Digital Thinking: 2024 – IT Focuses on High-Value Work with Streamlined Endpoint Management

This blog is part of an (end) point of view series on the digital workspace from IGEL’s Office of the CTO.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce lists digital literacy and data literacy as among the top 10 in-demand job skills over the next 10 years, with IT growth estimated at 0.6% growth. What that tells you is hiring will be flat and enterprises will be making exceedingly careful, strategic hires. They will be looking to continue cost efficiencies, further automate more routine processes and dedicate IT time to AI functionality, improving CX experience and moving ahead on their cloud journey. In this environment, looking ahead to 2024, enterprises will want endpoint management to require minimal IT time, as IT focuses on cloud computing, AI, application development and other value-added tasks.

In EMEA 2024 looks to be similar with enterprises wanting to find efficiencies in IT budgets and further liberate IT from day-to-day processes like endpoint management. None of this is surprising to IGEL. We live and breathe virtualization and endpoint management every day and deliver an endpoint platform that enables IT to quickly and easily control, manage and secure remote endpoints. At the heart of our platform is IGEL OS which has been and will continue to be the solution to a streamlined, secure, efficient way to deliver data to our hybrid workforce generation.

“Mobilizing” the Desktop

In the hybrid work environment, 2024 will be a great time to evolve the concept of the desktop to thinking of it as more like a mobile device – regardless of what you’re using and where you are, you can have access to the data and applications you need, much of which is delivered from the cloud.  When you’re in an airport lounge using your mobile device to do some work, you’re not normally engaging IT.  This flexible, independent way to work – the ideal digital experience – is how we should be thinking in 2024 and beyond, and especially for our desktops.

How do we ‘mobilize’ our desktops? Well, it’s not just about buying laptops. First and foremost is separating the device and OS from the applications and placing as many applications as possible in the cloud, either via DaaS or moving them to SaaS. This move enables a secure environment, where applications and data are no longer on the device – meaning the enterprise is less prone to risk. Whether you use an iOS or Android, you can easily retrieve your applications – no handholding from IT necessary. Desktops must mirror this, acting as mobile endpoints and requiring little IT support due to having an endpoint management platform that enables approved users to get what they need, when they need it. Part of this environment is a stellar threat defense with user access control through policy enforcement, multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on, all requiring minimal IT time.

Another aspect of endpoint freedom is, that by separating OS from applications, security patching, backend updates, and other updates can be done automatically in the cloud, saving considerable IT time and costs.

Freeing IT from the Endpoint

Besides automated updates and patching, IT staff needs an endpoint management system that is organized, unified, and does not add needless complexity. In IGEL’s case we have been providing our management platform – the latest release being UMS 12 – upgraded and user friendly, enabling IT to deliver secure workspaces and access to applications, wherever they are, on any endpoint device.

As 2024 fast approaches, we at IGEL are committed to helping enterprises make the best use of their valued IT teams, moving the focus from the traditional desktop, to a more mobile like, cloud driven endpoint and providing the tools to spend less time on endpoint management and more on CX and business value.

Contact us and let’s see how we can help you benefit from the best endpoint solutions-in 2024.