Mark Bowker, on Dec 16, 2022
VDI and DaaS are primed to displace traditional desktops, as the benefits of hosted desktops for both IT and the business come into focus. Over the next 12 to 24 months, organizations plan to decrease their use of traditional desktops, while use of VDI and DaaS, by contrast, shows no signs of decreasing, suggesting that hosted desktops are becoming the approach of choice for IT decision makers.
Mark Bowker, on Dec 16, 2022
In the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns, virtually all organizations made significant improvements to their end-user computing (EUC) environments, primarily by investing in existing solutions or by supplementing their historical solutions with new products. Now is not the time to let up. While the top EUC challenges businesses face today are the same ones they grappled with pre-pandemic (e.g., supporting remote and hybrid work, security, and identity access management), workplace locations and policies have changed. IT decision makers must rise to the challenge of a fluid and evolving workplace and implement EUC technologies that shape the future of work.
Mark Bowker, on Dec 16, 2022
Most end-user computing strategies are carried out amid a complex mix of legacy systems and newer technologies. Organizations must balance their top priority (security) with the challenges IT faces in managing security for the growing array of endpoint devices preferred by employees. Cloud consumption models and newer security approaches hold promise for simplifying those responsibilities, cutting costs, and improving flexibility and service.
The quality and flexibility of endpoint hardware is now seen as the critical driver of unified communications and collaboration strategies. While networking requirements also play a major role, no factor influences the UCC employee and customer experience more than hardware. Organizations should keep end-user computing environments and endpoint hardware in the forefront of their UCC planning while seeking cost and labor savings from cloud delivery models.
Mark Bowker, on Dec 16, 2022
Endpoint devices, with their growing capabilities and variety, are increasingly driving end-user computing strategies and have now overtaken operating systems and applications as the determining factor in EUC delivery models. While traditional desktop and laptop systems remain important, IT departments are investigating the viability of smartphones to serve as a single device for users, perhaps backed by cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure. The potential support, security, and cost advantages from consolidating multiple end-user devices on one platform are significant. However, this isn't the first time device consolidation has come up. Today's device management and security strategies have evolved, as have the demands on digital workspaces, but is the landscape different enough to give it another shot?
Mark Bowker, on Dec 16, 2022
To support the rise in remote work triggered by COVID-19 work-from-home mandates, most IT organizations (91%) maintain multiple meeting and collaboration platforms. Employee response to the number and variety of the unified communications and collaboration (UCC) platforms provided has been exceptionally positive, with 90% of survey respondents highly satisfied with their meeting and collaboration software. The challenge for EUC professionals is maintaining momentum. Employee experience vis-à-vis UCC technology has become a top EUC priority for businesses, second only to improving IT efficiency and on par with managing security risks. With hybrid work likely to remain the norm, even as employees return to offices, continued investment in UCC solutions will be needed to preserve the current high levels of employee satisfaction.
End-users are increasingly relying on web browsers as their primary access to corporate applications and data. The most commonly used web browsers are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Apple Safari. Due to advances in technology, security, and internet speeds, browsers can provide several advantages in a corporate environment compared to PC and mobile operating systems. Yet browser security remains a major issue among IT professionals charged with managing security patches, updates, and policies as part of an overall end-user computing (EUC) strategy. As businesses accelerate the adoption of applications accessed through web browsers, and IT continues to improve support and security for multiple browsers, enterprises may one day treat browsers as the de facto operating system in a corporate environment.
The significant performance and bandwidth advantages of 5G cellular networks have numerous implications for businesses as well as consumers. 5G has the potential to deliver reliable connections for hybrid work and collaboration strategies while enabling augmented reality and other multimedia applications to run on a wider range of endpoints and locations. To realize these opportunities, IT leaders should consider 5G integral to their network infrastructure plans and strategies.
Mark Bowker, on May 17, 2022
Environmental sustainability, already a priority of executives in many organizations, has infiltrated IT purchasing to such a degree that it has become the most important buying consideration for endpoint devices. In response, IT leaders are learning to become sustainability advocates, which in turn is driving changes in how vendors position and prioritize features of their devices.
Mark Bowker, on Feb 16, 2022
ESG conducted a comprehensive online survey of IT professionals from private- and public-sector organizations in North America (United States and Canada) between November 29, 2021 and December 2, 2021. To qualify for this survey, respondents were required to be IT professionals responsible for evaluating, purchasing, and managing end-user computing environments.
This Complete Survey Results presentation focuses on end-user computing (EUC) environments, including EUC delivery models, endpoint device usage trends, and how unified communication and collaboration (UCC) platforms are being integrated into digital workspace strategies.
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