There are many options for endpoint management solutions, and knowing which one is right for your organization can be confusing. The best solution depends on your organization’s environment, specific needs, and priorities. Stratix’s head of enterprise mobility management, Matt Cross, sat down with us to explain best practices in endpoint management and how to evaluate what you need. 

What is Unified Endpoint Management, and Why Do Organizations Need a Holistic Approach? 

Unified endpoint management, or UEM, is a solution that lets you control every kind of endpoint device from one place—including desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, wearables, and Internet of Things (IoT). It’s basically the control center for every device in an organization. 

As organizations have adopted new mobile technology, they’ve often used separate mobile device management (MDM) platforms. They now have a confusing tangle that’s a pain for IT teams to stay on top of, and that leads to wasted time and potential security concerns. With UEM, organizations can manage all their gadgets effectively and securely in one unified environment, which goes a long way towards reigning in technology costs and complexity. We’re talking about cost-effectiveness and ensuring every endpoint, be it a laptop or a mobile device, is secure. And then there’s the user experience angle. With UEM, organizations can smoothly integrate Single Sign-On (SSO) and manage Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs, making life easier for everyone involved. 

What Are the Biggest Challenges Organizations Face in Managing Their UEM Environment?  

Matt says in his experience, one of the key challenges is staffing. More often than not, IT departments are already spread too thin, and adding UEM into the mix only complicates things further. 

There’s a real struggle in finding individuals who possess not just the required skills and experience but also the necessary certifications. This becomes even more pronounced when you’re trying to provide 24/7 support. Staff illnesses or unexpected surges in workload can really disrupt your ability to maintain a consistent level of service. 

On top of that, there’s the financial side of things to consider. We’re talking about everything from the straightforward expenses like licenses and staff salaries to the less obvious costs involved in training and developing staff or maintaining testing environments and servers. And, as the organization continues to grow, the complexity of managing your UEM environment escalates accordingly. 

What’s Different About Managing BYOD Through UEM? 

BYOD is becoming a norm, but it brings its own set of challenges. The key is to manage it smartly. With a BYOD program properly managed through UEM, all work-related apps and data are kept in a separate “container” on the employee’s personal device. This way, if an employee leaves, you can just wipe the work container, keeping the company data secure. Then, it also requires strong authentication methods and device compliance checks to ensure that only authorized users can access company data through that device. Overall, it requires a different approach to security–you’re protecting the company data while also respecting the user’s personal space. 

Best Practices to Help Reduce the Risk of Security Breaches and Data Loss 

For managers in charge of endpoint management, it’s all about staying vigilant and proactive. Regularly reviewing and updating security protocols and educating your team and user base are crucial. Implementing security policy on endpoints themselves is only part of the battle. Making sure endpoints, applications, and the UEM environment itself are regularly patched and secured is also a big part of it. One of the most critical aspects of any security program is to have a solid response plan in place for handling security incidents. The aim is to minimize the risk of breaches and data loss, which can have serious consequences for any organization. 

What Kind of Challenges Are Introduced When Organizations Use Multiple Endpoint Management Platforms? 

Juggling multiple endpoint management solutions is like trying to herd cats. Each system has its own set of features and quirks, which makes managing them collectively quite challenging. Upgrading or moving to a single platform can seem daunting due to the complexity involved, but the benefits of having a unified system—in terms of efficiency and ease of management—usually outweigh the initial challenges. The streamlined efficiency you get in the long run is worth it. 

What Are the Benefits of a Cloud-Managed Environment? 

There are both pros and cons. The benefits include scalability, flexibility, and having access to the latest technology without a hefty upfront investment in hardware. The downsides can be the costs involved, especially for smaller organizations, and the learning curve associated with adopting a new system. For larger organizations, the lack of overall environmental control in a SaaS environment can cause issues. Organizations need to evaluate their specific needs and resources to determine if a managed cloud environment is the right fit. 

Stratix is a VMware Managed Services Provider. What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing Endpoint Management? 

Outsourcing endpoint management brings a host of benefits. It allows organizations to tap into specialized skills and expertise without the overhead associated with managing these functions in-house. It’s like having an expert team on standby, ready to handle any issue that arises, which can be particularly valuable for organizations without extensive IT resources. Additionally, it allows your IT resources to focus on ways that technology can make the business more efficient instead of managing the day-to-day endpoint management. 

What’s New and Exciting in Endpoint Management? 

Matt says he’s particularly intrigued by the integration of AI and machine learning, which is set to revolutionize how we manage and secure devices. And let’s not forget the burgeoning field of IoT – the management of these devices is becoming increasingly important, and the advancements in how we integrate and secure them within the UEM framework are genuinely groundbreaking. 

Learn More 

Interested in learning more about how Stratix and VMware can solve your endpoint management challenges? Reach out today to book a consultation. 

Stratix and VMware cloud-hosted unified endpoint management (UEM) removes the tedious burden of mobile IT management from your IT team’s to-do list, so they can focus on innovations that drive business outcomes.

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