What is Geo tracking and How It Helps Smarter Asset Management

What is Geo tracking?

According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, geotracking is “a technology that gives you the ability to find the exact position of a person, vehicle, etc., by obtaining data from their smartphone or other device.” To put it simply, Geotracking is the use of technology to determine the real-time geographic location of an object, person, or vehicle. It is also known as geolocation tracking or geographic tracking.

Geotracking plays a critical role across industries, especially in logistics, transportation, field services, and IT asset management. From tracking fleet vehicles to monitoring employee devices, geo-tracking enables better operational control, improved safety, and reduced costs.

Most Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions include geotracking features. By installing an MDM solution, such as SureMDM by 42Gears, on their devices, enterprises can track their devices easily. 

How Devices Track You: The Geotracking Process

Mobile devices track your location using a combination of built-in technologies that work together to determine your position with surprising accuracy. Here's how the geotracking process works:

GPS (Global Positioning System)

The primary method for location tracking, GPS uses satellites to determine the device’s exact position. It’s highly accurate in outdoor environments and is commonly used in navigation, logistics, and device tracking within MDM platforms.

Wi-Fi Positioning

When GPS isn’t available—like indoors or in dense urban areas—devices rely on Wi-Fi networks. By identifying nearby Wi-Fi routers and comparing their signal strength and MAC addresses to a known database, a device can estimate its location.

Cell Tower Triangulation

Mobile devices can also estimate location using nearby cellular towers. This method is less precise than GPS but works well when satellite signals are weak or unavailable.

Bluetooth Beacons

In environments like retail stores, warehouses, or corporate campuses, Bluetooth beacons can provide highly accurate, short-range location tracking. These are especially useful in indoor spaces where GPS fails.

Enterprise Way of Geotracking with SureMDM

To initiate geotracking of devices using SureMDM, admins need to install the on-device SureMDM software and then enable location services on said device. Due to privacy-related regulations, most operating systems do not allow tracking device location by default. Once enabled, admins can use the Location Tracking Job to enable tracking via SureMDM. 

For more detailed steps, please check how to track the location of your mobile devices with SureMDM.

Note: Admins must ensure user consent where required.

Benefits of Using Geotracking with SureMDM

Track Employees or Vehicles in Real Time: SureMDM geotracking lets you monitor the live location of employees, field agents, or company vehicles—helping improve response times, streamline dispatching, and ensure everyone is where they need to be.

Improved Productivity and Accountability: By keeping a transparent view of field agents’ movements, businesses can reduce downtime, verify task completion in the field, and increase accountability without micromanagement.

Stronger Security with Geofencing: Create virtual perimeters around sensitive zones—such as offices, warehouses, or delivery areas—and trigger automatic actions when a device enters or exits these boundaries. Actions can include locking the device, sending alert notifications, blocking the camera to prevent photos or videos, or restricting access to certain apps.

Smart Location Reports: SureMDM provides detailed, customizable location history and movement reports. These help in auditing employee routes, validating service calls, or complying with regulatory requirements.

Easy Control Over All Devices: From a single dashboard, IT teams can track, manage, and secure every enrolled device in real time—making it easy to handle remote teams, contractors, or fleets without losing oversight.

Enhanced Lone Worker Safety: Protect employees working in remote or hazardous locations by monitoring their devices in real time and managing critical safety applications.

Robust Anti-Theft Protection: Quickly locate lost or stolen devices and take immediate action such as remotely locking or wiping data, to prevent unauthorized access.

Ensured Work-Only Usage of Devices and Vehicles: Define allowed routes and monitor asset usage to prevent personal misuse, helping reduce costs and maintain productivity.

Personal and Family Safety Monitoring: Monitor personal devices or vehicles used by family members or household staff to ensure their safety and receive timely alerts if needed.

Final Thoughts

Geotracking has revolutionized the way we manage and control company assets. It helps companies to have complete control over corporate devices. Geotracking enhances security through geofencing, improves operational efficiency by tracking fleets and assets, and supports employee safety—especially for lone workers. It also plays a key role in theft prevention, compliance, and delivering valuable historical data for audits and insurance. Overall, geotracking empowers organizations to manage mobile assets smarter and safer in today’s increasingly mobile world.

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