GDPR that require data to be protected. An unmonitored reset could break these rules and lead to heavy fines for a business.

IT Disruptions

Every time a reset happens, the IT team has to spend hours reconfiguring the device and ensuring it meets security policies again. This wastes resources and delays business operations.

How Does MDM Prevent User Access After Hard Reset?

MDM monitors everything happening on the device, including an unauthorized attempt to factory reset using physical buttons like the power and volume keys. If someone manages to do a hard reset through a hard reset using buttons, Android’s Factory Reset Protection (FRP) jumps in.

With FRP enabled via MDM, the device will ask the user for the Google Work account credentials that are with the IT admin. In simple terms, no credentials? no access! This makes the device pretty much useless for anyone trying to use it after a hard reset.

Moreover, the IT admin will get all the details, like who tried it and when helping them investigate the situation and decide whether further actions like blocking user access or reporting a security violation against the user are needed.

Additional Features of MDM Solution

MDM solution also comes with some additional security features that drive successful factory reset protection on Android devices. These features are:

Remote Management

With MDM, admins can remotely lock or wipe a device or reconfigure it from the MDM dashboard without needing physical access to the device. Whether the device is with a remote employee or out in the field, IT teams can manage it seamlessly.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) helps IT administrators control who can manage device settings and who cannot. Only authorized personnel will have the ability to reset devices, making it harder for unauthorized users to make changes.

Compliance Monitoring

MDM solutions can ensure that every device remains compliant with corporate policies and external regulations, reducing the risk of fines or legal trouble due to unauthorized data loss.

Real-World Uses of MDM Hard Factory Reset

Stopping factory resets is crucial in industries where data security and proper device setup are non-negotiable. Here are some real-world scenarios that show why it matters:

Corporate

Many companies give their employees Android devices to help with remote and hybrid work and boost productivity. However, if an employee performs a hard reset on these devices, it can put company data at risk of being misused, which could lead to legal issues. MDM solution makes sure that only registered users can reactivate the device by requiring their login credentials or admin approval.

Education

Schools these days provide students with tablets or other Android devices that are loaded with essential learning apps and settings. If students could reset these devices, all the pre-set configurations would be wiped, causing delays and disrupting lessons. Using the MDM solution, schools can prevent the misuse of devices post-hard factory reset by students.

Logistics and Delivery

In the logistics sector, mobile devices are crucial for delivery teams to track routes and report progress, but a hard factory reset can wipe essential apps and data, disrupting operations and causing delays. Businesses need MDM solutions to automatically stop the misuse of work devices by preventing their use after a hard reset.

Healthcare

Healthcare professionals use mobile devices to access sensitive patient information and electronic health records (EHR). A MDM solution can help healthcare firms identify unauthorized factory resets that could lead to data breaches or violations of privacy laws like HIPAA and compromising patient trust.

Conclusion

Stopping hard factory resets is crucial if your business depends on Android devices. It’s not just about preventing data loss or downtime—it’s also about keeping your devices secure and compliant. With an MDM solution, you can protect work devices from an unauthorized attempt to factory reset, safeguard company data, and make device management easy for your IT team.

If your organization uses Android devices, it’s time to explore the miniOrange MDM solution. It can block both soft and hard resets, send real-time alerts, and even lock down devices. Plus, it works for both Android as well as iOS devices, keeping your business running smoothly and securely.

Interested in trying it out? Contact us at mdmsupport@xecurify.com for a free demo and see how MDM can protect your devices against unauthorized factory reset.