Unlock the Full Potential of Your Organization with Unified Endpoint Management
Beyond Security,
What Else UEM Can Do
When we talk about endpoint management, the first things that come to mind are security, application deployment, and patching, but UEM does that and so much more.
When we think about traditional endpoint management, the first things that come to mind are usually security, asset administration, and the automation of traditional IT tasks like pushing out patches and other updates.
But modern unified endpoint management can do so much more. For one, it's a comprehensive tool that can help you improve the ways people work across the entire organization.
"UEM gives us a unique opportunity to move beyond just managing a thing and allows us to manage the entirety of an experience for a person," explained Christopher Reed, Director of Technology Strategy at Omnissa.
Ensuring a good experience across all devices significantly improves productivity and helps with employee retention. Comprehensive UEM is also a prescription for streamlining workflows, creating potential cost savings, and gaining significant strategic advantages.
As endpoint management has evolved, it's had many acronyms. It began with "MAM" (mobile application management) and then became "MDM" (mobile device management) and later "EMM" (enterprise mobility management) as the capabilities improved. Modern UEM has the ability to centralize management across all endpoints, including desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, printers, IoT devices, and more.
Instead of dealing with disparate management systems for different devices and platforms, IT administrators can leverage a single console to oversee the entire endpoint ecosystem. This centralized approach simplifies deployment, configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting—saving time and freeing up resources. "We can also take a more 360-degree view of the user," said Steve DeJarnett, Director of Omnissa Security Solutions and Analytics. "You're ensuring not only that you've got well-managed devices but assessing if users are having a good experience on those devices." The goal is delivering "consumer-simple" experiences across all your technology because that reduces friction and increases productivity.
At its heart, UEM helps streamline IT workflows and creates work and service delivery consistency. You're using the same tools and processes regardless of platform.
"Not doing Windows one way, Mac a different way, iOS a third way, and Android a fourth way," DeJarnett explained. "You're also bringing together the security and employee experience teams that are now not just other groups in your organization; they're now your stakeholders and your partners as you try to deliver a seamless, secure, high-quality end-user experience." Breaking down those silos in the overall organization helps it be more agile and strategic.
In an era where cyber threats are rampant, a holistic approach to security that encompasses all endpoints means users are more protected.
When deployed correctly, UEM provides that protection while staying out of the user's way. For example, leveraging single sign-on, UEM can create a consistent experience across all devices and applications, so the user doesn't have to remember multiple passwords and negotiate different multi-factor authentication methods.
UEM also enables universal self-service delivery frameworks for the applications users need for their jobs. "The same sort of thought process it takes to open up an app store, get an app, do something with it, is the exact same thing you now do at work," Reed explained.
It is simpler, and IT managers can create automation rules that automatically give new users certain resource access rights based on their role, group, and company policies. If anything goes wrong, you get support right away because help desk technicians can see which application is misbehaving and why.
"You don't manage devices because you don't have anything else to do. You manage devices because you want to provide secure access to your applications and data, and really, you want to enable the productivity of your employees," said DeJarnett. "You want them to be able to get their jobs done easily and efficiently so they can do better—so they enjoy working at your company more because it's so easy to use the technology."
A good example of how UEM can improve the user experience is in the area of "bring your own device" or BYOD. Using their own computer or mobile device is popular with many employees, but it can be a security and management headache for IT teams. Stratix recently worked on a better way for a large utility company where we solved the security challenge and provided a fantastic experience for employees.
We developed a containerized solution using WorkSpace ONE that puts two completely separate personas on employees' devices. Unlike clunkier methods offered by other providers, moving between the two personas is as simple as pushing a button on the home screen. All work apps and files stay in one container, and everything personal stays in the other. Things like personal photos can't be accessed from the work side, and none of the apps on the personal side can access work data. "Having the right security to ensure that they are protected from their organization as a user and the organization is protected from the user's environment and that they can work in harmony. That's really important," Reed offered.
If the phone is lost or stolen—or an employee leaves the company—everything in the work container can be remotely wiped without touching any personal information. There's even a button that completely mutes any work-related notifications if an employee is on vacation and needs to unplug.
Visibility of your entire technology environment with UEM enables proactivity that solves problems before they happen. For example, a version of an application may be buggy, but you can quickly see that and roll back updates. "Can you correlate it back to an OS version, a particular type of hardware, or an application?" said DeJarnett. "Being able to identify those nascent but emerging issues can help you stop them from spreading, can help you stop the problem before it becomes a big widespread issue."
Artificial intelligence in a platform like Workspace ONE constantly analyzes data about device and application performance along with user experience. It quickly flags issues. "What is the fly in my soup? I need to know that," said Reed. "One of the greatest applications I've seen of artificial intelligence is being able to take that data, analyze it with an engine, and then be able to deliver directly back to those responsible and say, 'Look, there's the fly in your soup. That's what is making things bad.'"
Not only does data identify issues, but it shows you what's going well. "It helps you uncover new insights about what's happening in your environment and bringing that context together. Bringing data in from multiple sources gives you a richer, fuller picture of what's happening," said DeJarnett.
Podcast Episode #59: Beyond Security, What Else UEM Can Do
Because a holistic UEM strategy brings together all your technology platforms and the corresponding teams responsible for them, you can find new opportunities for scale, potential savings, and increased efficiency—and that affects the entire organization. You enable proactive planning, management, support, and forecasting of future needs. For example, the data might show that one technology solution significantly outperforms another, so you implement it across other divisions to reap the benefits.
UEM offers scalability and flexibility to accommodate growth. Whether deploying new devices, onboarding remote employees, or integrating emerging technologies, UEM provides the agility to adapt and scale operations accordingly.
When implementing a UEM solution, the place to start is understanding your goals. "What outcomes are you after? Let us communicate in that framework, and then we'll help you drive those outcomes," said Reed. The key is recognizing that endpoint management has become an important strategic tool that goes far beyond security and IT workflow automation. Getting it right can give you significant competitive advantages.
Want to talk more about what UEM can do for your organization? Our experts understand your industry’s challenges and solutions. Speak to one today for a free consultation.
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About Stratix
Wherever your organization is in its mobile-first journey, you don't have to go it alone. Stratix has led from the front on mobility for four decades. We can help you design and deliver end-to-end mobile technology solutions that make your organization's mobility convenient, easy, and cost-effective. We execute deployments at scale and with precision so they work in the hands of your end users out of the box. Once devices are in service, we provide ongoing world-class managed services and visibility tools that ensure nonstop mobility throughout their lifecycle. For additional information, visit www.stratixcorp.com
About Omnissa
Companies and IT departments are struggling to manage a growing array of devices, apps, and systems to support flexible workstyles, leading to siloed workspace solutions and heightened security risks.
We see an incredible opportunity to use technology to make digital work better for everyone.
Omnissa, a former VMware business, is the only company completely focused on the betterment of the digital workspace experience for both IT teams and employees.
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