Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract (Aligned With CompTIA A+ 220-1201 Official Study Guide)
Mobile Device Management (MDM) is the technology used by organizations to centrally configure, secure, and control mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) objectives specify that MDM solutions allow administrators to implement and enforce security and usage policies, including:
Application control (whitelisting and blacklisting)
Restricting installation of unapproved applications
Enforcing corporate compliance requirements
Remotely managing mobile device configurations
This directly applies to the scenario: the company wants to prevent users from installing unapproved apps on corporate tablets.
MDM enforces this through:
App whitelisting → only approved apps can be installed
App blacklisting → specific apps are blocked
Locked-down app stores → only corporate-approved app stores or catalogs
This is exactly the function MDM is designed for in enterprise mobile security and management.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect
B. ACL (Access Control List)
ACLs control network or file-system access, such as allowing or denying IP addresses, ports, or file permissions.
They cannot control app installation behavior on mobile devices.
C. DRM (Digital Rights Management)
DRM protects digital content from unauthorized copying or distribution.
It does not restrict which applications can be installed on a mobile device.
D. PAM (Privileged Access Management)
PAM controls administrative or privileged accounts in enterprise environments.
It is unrelated to app-installation restrictions on tablets.