Your DEX roadmap tool is here: The 2023 Gartner Market Guide for DEX

To empower organizations in navigating the complexities of ensuring high-quality employee experiences in the hybrid work environment, we are thrilled to announce that you can now get a complimentary copy of the 2023 Gartner® Market Guide for DEX Tools. We believe this comprehensive research, crafted by industry experts at Gartner, offers invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of digital employee experiences, addressing the challenges faced by organizations in the wake of hybrid work.

In the ever-evolving landscape of the modern workplace, digital employee experience has become a pivotal focal point for organizations worldwide. The integration of hybrid work models, where both knowledge and frontline employees seamlessly transition between remote and in-office settings, has presented both opportunities and challenges. As we embark on this transformative journey, understanding and optimizing digital employee experiences has become crucial for organizational success.

The shift toward hybrid work, although promising increased flexibility and efficiency, comes with its own set of challenges. Organizations are grappling with the need to provide a consistent and high-quality digital experience for their employees, irrespective of their physical location. The demand for secure, seamless access to digital tools that enable productivity, coupled with the effective management of digital assets, poses unique hurdles for IT leaders and decision makers.

We believe the Gartner Market Guide for DEX tools provide a roadmap for organizations to enhance employee engagement, boost productivity, and foster a positive digital work environment. Whether you’re just beginning to explore DEX strategies or are seeking advanced insights, this Market Guide can serve as a compass for your journey toward a successful hybrid work model.

Why we believe VMware^* capabilities are aligned with the recommendations in the Gartner Market Guide for DEX Tools

Let’s delve into the capabilities offered by Workspace ONE, a leading solution of digital employee experience. Workspace ONE provides a comprehensive DEX solution that delivers engaging employee experiences, measures those experiences, uses AI and ML to analyze and recommend improvements to the experience, and remediates issues directly or via self-service or remote support. Learn more about our solution here.

Basic DEX use cases

Workspace ONE addresses fundamental DEX needs for unreported issue discovery, unused software removal, support troubleshooting and root cause analysis (RCA), and more. Here are a few examples: 

1. For unreported issue discovery, Workspace ONE Insights is an AI-driven anomaly detection framework that lets admins know when an experience is out of the bounds of normal. Proactive alerts can also be set up on a number of different triggers, including a critical SaaS app outage, that can be delivered in any application of choice.
2. Unused software removal is simple for admins to set up in Workspace ONE using Freestyle Orchestrator. With low-code, no-code orchestration, admins can schedule removal of apps on devices that fit certain criteria. Workspace ONE also supports custom surveys that can be deployed to get employee feedback on application usage, with advanced analytics that allow IT to see response rates and engagement to determine usage. 
3. Support troubleshooting and RCA is important for many customers who are considering how to better scale their IT organizations with more proactive support and lower mean time to resolution (MTTR). With Workspace ONE ITSM Connector for ServiceNow, empower your IT service desk teams with Experience Management scores, device data, device timeline, access to remediation workflows, and embedded remote support when more in depth troubleshooting is required. Guided RCA is also available for customers within Workspace ONE to determine the most probable cause of complex issues, reducing manual time spent troubleshooting. 

Intermediate DEX use cases

Going beyond the basics, Workspace ONE enhances core DEX capabilities by taking DEX data and applying it to other use cases or personas within an organization. Some examples include reduction of security vulnerabilities, endpoint device sizing and lifecycle planning, and employee self-service via ITSM and chatbots. Here are a few examples of how Workspace ONE can help you with these intermediate use cases. 

1. OS and application upgrade readiness can be complex for many organizations. By taking inventory of existing device OS and application versions, available storage on devices, deployment rings for phasing upgrades, and even survey capability to check with the employee on status and performance, IT can make informed decisions about when devices are eligible for and should receive specific updates. If there is an error on the device for any reason, Freestyle Orchestrator workflows allow you to create contingency plans to keep employees productive on their device of choice. 
2. Endpoint device sizing and lifecycle planning is one way to reduce cost in an IT organization. A great example of this is how customers leverage advanced battery analytics for frontline devices like Zebra. By tracking battery refresh cycle, health, and charging, Workspace ONE can help predict when a new battery is needed, and even automate shipment to the location of choice. This ensures that mission-critical devices aren’t out of commission, and it prevents store managers from having to stockpile batteries that aren’t needed.
3. Employee self-service via ITSM portals keeps employees productive with the tools of their choice. Within Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub, the branded self-service portal allows for customized knowledge base articles, FAQs, contact information, and unified endpoint management (UEM) actions to be shared with employees for self-service of their endpoints. Now, workflows created in Workspace ONE for solving common issues can also be run directly by the employee, via new Quick Actions. Self-service is also available for ServiceNow customers using the ServiceNow employee portal, with the Workspace ONE ITSM Connector for ServiceNow.

Advanced DEX use cases

After implementing basic and intermediate use cases, customers might be ready to move to implementation of advanced DEX use cases. By setting a foundation with Workspace ONE DEX for continuous improvement of employee experience across all devices, organizations can be ready to deploy these advanced use cases that we believe align with the Gartner Market Guide for DEX. With a library of more than 300 custom sensors and scripts, ability to create your own sensor to collect custom data, extensibility with third-party services, and custom reports and widgets, this gives our customers the ability to expand the use of DEX in their organization. Reach out to your account representative to learn more. 

Embark on your journey toward optimizing digital employee experiences by downloading and delving into the Gartner Market Guide for DEX. Equip your organization with the knowledge and strategies outlined in this comprehensive report, elevate your hybrid work model to new heights, and transform your workplace into a hub of innovation, collaboration, and unparalleled digital employee experiences.

*The End-User Computing (EUC) Workspace ONE solution is included and recognized in the report under “VMware.” However, Broadcom acquired VMware as of November 23, 2023, and on December 7, 2023, expressed intent to divest EUC. Read more from Shankar Iyer, SVP & GM, End-User Computing Division, Broadcom.

Gartner, Market Guide for DEX Tools, Dan Wilson, Autumn Stanish, Stuart Downes, Tori Paulman, Tom Cipolla, 9 October 2023.

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