Standard Operating Environment—what everyone chased after for more than a decade, where the name of the game was standardization to reduce costs. It was the best solution when everyone had the same PC, same monitor, a small set of mega app suites and the same network. Mobile changed everything!
Two huge innovations—Windows 10 and enterprise mobility management (EMM)—are going to completely redefine the very nature of enterprise computing and how we manage this vibrant, often chaotic ecosystem. As a result, unified endpoint management is finally our new EUC reality.
What Is Unified Endpoint Management?
Modern unified endpoint management, or UEM, is the convergence of modern IT architecture across all endpoints and the shedding of antiquated management technologies. UEM leverages modern EMM-like technologies for the desktop with the emergence of Windows 10. It means getting rid of silos between desktop and mobile to build a platform that enables unified management of desktops and mobile. This unified platform can also extend to other devices, including rugged, Internet of Things (IoT) and more!
With the Windows 10 anniversary update, the time has come for every enterprise to look at UEM now.
[Related: Sumit Dhawan Discusses the Digital Workspace Impact]
The Intersection of Endpoint Management & Security
Last year, PwC found that information security budgets increased by 24%, yet the number of security incidents rose by 38%. When a system requires you to pay more for less, that system is broken. It’s broken because the organizational structure has not evolved from the silos of 2010.
“Security” is often built outside the EUC framework—as an add-on or afterthought to the core strategy. And with the current threat matrix, it’s the totally wrong approach.
Traditionally, IT separated management and security into separate pillars. In essence, management includes image management, app management, profiles/policies, patches, etc. And security includes anti-virus, threat detection and response, encryption, etc. But, do we need that separation going forward? Is management without security sufficient anymore?
EMM changed the model and removed the lines between management and security. With EMM, there is no delineation between management and security: you manage to secure the information and you securely manage the endpoints with one integrated architecture.
Here is how I depict the difference between traditional and modern worlds of management and security:
Redefining Endpoint Management & Security
The worlds of endpoint security and endpoint management are converging. It is no longer enough to simply manage a device and protect the network; technologies are too advanced and threats to complex for traditional methods to succeed. To reach that apex of balancing threat protection and enabling maximum end-user productivity, IT must rethink and realign its approach to EUC.
UEM & Windows 10
Windows 10 is the catalyst the EUC industry has been waiting for, fueling the transition from standard to dynamic operating environments. I cannot emphasize this enough: Windows 10 has changed everything.
By offering a single OS for both Windows mobile devices and traditional PCs, Windows 10 is a game-changer. IT admins can now manage all Windows devices—mobile and PCs—from a single console. No more silos, no more redundant resources: just a singular focus on delivering value through a purpose-built EUC architecture.
We do that with VMware AirWatch, our solution for UEM and the industry’s leading platform covering the most endpoints via the modern EMM stack. Now, AirWatch can manage not just your mobile endpoints, but also Windows 10 and MacOS desktops, alongside rugged and IoT devices.
VMware Workspace ONE integrates this unified endpoint management from AirWatch and delivers an identify-defined workspace. This new platform delivers a next-generation experience that our customers can offer to their end users—regardless of devices, networks and apps. This is a one-of-a-kind solution in the market. So, your standard 0perating environment can now simply be our Workspace ONE app or a browser pointed to Workspace ONE that securely delivers all apps on any device consistently.
With this new modern UEM model, your next-generation architecture is no longer delivering a managed image with several security technologies on top. Instead, you are leveraging the modern technologies for:
- Creating a workspace for the users: any app, any device.
- Secure the app/data on the endpoint: containerization.
- Secure the endpoint: personal or corporate owned mobile, desktop and rugged.
- Safeguard the data: Conditional access policies and controls.
- Protect the network: micro-segmentation from the device.
As you think about your next-generation architecture, here is what I recommend:
- Establish trust at the user level: Identity management with adaptive access
- Secure the endpoint: Device trust authentication
- Containerize the app: Identity-defined app catalog
- Safeguard the data: Conditional access policies and controls
- Protect the network: Micro-segmentation with NSX
I want to help every business achieve this next phase of enterprise computing: the convergence of UEM and security. Please reach out to me directly at @sumit_dhawan to share your thoughts or ask questions. Or in the comments below, share your thoughts and insights into how EUC is changing within your business.
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