Modernize and Transform Your End-User Computing Strategy

Support the workforce of the future.

EXECUTIVE BRIEF

Analyst Perspective

Focus beyond the device

It’s easy to think that if we give end users nice devices, then they will be more engaged and they will be happy with IT. If only it were that easy.

Info-Tech Research Group has surveyed over 119,000 people through its CIO Business Vision diagnostic. The results show that a good device is necessary but not enough for high satisfaction with IT. Once a user has a decent device, the other aspects of the user’s experience has a higher impact on their satisfaction with IT.

After all, if a person is trying to run apps designed in the 1990s, if they are struggling to access resources through an underperforming VPN connection, or if they can’t get help when their devices and apps aren’t working, then it doesn’t matter that you gave them a state-of-the-art MacBook or Microsoft Surface.

As you build out your end-user computing strategy to reflect the new reality of today’s workforce, ensure you focus on shifting user support left, modernizing apps to support how users need to work, and ensuring that your network and collaboration tools can support the increased demands. End-user computing teams need to focus beyond the device.

Ken Weston, ITIL MP, PMP, Cert.APM, SMC

Research Director, Infrastructure and Operations Info-Tech Research Group

Mahmoud Ramin, PhD

Senior Research Analyst, Infrastructure and Operations Info-Tech Research Group

Executive Summary

Your Challenge

IT needs to answer these questions:

• What types of computing devices, provisioning models, and operating systems (OSes) should be offered to end users?
• How will IT support devices?
• What are the policies and governance surrounding how devices are used?
• What actions are we taking and when?
• How do end-user devices support larger corporate priorities and strategies?

Your answers need to balance choice, risk, and cost.

Common Obstacles

Management paradigms have shifted:

• OSes, device management, and IT asset management (ITAM) practices have changed.
• Users expect full capabilities on any personal device.
• Virtual desktops are switching to the cloud.
• Low-code/no-code platforms allow the business to manage their own apps or comanage with IT.
• Work-from-anywhere is the default.
• Users have higher customer service expectations.

Take end-user computing beyond the OS.

Info-Tech's Approach

This blueprint will help you:

• Identify desired benefits that align to IT and corporate priorities and strategies.
• Perform a persona analysis.
• Define a vision for end-user computing.
• Define the standard device and app offerings.
• Improve the supporting services surrounding devices.
• Develop a roadmap for implementing your strategy.

A good device is necessary for satisfaction with IT but it’s not enough.

If a user has a prestigious tablet but the apps aren’t built well, they can’t get support on it, or they can’t connect to the internet, then that device is useless. Focus on supportability, use cases, connection, policy – and device.

Your challenge

This blueprint will help you build a strategy that answers these questions:

• What types of computing devices should be offered to end users?
• What provisioning models will be used?
• What operating systems are supported?
• How will IT support devices?
• What are the policies and governance surrounding how devices are used?
• What actions are we taking and when?
• How do end-user devices support larger corporate priorities and strategies?

Definition: End-User Computing (EUC)

End-user computing (EUC) is the domain of information and technology that deals with the devices used by workers to do their jobs. EUC has five focus areas: devices, user support, use cases, policy & governance, and fitness for use.

A good end-user computing strategy will effectively balance:

User Choice

Cost

Risk

The right balance will be unique for every organization.

Strike the right balance

The discussion is larger than desktop support

If IT is an influencer, then you get to drive this conversation. If IT is not an influencer, then you need to support whatever option the business wants.

Good devices are necessary for overall IT satisfaction

BUT

Good devices are not enough for high satisfaction

A bad device can ruin a person’s satisfaction with IT

Info-Tech’s CIO Business Vision has shown that when someone is dissatisfied with their device, their satisfaction with IT overall is only 40.92% on average.

When a person is satisfied with their device, their average satisfaction increases by approximately 30 percentage points to 70.22%. (Info-Tech Research Group, CIO Business Vision, 2021; N=119,383)

Improvements in the service desk, business apps, networks and communication infrastructure, and IT policy all have a higher impact on increasing satisfaction.

For every one-point increase in satisfaction in those areas, respondents’ overall satisfaction with IT increased by the respective percentage of a point. (Info-Tech Research Group, CIO Business Vision, 2021; N=119,409)

End-User Paradigms Have Shifted

Take end-user computing beyond the device

Operating System - OS

Only Windows

• More choices than ever before

Endpoint Management System - UEM

Group Policy & Client Management

• Modern & Unified Endpoint Management

Personal Devices - BYOD

Limited to email on phones

• Full capabilities on any device

IT Asset Management - ITAM

Hands-on with images

• Zero-touch with provisioning packages

Virtual Desktops - DaaS

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure in the Data Center

• Desktop-as-a-Service in the cloud

Business-Managed Apps - BMA

Performed by IT

• Performed by the Business and IT

Work-From-Anywhere - WFA

Rare

• Default

Customer Satisfaction - C Sat

Phone calls and transactional interactions

• Self-serve & managing entire experience

Don’t limit your focus to only Windows and Macs

Android is the OS with the largest market share

Users and IT have more choices than ever before

Operating System - OS

Only Windows

• More choices than ever before

Microsoft is still the dominant player in end-user computing, but Windows has only a fraction of the share it once had.

IT needs to revisit their device management practices. Modern management tools such as unified endpoint management (UEM) tools are better suited than traditional client management tools (CMT) for a cross-platform world.

IT must also revisit their application portfolios. Are business apps supported on Android and iOS or are they only supported on Windows? Is there an opportunity to offer more options to end users? Are end users already running apps and handling sensitive data on Android and iOS through software-as-a-service and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) capabilities in Office 365 and Google apps?

OS market share is partly driven by the digital divide

If someone must choose between a smartphone and a computer, they go with a smartphone

IT can’t expect everyone to be fluent on Windows and Mac, have a computer at home, or even have home broadband.

Of US adults aged 18-29:

• 96% have a smartphone (the rest have cellphones).
• Only 70% of US adults aged 18-29 have a home broadband connection.

Further, only 59% of US adults making less than $30,000/year have a laptop or desktop. (“Mobile Technology” and “Digital Divide,” Pew Research, 2021.)

Globally, people are likelier to have a cell subscription than they are to have access to broadband.

Embrace new device management paradigms

Endpoint Management System - UEM

Group Policy & Client Management

• Modern & Unified Endpoint Management

Evaluate enterprise mobility management and unified endpoint management to better support a remote-first, cross-platform reality.

Client Management Tool (CMT)

CMTs such as Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr, aka SCCM) can be used to distribute apps, apply patches, and enforce group policy.

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)

EMM tools allow you to manage multiple device platforms through mobile device management (MDM) protocols. These tools enforce security settings, allow you to push apps to managed devices, and monitor patch compliance through reporting.

EMM tools often support mobile application management (MAM) and mobile content management (MCM). Most EMM tools can manage devices running Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android, although there are exceptions.

Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)

UEM solutions combine CMT and EMM for better control of remote computers running Windows or Macs. Examples include:

• Windows devices comanaged by Intune and ConfigMgr.
• Mac devices managed by Jamf Pro.
• Mac devices comanaged by Jamf Pro and Intune.

Most UEM tools can manage devices running Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android, allowing IT to manage all end-user devices from a unified tool set (although there are exceptions).

Mobile Application Management (MAM)

MAM provides the ability to package an app with security settings, distribute app updates, and enforce app updates. Some capabilities do not require apps to be enrolled in an EMM or UEM solution.

Mobile Content Management (MCM)

MCM tools distribute files to remote devices. Many MCM solutions allow for security settings to be applied, such as encrypting the files or prohibiting data from leaving the secure container. Examples include OneDrive, Box, and Citrix ShareFile.

Adopt modern management with EMM and UEM – better toolsets for today’s state of EUC

Sacrifice your Group Policy Objects to better manage Windows computers

IT asset management practices are shifting

IT Asset Management - ITAM

Hands-on with images

• Zero-touch with provisioning packages

Supply chain issues are making computers longer to procure, meaning users are waiting longer for computers (Cision, 2021). The resulting silicon chip shortage is expected to last until at least 2023 (Light Reading, 2021).

IT departments are delaying purchases, delaying refreshes, and/or purchasing more to reserve devices before they need them.

Remote work has increased by 159% over the past 12 years (NorthOne, 2021). New hires and existing users can’t always go into the office to get a new computer.

IT departments are paying vendors to hold onto computers and then drop-ship them directly to the end user. The devices are provisioned using zero touch (e.g. Autopilot, Apple Device Manager, or another tool). Since zero-touch provisioning tools do not support images, teams have had to switch to provisioning packages.

The pandemic saw an increase in spending on virtual desktops

Virtual desktops offered powerful tools for supporting remote devices and personal computers without compromising sensitive data

Virtual Desktops - DaaS

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure in the Data Center

• Desktop-as-a-Service in the cloud

The pandemic helped cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

Citrix saw subscription revenue increase 71% year over year in 2020 (Citrix 2020 Annual Report, p. 4). VMware saw subscription and SaaS revenue increase 38% from January 2020 to 2021 – while on-premises licensing revenue decreased by 5% (VMware Annual Report 2021, p. 40).

IT no longer needs to manage the underlying infrastructure

Microsoft and AWS are offering desktops as a service (i.e. cloud-based virtual desktops). IT needs to manage only the device, not the underlying virtual desktop infrastructure. This is in addition to Citrix’s and VMware’s cloud offerings, where IT doesn’t need to manage the underlying infrastructure that supports VDI.

Visit the blueprint Implement Desktop Virtualization and Transition to Everything as a Service to get started.

Work-from-anywhere (WFA) is now the default

COVID-19 forced this shift

Work-From-Anywhere - WFA

Rare

• Default

Be prepared to support a hybrid workforce, where people are sometimes working remotely and sometimes working in the office.

• Device provisioning and deployment need to be rethought. In-person deployment is not always possible. IT should evaluate tools such as zero-touch provisioning.
• Service desks need better monitoring and management tools. End-user experience management (EUEM) can allow you to better identify where network issues are occurring – in your data center, at the user’s house, in the cloud, or somewhere in between. Remote control tools can then allow your tier 1 to remediate issues on the user’s device.
• Apps and devices need to be usable from anywhere. Environments that rely on desktops and on-premises apps need to be rearchitected for a remote-first workforce.
• Users are living inside video conferencing tools. With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are about 145 million daily users of Microsoft Teams, almost twice the number of users in 2020 (MUO, 2021). Ensure they have the training and expertise to effectively use these tools.

“More technical troubleshooting due to users working from home a lot more. It can be more difficult to talk users through fixes when they are off site if you cannot remotely assist so more emphasis on the communication skill which was already important.” (Service Desk Institute, 2021)

Visit the Hybrid Workplace Research Center to better support a hybrid workforce.

BYOD fully includes personal computers

It’s no longer about whether IT will allow BYOD

Stop pretending BYOD doesn’t happen

Personal Devices - BYOD

Limited to email on phones

• Full capabilities on any device

• BYOD (including BYOPC) is turned on by default. SaaS tools like Office 365 are built to be used on multiple devices, including multiple computers. Further, the pandemic saw 47% of organizations significantly increase their use of BYOD (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021; N=271).
• BYOD can boost productivity. When employees can use smartphones for work, they report that it increases their productivity by 34 percent (Samsung Insights, 2016).
• BYOD is hard to support, so most organizations don’t. Only 22% of organizations provide full support for mobile devices, while 20% provide no support, 25% provide ad hoc support, and 26% provide limited support (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021). If smartphones and tablets are heavily ingrained in business processes, then migrating to BYOD can overload the service desk.
• Securely enable employees. Mobile application management (MAM), mobile content management (MCM), and Office 365 have gotten smarter at protecting corporate data.

Action Item: Identify how IT can provide more support to personally owned computers, tablets, and smartphones.

58% of working Americans say their work devices are “awful to work on." (PCMag, 2021)

But only 22% of organizations provide full support to BYOD. (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021)

IT must either provide better devices or start fully supporting users on personal PCs.

Build governance practices for low-code development platforms

Managing 1,000 different apps built out on low-code business process management platforms is hard, but it’s not nearly as hard as managing 1,000 unique SaaS apps or access databases

Business-Managed Apps - BMA

Performed by IT

• Performed by the Business and IT

Pros - Opportunities

• Offers DIY to users
• Business can build them quickly
• IT has central visibility
• IT can focus on the platform

Cons - Threats

• Sensitive data can get exposed
• Users may have issues with continuity and backup
• Responding to platform changes will be potentially challenging
• Support may be difficult after the app creator leaves

Action Item: Build a governance framework that describes the roles and responsibilities involved in business-owned apps. Identify the user’s role and end-user computing’s role in supporting low-code apps.

Visit the blueprint Embrace Business-Managed Apps to learn how to build a governance framework for low-code development platforms.

Visit the Low-Code Business Process Management SoftwareReviews category to compare different platforms.

Update your customer service practices

End users expect self-service and help from tier 1

Re-evaluate how you support both corporate-issued and personal-owned computers and mobile devices

Customer Satisfaction - C Sat

Phone calls and transactional interactions

• Self-serve & managing entire experience

Microsoft’s 2019 “Global State of Customer Service” report shows that people have high expectations:

• 31% of people expect call agents to have a “deep understanding of the caller’s relationship with the company”
• 11% expect self-service capabilities

End users have the same expectations of IT, the service desk, and end-user computing teams:

• Users expect any IT person with whom they are talking to have a deep understanding of their devices, apps, open tickets, and closed tickets.
• Users expect tier 1 to be able to resolve their incidents and requests without escalating to tier 2 or tier 3 end-user computing specialists.

Most Important Aspects of Customer Service

Resolving issue in one interaction - 35%

Knowledgeable agent - 31%

Finding information myself - 11%

Not repeating information - 20%

(Microsoft, 2019)

Desktop engineering needs to shift left

Revisit what work can only be done by tier 2 and tier 3 teams

Shifting left involves shifting resolution of incidents and service requests down from more costly resources to the first line of support and to end users themselves through self-service options

• Tier 1 needs up-to-date information on the end users’ devices and open tickets.
• Users should be able to request apps and download those apps through a self-service portal, a software catalog, or an app store.
• Tier 1 needs to be empowered to remote wipe devices, see troubleshooting and diagnostics information, and resolve incidents without needing to escalate.

Action Item: Apply shift-left enablement to train tier 1 agents on troubleshooting more incidents and fulfilling more service requests. Build top-notch self-service capabilities for end users.

Work with your service desk on the blueprint Optimize the Service Desk with a Shift-Left Strategy.

Windows 11 is coming

Prepare to make the jump

The sooner you start, the easier the migration will be

• Begin planning hardware refreshes. Old computers that do not have a TPM 2.0 chip are not currently supported on Windows 11 (“Enable TPM 2.0,” Microsoft, 2021). If you have old computers that will not support the jump to Windows 11– especially given the supply chain disruptions and silicon chip shortages – it is time to consider computer upgrades.
• The end of Windows 10 is coming. Windows 10’s retirement date is currently October 14, 2025 (“Windows 10 Home and Pro,” Microsoft, 2021). If you want to continue running Windows 10 on older computers beyond that time, you will need to pay for extended support or risk those computers being more easily breached.
• Begin testing your apps internally. Run Windows 11 within IT and test whether your apps will work on Windows 11.
• Pilot Windows 11 with IT-friendlies. Find users that are excited for Windows 11 and will not mind a bit of short-term pain.
• What is your risk appetite? Risk-averse organizations will want to wait until Microsoft, DISA, and/or Center for Internet Security have published security configuration best practices.

Info-Tech’s approach

Master the ever-expanding puzzle of end-user computing

User Group Analysis

Supported Devices and Apps

Fitness for Use

Device Support

The Info-Tech difference:

1. Balance user choice, risk mitigation, and cost optimization. The right balance will be unique for every organization.
2. Standardize the nonstandard. Anticipate your users’ needs by having power options and prestigious options ready to offer.
3. Consider multiple personas when building your standards, training, and migrations. Early Adopters, Late Adopters, VIP Users, Road Warriors, and Hoarders – these five personas will exist in one form or another throughout your user groups.