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Taking Stock
An endpoint manageability state of the nation
A Computing content hub, in association with Intel
Managing devices for today’s anywhere, everywhere workforce
Find out more
Developed for the IT professionals of today and tomorrow, Intel vPro is built for business. The manageability technologies allow IT to keep a highly dispersed workforce patched and protected, whilst the stability features allow for consistent rollouts and reliable lifecycle management. So, no matter where your users find their office, managing a fleet is made easier. With each component and technology designed for professional grade, IT can be confident with tools to enhance everyone’s productivity and help secure their business’ data.
How IT leaders are meeting human workforce challenges with modern technology solutions
View article
In a software-centric world, don’t lose sight of the need for secure, manageable hardware
Covid: The great reset means IT leaders must now think ahead, not just cope with an inconvenient present
Why your organisation’s human and technology cyber security challenges are inextricably linked
ARTICLES
Modern manageability
Taking charge of your increasingly remote, diverse, and numerous endpoint devices
Behind the keyboard
IT leaders reveal how they are meeting their human workforce challenges with modern technology solutions
The hardware platform in 2021
How the enterprise endpoint needs of IT leaders are changing
Power to the people
Why your endpoint device strategy should be driven by user experience
COMPUTING REPORTS
The past two years have demanded rapid digital acceleration.
However, as the market is relatively new, IT leaders will likely have many questions. Computing, in association with Intel Core Ultra and Intel vPro, brings you a series of research reports, videos, webinars, and articles, featuring the experiences and outlooks of today’s IT leaders. They will equip you with everything you need to know about endpoint manageability, hardware security, and what differentiates Intel from other AI PC vendors. Bookmark this page to ensure you – and your organisation – have access to the latest endpoint estate insight.
Users have high expectations for their devices. They expect secure, seamless, and remote access to their data, and for endpoints to be reliable and easy to use. This means IT teams require endpoint management solutions that fully support remote workers and mitigate security risks is essential. On top of this, IT leaders have important decisions to make regarding device refreshes, and must evaluate whether their current device fleet is equipped for the future, while also keeping a lid on costs. The arrival of AI PCs has also opened up new possibilities, with greater processing power and AI features unlocking new user experiences.
Is ‘Problem in Chair, Not in Computer’ a cyber security misnomer?
No PICNIC
Refresh
Is it time to modernise your endpoint buying process
Prevent & Cure
IT leaders reveal their biggest technology, people, and process ailments – and prescribe the most effective remedies
DESKFLIX: Accelerating your AI PC strategy
There is always a new challenge awaiting IT leaders as they open their laptops each day. Whether it’s a new migration or transformation project, cyber security challenges or remote working initiatives, CIOs across the country are constantly balancing workload and budget limitations with the demands placed on them by their organisations. Now AI presents enormous new opportunities and risks as its promise unfolds. This DESKFLIX episode, in association with Intel and Dell, sees Computing reveal and address the strategy, business, and technology considerations facing IT leaders today when it comes to AI PCs.
VIDEOS
Stuart Sumner, Editorial Director at Computing, speaks with New Look CTO Ed Alford about managing endpoints today
Remote endpoint management
INTERVIEW
12:37
IT leaders reveal endpoint manageability struggles
Secure your endpoint estate and shift left on support
Time-poor? Refresh and rethink endpoint management
Computing editor Tom Allen hears from interim CTIO at StepChange Joanna Smith about endpoint buying in the public and private sectors
Endpoint buying process
15:08
Computing editor Tom Allen talks to Sridhar Iyengar, managing director for Europe at ManageEngine about modernising the endpoint buying process
11:43
Endpoint Endgame
How your endpoint strategy can enable Zero Trust cyber security ambitions
Intel’s Stuart Dommett and VMWare’s Spencer Pitts discuss endpoint manageability, alongside dedicated research
Computing webinar
46:40
13:46
Computing's associate editor Penny Horwood spoke to Field Fisher's chief information officer Nigel Lang about the challenges today's IT leaders are facing
Exclusive AI PC end user research presentation from Computing Endpoint device panel discussion, including an expert from Dell Intel executive video interview
Sessions:
sponsor resources
7 Key Refresh Considerations How AI will revolutionise the computing experience Pros on vPro Support Hybrid Work
01:52
Why IT teams must plan for the future with their next end-user device refresh
Unveiling AI-level productivity Work and innovate everywhere Deloitte's AI transformation The new era of the AI PC
Partner content: How to tackle your AI PC adoption challenges
Partner content: AI PCs’ most valuable use cases
Partner content: What the AI PC means for IT leaders
Why your organisation's human and technology cyber security challenges are inextricably linked
Find out more about interconnected human and technology impacts on cyber security
FURTHER READING
Read the full report
Technology solves and creates problems, both mitigating and creating risks. It can drive productivity or hinder efficiency, defend attacks or lead to vulnerabilities. There is a human element to these issues, as the actions of those using the technology have an impact. ‘PICNIC' - problem in chair, not in computer - is often used to flippantly summarise this impact; however, it suggests that human and technology challenges are distinct. This is not the case. Humans make mistakes, we are not flawless. Cybercriminals even exploit this humanity through phishing or social engineering attacks. While investing in effective and regular security training for all employees is vital, there needs to be technology in place to minimise the effects of and possibilities for human oversights. Organisations' human and technology cyber security challenges are inextricably linked. Therefore, the cyber security strategies for both need to be linked. Computing's latest research in this area, conducted in partnership with Intel, reveals how IT leaders are addressing endpoint hardware and remote manageability in the context of their modern cyber security strategies.
Evolving cyber crime
Cyber-attacks are becoming more frequent and more sophisticated. The nature of attacks has changed in the past few years, increasingly aiming at below-the-OS levels by targeting inherent flaws within hardware, the BIOS, and firmware. GCHQ reported a doubling of ransomware attacks on UK institutions last year, while 65 per cent of survey respondents from Computing's research experienced up to 10 cyber security incidents per week. Attackers often migrate laterally through networks, seeking out and retrieving backups before they are detected. This gives the attackers maximum leverage, exfiltrating data alongside encryption, to then publish or sell data, further reducing the victim's ability to fight back. 64 per cent of respondents say they expect incidents to continue increasing, yet, the entire cohort rate their confidence in their endpoint security an average of 7 out of 10. This reveals weak endpoint security in a time of progressive cyber-attacks.
Computing research from the past two years demonstrates organisations are consistently worried about security outside the work network perimeter. A huge concern reported by IT leaders surrounds newly minted remote workers and what that means for cyber security on both a personal and conglomerate level. According to Computing's latest research in the area, the greatest enterprise security threats are phishing and malware, the former often being the vehicle for the latter. 59 per cent of respondents said phishing was their greatest cyber security challenge, followed by 55 per cent reporting malware or ransomware. Phishing weaponises our humanity - tapping into our kindnesses, curiosities, concerns, and fears. Remote working has meant isolated workers are far more vulnerable. Ordinarily, colleagues would turn to each other if they received a questionable email with a dubious link. Alone, in the home, the temptation may be to just ‘click it and see'. Being outside a corporate environment also impacts the probability of phishing success as employees have domestic distractions and, generally, a less guarded mindset within their own homes. Organisations recognise that this cannot be entirely combatted by IT expertise. Seven per cent rated inadequate cyber security as the greatest cybersecurity challenge for their business, with 13 per cent expressing a lack of cyber security expertise in their IT departments. These low numbers demonstrate that expertise is in place, but not being transferred to employees. So, what can be done? 61 per cent of respondents said they conduct security awareness training between one and three times a year. Three per cent admitted their employees had never received such training and 39 per cent said it occurred annually. However, these findings cannot reveal the extent or nature of the training. Do they offer in-person training with a chance to engage with the experts and ask questions? Is it a fixed question assessment with a minimum pass rate? Barely more than a quarter said they were completely happy with employee security training at their organisation, highlighting widespread ‘people' vulnerabilities.
Human error
No organisation can completely rely on their employees to never make security mistakes. Having below-the-OS cybersecurity capabilities for endpoint devices is crucial considering the sophistication, spread, and ruthlessness of attacks. 83 per cent agreed either somewhat or strongly that "the most effective user device security strategies combine software, hardware, and cyber risk training." Having built-in, hardware-level security on a reliable, stable platform can blend technology and supplementary training to reduce overall risks. Hardware-enhanced security features, including below-the-OS security, such as BIOS protection through to advanced threat detection, can help protect against and prevent cyber-attacks.
The importance of capable hardware
ARTICLE
Learn more about how the enterprise endpoint needs of IT leaders are changing
Having a technology infrastructure that enables enterprises to pivot at a moment's notice used to be something that business leaders heard about from analysts at cloud conferences. But in the year since lockdowns began, the pandemic has forced that need on every organisation. Indeed, it's no exaggeration to say that failure to satisfy it could have meant the complete failure of the enterprise. Those that already had a culture of remote, flexible homeworking in place were better able to get up to speed in this alarming new world, while others struggled to port traditional office-based workflows and management practices into a largely home-based environment. However, the uncomfortable truth is that the crisis should not have forced an overnight transformation on any forward-looking digital business. Remote, flexible working, mobility, cloud platforms, and collaboration tools have been the direction of travel throughout the 21st Century.
Evolution not revolution
The need to be flexible so that even long-established businesses can compete with nimble start-ups for disloyal customers - who increasingly demand low-friction services - could not have been clearer in a century in which every market has faced constant disruption. But even those organisations that had journeyed deeper than others into the flatter, more collaborative culture of remote working had to support it with hardware as the crisis intensified. Managing the crisis was as much about providing laptops, tablets, desktop computers, phones, and ancillary technologies as it was about software collaboration tools, especially when some employees were less well equipped at home than their peers. In a survey of 150 IT leaders, Computing found that mobile hardware, such as laptops and tablets, was cited by 71 percent of respondents as an essential component of surviving the crisis, along with endpoint security (mentioned by 65 percent); and Office and productivity applications (by 64 percent). This suggests that the right choice of hardware platform has been at least as important as the right cloud suite or conferencing app - and ideally should support the latter choices as a factor of design. That demands standards, manageability, trust, and security, so that the hardware itself can be the bedrock of a malleable yet robust IT infrastructure - one that can bend, but which should never break.
As well as supplying reams of new kit in many cases, most IT teams have had to support their dispersed workforces in new ways, and certainly at a much wider scale than ever before. Again, that demands standards-based hardware that has manageability at its core. In that environment, it has rapidly become apparent that organisations need a hardware estate that can function effectively long into an unpredictable future, rather than merely get the enterprise over an unexpected hump. It has also revealed that organisations need a hardware estate that is manageable remotely, while also being secure and reliable. This is why IT leaders need to regard the pandemic as having hit the reset button on their technology investments. While we all hope that the crisis is passing or may simply become a manageable seasonal problem like the flu, that is far from certain. If nothing else, we have all learned that our organisations must have the flexibility to adapt to new circumstances and bend into new shapes. Asked which of the following aspects of remote working have been particular challenges since the crisis began, some strong themes emerged in Computing's survey, alongside the familiar topic of enabling collaboration in the cloud. These included:
Remote manageability
So, to what extent would more capable endpoint hardware platforms and/or remote management functions have reduced the impact of problems? Nearly 60 percent of IT leaders either agreed or strongly agreed that they would have done. For team leaders and the workforce, hardware manageability equals power and flexibility. It also provides the ability to ensure that applications and employees can keep working uninterrupted and securely. We have to assume that many of the changes we have made to our organisations will be permanent, or at least long-term. Even if they are not, we know other crises will come along. At the heart of IT leaders' jobs today must be a realisation that adaptability is central to our working lives now. Yet, many of the changes were an acceleration of existing trends, which is why some organisations have coped much better than others. IT leaders urgently need to understand those trends, and see them as milestones on the strategic satnav, rather than a brief detour.
The endpoint hardware platform
endpoint performance endpoint stability/reliability endpoint manageability, along with security, connectivity, data/application access, and process/operational changes
These are all hardware-centric issues, especially in an environment where some staff may be using their own devices, making device management and security harder in many cases.
• • •
Since March 2020, most of us have come to rely on mobile apps, cloud suites, collaboration platforms, and video conferencing tools to do our jobs, liaise with colleagues, and talk to loved ones, family, and friends. It's no exaggeration to say that these technologies have kept many businesses afloat during the pandemic and enabled isolated people to stay connected to the outside world and essential services. We have all been able to shop, manage our finances, access life-saving information, and transact business online - assuming that we don't live in broadband ‘notspots' of poor connectivity.
Don't forget the hardware dimension
But with so much emphasis placed on software over the past year, it is easy to overlook the critical importance of the hardware we rely on to access that ever-changing set of applications, which are so often driven by fashion and peer pressure. For the enterprise, its laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones, monitors, networking tools, and ancillary hardware all demand significant financial outlay, management, interoperability, support, maintenance, and security. This makes them both strategic and operational considerations. So how do IT leaders believe that their hardware has been performing in a year that has seen widespread digital transformation during this global shift to homeworking? The surprising news, perhaps, is that more than half of respondents to a Computing survey of 150 IT leaders found their corporate hardware more flexible than they had previously thought it to be. That said, over 15 percent admitted that their platforms had proved to be less flexible and adaptable than they had imagined.
Whichever might be the case organisation by organisation, Computing found that most respondents have been forced to plan an upgrade of at least some of their hardware over the next three years, now that staff have been using sanctioned devices daily in this unexpected context. Eighty percent of organisations answered between ‘5' and ‘10' when asked, on a scale of 1 to 10, how significantly they have been obliged to look at upgrading staff hardware - with 1 being not at all and 10 very significantly. So, why is this? The Covid-19 crisis has forced many IT teams to equip remote workers with basic hardware so they can continue doing their jobs away from the office. This has certainly been the case where there was no culture in place of employees using their own devices.
Planning the upgrade path
But even well-equipped and better-funded organisations have faced hardware-centric challenges. The biggest of these has been enabling remote management and improving cybersecurity on all of those dispersed devices - thousands of them in larger organisations. Remote working at scale has made remote management and security more difficult at a time of significant stress and change, if the device itself does not support it at the hardware level. New types of threat have certainly emerged during the pandemic. Widening the perimeter of the organisation to include home offices and family routers has increased the risk to sensitive data, as has the rise in organised crime, fraud, hacking, phishing, and social engineering attacks. Robust device security needs to underpin the post-perimeter Zero Trust strategies that are essential to surviving in this new world. It can't be left to chance and/or to employees' common sense. So, what are the key hardware manageability and security must-haves? According to Computing's research, the top six are:
Managing the estate
Multi-factor authentication (cited by 68 percent of respondents) Cloud-based administration (55 percent) End-to-end encryption (52 percent) Advanced access control (46 percent) Zero Trust security (33 percent) Off-domain device management capabilities (33 percent)
In conclusion, the hardware platform of 2021 must, above all, be flexible, independent of geography, OS, and network. In other words, it must reflect the modern workforce that it equips and enables. And it should be standards-based and built for a future that is emerging fast, and which itself demands flexibility.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Yet the existing stock of laptops and tablets may have been just that, basic (or out of date) and so not up to the task of running the latest remote access systems, collaboration platforms, videoconferencing apps, VPNs, authentication tools, and/or high-speed networking. In some cases, hardware may have been running outdated operating systems or applications. Other organisations may only have had emergency standby stocks available, and so supplying a device to every member of staff may never have been considered, let alone budgeted for. In some communities, companies may also have had to invest in mobile broadband hotspots for their staff, while employees living in accommodation that was ill-suited to their jobs might have needed other forms of help.
Basic is not enough
The enormous acceleration of digital initiatives, changes in technology priorities, and rapid scrambling to maintain lines of business - all whilst attempting to maintain cyber security standards - has been the common experience of IT teams across the world over the past 18 months. Amongst this technology-focussed setting, it's easy to forget that behind every decision are distinctly human needs, motivations, benefits and downfalls. Having taken a top-level look at how the enterprise endpoint needs of IT leaders are changing in 2021, Computing has now drawn on a series of frank conversations with IT leaders to better understand the reasoning behind their own plans and opinions, as well as the human needs and implications surrounding the endpoint technology changes they are seeing. Experience management has become a vital pillar of the IT team's remit. This report brings our headline research findings in this area to life with real world case studies that speak to the everyday impacts of these figures and help IT leaders to understand how their peers' endpoint hardware platforms will support their organisations' post-pandemic visions.
Key learnings
Well-specified devices and advanced endpoint management have vital roles to play in the success of hybrid working models The user experience, and understanding workforce needs and expectations, are central to modern device strategies The influence of IT leaders is expanding to give them a seat at the table for all major digital initiatives but it is vital that they are on top of their day-to-day estate management if they are to flourish in this environment The future of work will be predominantly hybrid, combining home and office-based work, at the organisations we spoke with Hybrid meetings will play a key role in successful collaboration as we emerge from the pandemic - with an emphasis on robust meeting room hardware and unified communications software
• • • • •
The interviewees
Mark Hill, CIO at cloud talent solution firm Tenth Revolution Group Ian McKetty, CIO at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Mark Mamone, Group CIO at fraud and identity specialists GBG Group Nick Rosser, Head of IT at financial services company Saunderson House
• • • •
Learn more about Computing’s latest research into the endpoint manageability state of the nation
Remotely managing endpoint estates is a growing challenge for the modern workforce. The increase in remote working means IT leaders have more responsibility than ever and, in turn, demands are rising. However, IT teams’ capacity to fulfil digital business priorities often takes a back seat. Computing’s latest research in this area, conducted in partnership with Intel, reveals how IT leaders are coping with workloads and the proliferation of endpoint devices. 150 IT decision makers involved in endpoint strategy or implementation at their organisation were surveyed. Only a third of survey respondents say their IT team’s capability to tackle company objectives is at least ‘good’, while 44 per cent say it is ‘adequate’ and 19 per cent admit it is ‘poor’ or ‘very poor.’
IT teams are time-poor
For many, this is because IT personnel are being bogged down in day-to-day management and support, detracting from their organisation’s longer-term productivity and development. Thanks to advances in digital capabilities, BYOD and geographically spread devices are the norm, but IT teams can struggle to keep pace. Around half of survey respondents agree that endpoint management takes up too much of their IT personnel’s daily time, and that efficiency and innovation are struggling as a consequence. Endpoint manageability must be remote, secure, and seamless for users. They expect straightforward, fast access from anywhere, anytime. Employees are rarely on-site and often keep to their own schedule. Remotely patching, onboarding, and accessing their devices, independent to device power and OS states, is now essential – modern businesses will simply not maintain proper IT standards without effective endpoint management. Because of this, organisations are seeing their IT team’s availability become increasingly depleted wherever they lack effective endpoint management capabilities.
Assess and refresh
77 per cent of respondents agree that reliable and scalable remote endpoint management would reduce their personnel’s workload. Effectively monitoring and supporting endpoint estates, updating devices when appropriate, will ensure solutions have modern feature sets that meet organisational needs. According to Computing’s findings, typically endpoint refresh cycles are greater than three years and around a third of respondents refresh their estates every five years or more. In many cases, organisations are clearly failing to take a long-term approach to assessing and modernising their endpoint manageability at the point of refresh. Without such evaluation, vulnerabilities go undetected and improvement opportunities are missed. Monitoring device health and, therefore, device compliance should be a key initiative when refreshing endpoint manageability. As PC fleets expand, ensuring endpoints are up to date, performant, and secure is crucial in avoiding preventable support issues. Endpoint manageability challenges and the IT workload that comes with it are set to remain. To reduce IT burdens, lost productivity, and security vulnerabilities, ensure your endpoint estate is visible and performant through regular review and refresh. IT teams can then prioritise and focus on broader digital objectives. IT leaders must plan ahead and look outwards. Moving to modern management tools, and supporting hardware platforms, will guarantee endpoint estates are maintained as efficiently and effectively as possible. Streamlined endpoint manageability that permits remote endpoint updating, troubleshooting, and administering, whenever and wherever, is vital to remain competitive and productive.
It is widely recognised that the severity and sophistication of cyberattacks will continue to rise. IT teams face the challenge of ensuring devices are visible, secure, and trustworthy for both authentication and management purposes. Additionally, high compliance standards and regulations must be adhered to. Computing’s latest report in this space, conducted in partnership with Intel vPro, explores endpoint manageability security challenges and the state of support across a range of industries. 150 IT decision makers involved in endpoint strategy or implementation at their organisation were surveyed.
Out of sight, out of control?
Malware, resourcing issues for remedying and monitoring endpoint alerts, as well as the increased use of devices on vulnerable networks were all voiced as major issues for IT leaders. Remote devices create greater attack surfaces for cybercriminals to exploit. Off-site employees are also less vigilant when it comes to security procedures and protocols – they may be distracted at home, lend work devices to family members, and cannot immediately ask colleagues for advice. IT personnel want to provide a seamless experience for their dispersed employee devices that won’t infringe on privacy but complies with stringent requirements.
Protecting estates
Alarmingly, 15 per cent are not sure if their organisation has experienced a successful cyberattack in the last five years, while around a third report they have. Given the current security landscape, and worldwide advocations to bolster security in the wake of increasing domestic and state-sanctioned cyber attacks, organisations need endpoint estate visibility. 90 per cent of respondents recognise that effective endpoint management prevents and limits cybersecurity incidents. The most important feature for IT leaders is security patch deployment, followed by remote access. Accurate, efficient user support is critical for productivity and user satisfaction.
Support shift
‘Shifting left’ on support – moving from reactive to proactive device management by resolving issues before they become a problem, self-remediation, and utilising the helpdesk rather than contacting engineering teams, is recognised as valuable across industries. Shifting left reduces the pressure on more resource-heavy IT teams and rapidly combats incidents. This is especially important as devices proliferate. While 100 per cent of survey respondents say the demands placed on their remote endpoint estate has increased or stayed the same, just 7 per cent of respondents are extremely confident in their endpoint manageability. Organisations may be compromising on security and support if their endpoint manageability is flawed. Regular solution evaluation as well as modernising tools will guarantee estates are protected, stable, and visible.
Shifting left’ on support – moving from reactive to proactive device management by resolving issues before they become a problem, self-remediation, and utilising the helpdesk rather than contacting engineering teams, is recognised as valuable across industries. Shifting left reduces the pressure on more resource-heavy IT teams and rapidly combats incidents. This is especially important as devices proliferate. While 100 per cent of survey respondents say the demands placed on their remote endpoint estate has increased or stayed the same, just 7 per cent of respondents are extremely confident in their endpoint manageability. Organisations may be compromising on security and support if their endpoint manageability is flawed. Regular solution evaluation as well as modernising tools will guarantee estates are protected, stable, and visible.
Employees now rarely set foot on-premises and self-determine when they are at their desks. Therefore, remotely managing endpoint estates regardless of power or OS state, or location is essential to the modern workforce. Organisations must onboard new workers, update existing endpoints, and patch problems anywhere, anytime. Computing’s latest research on this subject, conducted in partnership with Intel, highlights the chief endpoint manageability concerns for IT leaders today. 150 IT decision makers involved in endpoint strategy or implementation at their organisation, from a range of industries, were surveyed. 100 per cent of survey respondents saw endpoint estate management demands increase or stay the same over the last two years. However, less than a quarter say they had an advanced, reliable remote management technology in place pre-pandemic, and under half say they have improved their processes.
Distance difficulties
Computing survey respondents voiced the challenges:
New ways of working have meant a proliferation of devices. IT teams have to keep up with the demands, and for many, issues have occurred. A selection of responses that reflect the most common sentiments follows.
“All our staff are now working from remote endpoint devices which must be managed within a mobile device platform.” “People working from home are no longer using the corporate internet gateway. Workers are not regularly connecting to the network, creating difficulties with updating patches and new configurations.” “Bandwidth restrictions and usage of remote devices has been an issue.” “The increased usage of multiple devices from home caused performance issues on endpoint infrastructure.” “Endpoints being out of date and working in remote areas are not able to connect back in and receive updates. Visibility is a real problem.”
“We had to accelerate our plans and rapidly roll out additional devices. Time was a challenge and demand for better endpoint security greatly increased.” “We have a lack of resources to support the increase in remote devices. There’s insufficient staff, knowledge, and skills internally.” “There are issues with the availability of IT staff to monitor status of endpoints and their capacity to respond to alerts.” “Physical control of assets, off network management, and overall visibility are major challenges.”
Skills shortages
Advances in digital capabilities have supported the seismic shift to remote working, but digital acceleration of this kind has placed greater responsibility on IT teams, creating workload and skills problems.
“BYOD is difficult. There are human errors and clashes between BYOD support and endpoint security management. User awareness, education, and errors are a challenge.” “It’s difficult to get end users to accept policies, procedures, and tools now they are remote.”
People problems
As users become increasingly dispersed, it becomes more difficult for IT teams to provide support. Making sure users are remaining vigilant and aware is also tricky.
Across the board, endpoint manageability struggles are taking their toll. Only 7 per cent of respondents are extremely confident in their current endpoint processes. As devices become increasingly dispersed, they must be secure, stable, and efficient. In order to manage estates as efficiently and effectively as possible, IT leaders should review and refresh management solutions, modernising their approach and keeping pace with the demands of today and tomorrow.
AI PCs have emerged at a crucial time for device refreshes. Devices purchased at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic now over four years old, and this has coincided with the end of support for Windows 10. As such, many IT leaders are likely making important decisions about the types of devices to add to their fleet. The first AI PCs started shipping last year, so it is still a relatively new market, but they have already garnered a considerable level of interest from IT leaders and a flurry of new releases from hardware vendors and OEMs. While many are optimistic that AI PCs will be truly disruptive for the PC market, with some predicting that AI PCs could be rolled out as standard in the future, some hesitation and uncertainty from IT leaders is to be expected. To understand more about potential roadblocks to AI PC adoption, Computing surveyed over 100 endpoint estate decision makers to discern their plans, priorities and needs in this area.
Hurdles to adoption
When asked for the biggest barrier to AI PC adoption, 50 per cent of respondents selected upfront cost. In the current economic climate, procurement decisions face scrutiny from many different stakeholders, and kitting out employees with pricier devices is no different. A lack of understanding around the benefits, and challenges building a business case also ranked highly, chosen by 35 and 34 per cent respectively. This indicates that there is an information need among IT leaders, who may require more guidance or resources on how their organisation will benefit before making the leap. The immaturity of the AI application ecosystem was chosen by 34 per cent, indicating that some respondents may be waiting for the market to mature or for new applications to be released before investing. This signals a degree of uncertainty among IT leaders. They appear concerned about spending money on AI PCs without a clear idea of the use cases and business outcomes for their organisation. However there is an acknowledgement that while the benefits of AI PCs may not be felt instantly, they will likely emerge soon. Computing asked respondents whether the benefits of AI PCs will outweigh the higher costs within their next refresh cycle, and 31 per cent agreed. This suggests an awareness of how the long-term benefits AI PCs, such as greater efficiency and innovation, can outweigh the upfront cost.
A proactive approach
Rather than being swept up in the hype that currently surrounds AI PCs, organisations must have a clear strategy for how they will fit into their device refresh cycle. They must evaluate the types of devices that will be most beneficial, identify use cases, understand how they will fit within their existing IT infrastructure, how they will handle the transition to local processing, and, importantly, how they will measure success. With any digital transformation project, starting small is usually the answer. Organisations should evaluate which departments will benefit most from AI PCs and identify key use cases, before rolling them out more widely where appropriate. This was echoed by Louise Quennell, Senior Director Client Solutions Group UK at Dell Technologies during Computing’s latest DESKFLIX episode: “Implement [AI PCs] among a specific set of users in a pilot. You need to demonstrate value to your organisation. How is this going to work for me? How do I monetise it? What's my return before scaling it up? “Gradually integrate AI capabilities into existing systems. Get the feedback, work the systems, work it through, and gain the results. Make the tweaks and adapt your plans gradually.” As was demonstrated by survey respondents’ concern about a lack of understanding of benefits of AI PCs, organisations may lack the internal skills to fully embrace the technology. Collaborating with third parties and appointing internal champions is key to ensuring access to the necessary resources to make informed decisions about AI PC adoption and ensure that once the technology is rolled out, it is being used to its full potential. “A big one is enhancing your understanding by collaborating,” said Louise Quennell. “We’ve been working with our customers to look at what this means for them? Where are people on their journey? How does this work? How do they utilise it? How do they deploy it? We've been raising a community of peers and partners to share knowledge and help with implementation. “I think the other big learning for us is getting an internal champion to educate and support goals. There’s still a fear factor and people don't know what they don't know. So we need to explore, get a champion, build that community, and build that peer group in those different organisations.” In order to keep pace with the fast-moving developments in AI and new ways of working this will herald, organisation must be proactive. While it may be tempting to wait and see how the market progresses before committing to a widespread rollout, IT leaders must act now to understand how AI PCs fit into their long-term device strategy, or risk missing out on business and commercial benefits.
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Visit our dedicated content hub, in association with Intel and Dell, to discover our latest DESKFLIX episode. By learning from peers and industry experts alike, these sessions, alongside supporting content and research, equip technology leaders to build their AI PC strategy with confidence.
Sponsor information: The Intel advantage
®
Computing’s recent AI PC coverage has explored the state of the market, current plans, and sentiments around hardware. However, for end user organisations, use cases will be the most pressing consideration. The practical application of AI PC’s NPUs will ultimately determine the business case and ROI that CIOs must always deliver. With that in mind, Computing’s latest research on the topic asked IT leaders which business departments could benefit from the provision of AI PCs. Unsurprisingly, IT and technology teams ranked highest, thanks to their existing skills and technical use cases – or, indeed, specialist AI functions. Beyond this, customer services, marketing, and design or creative departments were seen as the most fertile soil. The former of these is often associated with the efficiencies of conversational AI or chat bots, while marketing and creative teams are best placed to leverage GenAI’s ability to convincingly and rapidly render images, text and other mediums – thereby making existing processes more efficient. Drilling down further still into specific use cases we asked those surveyed which applications could most effectively draw on the local AI processing muscle offered AI PCs. We’ve distilled their open text responses into a representative selection of examples:
Empowering employees
Confirming our findings so far around use cases and suitable applications, when asked to rate AI PC features in terms of how beneficial they would be to their organisations, those surveyed were most optimistic about accelerated workflows and greater productivity. This received an average score of 6.9 out of 10, with 45 per cent rating it an eight or higher. Yet, the most noteworthy finding was perhaps ‘improved employee experience’, ranked second. It runs counter to traditional arguments against AI, around it usurping human-led tasks. The pervasive sentiment, according to this research, is more one of augmentation – AI PCs are geared towards allowing their users to become more productive, creative and innovative. Wrapped around all this is the potential for greater security. With local hardware-level AI processing being able to lend its hand to the sorts of security monitoring and analysis that were previously impossible. There are also security benefits to running AI tasks locally, instead of offloading them to the cloud – minimising the attack surface and exposure to public networks.
What can AI PCs do today?
Having explored end user expectations and hopes around AI PC use cases, here are just a few example applications available today:
• Microsoft 365 • Email & meeting summaries • Software development • Business intelligence and advanced analytics • Drafting HR letters & onboarding • Customer communications • Marketing applications • Security monitoring • Product design & digital twins • ERP & finance
Applications that would benefit most from AI PCs
Identity and access management: NPUs are already enabling optimised Windows Hello processing for facial recognition login. Enhanced collaboration: Intel AI PCs can use built-in noise suppression to enhance video calls, without draining your battery. Boosted productivity: AI PCs draw on their NPUs to save time organising your calendar, drafting emails, and even summarising documents or meeting notes. Real-time AI-enhanced camera features: Laptops like Dell’s Latitude 9420 use AI-powered webcams for auto-framing, auto-background blur, and lighting enhancements during video calls. Several video-conferencing solutions offer similar features that also leverage NPUs. Real-time malware detection: Windows Defender uses AI-powered threat detection and, through NPUs, the system can run these AI models locally for real-time threat analysis without relying on cloud-based services. Battery life optimisation: Intel Evo-certified laptops use AI to manage power consumption efficiently by dynamically adjusting and optimising performance.
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There is always a new challenge awaiting IT leaders as they open their laptops each day. Whether it’s a new migration or transformation project, cyber security challenges or remote working initiatives, CIOs across the country are constantly balancing workload and budget limitations with the demands placed on them by their organisations. Now AI presents enormous new opportunities and risks as its promise unfolds. Separating the noise and horizon gazing from the genuine business value, here and now, is trickier than ever when it comes to AI. One area where the potential benefits are most immediate and widespread is AI PCs. Thanks to their integrated neural processing units (NPUs) and rapidly developing Microsoft Copilot and application features, they promise to put real world business advantages in the hands of entire enterprise workforces. Computing’s latest research reveals and addresses the strategy, business, and technology considerations facing IT leaders today when it comes to AI PCs. The key takeaways are clear. End user organisations recognise the importance of AI PCs for their near and longer-term device strategy, and there is tacit acknowledgement that, when typical device refresh cycles are three to five years long, the device deployment decisions we make today have implications throughout that lifecycle. A degree of foresight and forward planning is required for this new but hugely promising market.
A growing market
Even though the AI PC market is still emerging, it is surprisingly mature given how long such products have been available. This reflects a sizable appetite amongst IT leaders, and a concerted effort on the part of vendors and channel partners to promote the value of these new devices. Computing’s research found that 28 per cent of organisations are either actively implementing an AI PC rollout or reviewing them as part their device refresh plans. Almost a third of organisations anticipate that within two years all new devices deployed will be AI PCs by default – a resounding endorsement of the category becoming ubiquitous. However, this is likely partly due to the expectation that hardware vendor offerings will be predominantly AI PCs in the longer term. Either way, the onus is on IT leaders to grasp the value for their organisations and identify use cases for AI acceleration on local devices.
Helping Copilot to take off
While the AI features of Microsoft Copilot are not currently dependent on the device being an AI PC, current adoption rates of Copilot indicate the market’s appetite for AI capabilities employed across entire workforces. It also speaks to the importance of such AI features being well integrated into existing workflows and software ecosystems, whether that’s Microsoft 365 or any number of business-critical creative, productivity, and collaboration tools. Forty-one per cent of organisations are already using Copilot for day-to-day functions, with 1-in-10 of those surveyed doing so across their entire workforce. A further 35 per cent are either testing its use or planning a rollout. Just 14 per cent have no interest in Copilot at all. Short of their businesses having very specific reasons for neglecting the potential benefits of Copilot, it seems unwise to not keep at least one eye on its promising evolution. Beyond Copilot, Microsoft stand to benefit from the AI PC market when it comes to their OS ambitions. Around a third of those surveyed agreed that the adoption of AI PCs and Copilot will incentivise the migration to Windows 11 at their organisation.
A long-term view
There is huge promise within the emerging AI PC market. However, IT leaders are as wary as they are excited by the promise of AI. It heralds uncertainty in its challenges as well as its benefits – and uncertainty doesn’t encourage investment. For those vendors, channel providers and end user buyers who successfully navigate this, there are substantial business-wide gains to be had. Putting AI into the hands of entire workforces promises scalable benefits as part of our regular refresh cycles. This is the low-hanging fruit of this new AI era. Almost three-quarters of respondents agree that, “The core value and payback in AI PCs will be over the next few years, rather than at launch." In other words, the return will be within the next refresh cycle. This means IT leaders, and channel partners alike, must get on top of their AI PC strategies today, or risk missing out on the business and commercial benefits of what will surely be one of the fastest growing markets in the enterprise hardware space.
