An endpoint manageability state of the nation
Taking Stock
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This report surveyed 150 real world IT leaders in the UK, revealing their endpoint manageability struggles, plans, and priorities.
Remotely managing endpoint estates is a growing challenge for the modern workforce.
Employees and devices have become increasingly dispersed over the last two years. Some digital initiatives have been accelerated and others deprioritised, all with a focus on keeping the core business workflows secure, productive, and reliable. The ability to update, troubleshoot, and administer endpoints remotely is now a must-have for organisations wanting to remain competitive and efficient.
However, major endpoint manageability issues such as infrastructure sprawl, evolving security threats and the toll on IT workloads are all faced across most industries. Daily infrastructure management can also pull focus from broader IT priorities, ultimately detracting from an organisation’s longer-term productivity and innovation.
Organisations are getting stuck in a vicious cycle – IT personnel’s availability to prioritise wider technology management and innovation is increasingly depleted, which in turns compromises user experience and the ability to target wider business objectives. Meanwhile, the frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks continues to increase.
With remote working expected to remain the norm, user expectations centring on remote access, and the roll-out of Windows 11 an approaching priority for many, it is now more important than ever to have a firm grip on your endpoint estate.
Executive summary
24
have slightly improved remote management
%
have made advanced and reliable improvements
22
%
The availability and capacity of IT staff
Off network management
Security
BYOD
of respondents say endpoint estate management demands have increased or stayed the same
100
%
Key Findings
The greatest challenges are:
62
say their IT teams spend more time on day-to-day infrastructure management than wider technology management/ innovation
%
just 7% are extremely confident in their endpoint manageability
7
%
think it is important service management ‘shifts left’
94
%
Only 1/3 say their IT team’s capacity to fulfil business priorities is ‘good’
44
say their IT team’s current capabilities are ‘adequate’
%
19
say their IT team’s availability
is ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’
%
A Computing survey of 150 IT personnel in the UK, involved in endpoint estate strategy and implementation at their organisations, found that no respondents were able to claim the demands placed on their endpoint estate management have decreased over the last two years. 65 per cent said the demands have increased and cited greater remote working, more frequent ransomware attacks, and a general lack of resources and skills as major issues impacting this demand.
At many organisations, employees now rarely set foot on-premises and self-determine when they are at their desks. Onboarding new workers and updating existing endpoints needs to be achieved remotely and independently of devices’ power and OS states. The more users that need support and prompt security patching outside of the firewall, the greater the burden placed on IT teams.
IT capacity & control
80% of our staff are working from home or shared external spaces
COVID-19 has caused a 10-15 times increase in remote working
We have a lack of support when we need it most
The increase in remote working has greatly increased demand for better endpoint security
Only around a third say their IT teams’ capacity to fulfil business priorities is at least ‘good’, with 44 per cent saying it is ‘adequate’,
and 19 per cent ‘poor’ or ‘very poor.’ 45 per cent agree that endpoint management takes up a lot of day-to-day time and detracts from their focus on wider business objectives. This suggests organisations are being held back by IT workloads.
3%
6%
31%
44%
16%
Very poor
Very good
Good
Adequate
Current IT team’s capacity to fulfil business priorities
Endpoint management takes up a lot of day-to-day time and detracts from our focus on wider business objective
Poor
New ways of working have also seen a proliferation of devices, all of which need to be managed and visible to IT teams. Using multiple devices from multiple locations means that solutions must scale to demand. If IT teams cannot keep up with this demand, organisational productivity and efficiency is seriously hindered.
Demand is not diminishing
We have an increased use of remote devices and lack of resources to support them
All our staff are now working from remote endpoint devices which all need to be managed within a mobile device management platform
We have insufficient staff and skills internally
100 per cent of respondents recognise that the demands placed on their remote endpoint estate management either remained the same or increased over the last two years, demonstrating that having a grip on estate management is a universally experienced issue that is not diminishing. 75 per cent report that the demands on estate management have increased, highlighting that robust and innovative solutions are needed now and in the future.
Changes in the demands placed on remote endpoint estate management in the last two years
32%
43%
25%
Remained
the same
Increased greatly
Increased somewhat
0% decreased greatly, 0% decreased somewhat
Advances in digital capabilities aid business development, but they can also hinder it if IT estates, particularly security, cannot keep pace. How can organisations guarantee the business data on their employee’s personal devices will remain secure? How can they ensure this is complying with stringent regulations? How can IT teams thoroughly monitor the device in a way that doesn’t infringe on the employee’s privacy?
Less than a quarter of respondents say they had an advanced and reliable remote management technology in place before the pandemic, with just under half saying they have improved the processes involved.
Worryingly, 24 per cent say they have made only slight remote management improvements, with 3 per cent admitting they have very limited capabilities.
BYOD support clashes with endpoint security management
Widespread remote working is still making it difficult to manage and protect our endpoint estate
On average, organisations score their confidence in their current endpoint manageability processes as around 7.8 out of 10. Without robust remote management, what is falling through the cracks? And how can organisations look to the future?
Our business moved from desktops to laptops. People working from home are no longer using the corporate internet gateway
Our devices are no longer connected to corporate network on a regular basis
Replacement equipment takes too long to provide when users working from home experience device failures
The pandemic and remote endpoint management
We already had advanced and reliable remote management technology in place before the pandemic
22%
We have improved our remote management technology and processes in response to the pandemic and feel in control of our estate
49%
We have made slight remote management improvements but feel limited by our current endpoint technology
24%
We have very limited remote device management capabilities and need to make rapid improvements in this area
3%
We have very limited remote device management capabilities but don’t see this as a problem
1%
A major concern of IT leaders responsible for implementing and supporting endpoint manageability is ensuring devices are secure.
Alarmingly, 15 per cent say they were not sure if their organisation has experienced a successful cyber-attack in the last five years, with 28 per cent reporting they have.
It is widely recognised that the severity and sophistication of attacks
will continue to rise. Recent newsworthy attacks demonstrate that cybersecurity compromises can have detrimental impacts to organisational productivity, reputation, and finances. IT managers face the challenge of ensuring devices are visible, secure, and trustworthy for both authentication and management purposes. In addition to this, they must adhere to high compliance standards and regulations – particularly when outside the office firewall.
Security on the go
Since the start of COVID-19 and working from home, the frequency of attacks on endpoints has increased
There has been a huge increase in malware and ransomware
The increased use of devices on hostile networks has collected malware
We have resourcing issues for monitoring and remedying endpoint alerts
1 = not at all important, 10 = extremely important
The importance of effective endpoint management in preventing and limiting cyber security incidents
Average score = 8.5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0%
0%
1%
1%
4%
5%
28%
22%
5%
35%
90 per cent of IT leaders recognise that effective endpoint management can prevent and limit cyber security incidents.
When specifying an endpoint manageability tool or process, the most important feature, according to those surveyed, is security patch deployment. Regularly providing support for users that is accurate and efficient is vital to maintaining productivity and user satisfaction across all industries. Being able to do this remotely is the second most important factor, followed by ease of deployment. Clearly, IT leaders want reliable and rapid deployment to support their organisation’s needs and people.
Because of increased IT demands, we are missing out on customer market needs
We have difficulties updating machines with patches and new configurations
Our IT workload has increased and impacted user satisfaction
User problems have increased, and user satisfaction with IT has been impacted
Security patch deployment
48
%
Remote device support and manageability
%
43
Ease of deployment
41
%
Device health monitoring (Device compliance)
32
%
Off-domain capabilities (beyond the firewall)
26
%
Other factors in specifying endpoint manageability tools
24%
Cloud hosted tools
18%
Integration with other tools
18%
On-domain management (within the firewall)
12%
Digital experience management (User experience)
12%
Top 5 most important factors in specifying endpoint manageability tools
Scalability
Desire for remote power device management and KVM capabilities
6%
Typically, organisations’ endpoint refresh cycle is greater than three years. With this in mind, IT leaders need to take a long-term approach to evaluating and modernising their endpoint manageability to ensure their organisation is secure, compliant, and fit for purpose. In other words, they must understand what their endpoint demands are likely to be 3 years from now and cater to that today.
Almost a third of respondents refresh their endpoint estate every five years or more. Considering the security landscape is becoming more complex in terms of regulations and cyber-crime, combined with the proliferation of devices, organisations are clearly endangering their endpoint estates if they aren’t specifying devices that will meet their needs in the long term.
Refresh, rethink, resolve
The typical endpoint refresh cycle
3%
1 year
Regularly evaluating endpoint solutions will also reveal vulnerabilities and areas for improvement. Monitoring device health, and therefore device compliance, is a major factor in
this, with 51 per cent agreeing it is a key initiative for their
endpoint management.
The ability to update, troubleshoot, and otherwise administer endpoints from afar, are now must-have capabilities for over
80 per cent of IT teams.
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Visibility is a challenge – if endpoints are out of date or working in remote areas, they’re not able to connect back in and stay up to date
‘Shifting left’ on support is also valuable to 94 per cent of IT leaders – moving from reactive to proactive device management by resolving issues before they become a problem, self-remediation, and utilising the helpdesk rather than resorting to engineering teams. 77 per cent agree that reliable and scalable remote endpoint management would reduce the burden on their IT personnel.
The importance of ‘shifting left’ on support
12%
34%
19%
23%
9%
More than 5 years
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
42%
52%
5%
Largely unimportant
Very important
Somewhat important
<1%
Completely unimportant
The ability to update, troubleshoot, and otherwise administer endpoints from afar, are now must-have capabilities
Conclusion
The shift in working practices over the last two years has required rapid development of remote capabilities. The demands placed on IT teams has scaled accordingly. Organisations recognise that this pressure is not going away. They must establish new manageability processes and capabilities, strengthen compliance, reduce IT workloads, and provide seamless user experiences.
Constant maintenance and administration are crucial for protecting devices and providing secure access to networks and data. But it is time-consuming and arduous, and in many cases isn’t compatible with widespread remote working, given many organisations’ existing IT estate management tools, processes and technology.
Across the board, organisations are seeing IT workloads take their toll on the team and other lines of business. With so many users working from different locations, the need for a performant and stable device is a must to enhance the customer experience and avoid user frustration. User satisfaction suffers when problems increase and support is delayed, and productivity and innovation are hampered when IT teams are bogged down in day-to-day management. Clearly, organisations are being held back by the increasing IT burden and may be compromising their security and wider business development.
IT leaders must plan further ahead and look increasingly outwards, regularly reviewing their endpoint solutions and device refresh priorities. Moving to modern cloud base management tools is the only way to make sure endpoint estates are being maintained as efficiently and effectively as possible. Remote access that facilitates endpoint updating, troubleshooting, and administering at any time and from anywhere is a must-have. Streamlined endpoint manageability and stability is vital to remain competitive and productive.
Serious endpoint manageability challenges look set to remain after the pandemic – but the solutions are clear.
Find out more
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Executive summary
IT capacity & control
Demand is not diminishing
Security on the go
Refresh, rethink, resolve
Conclusion
Offsite device management is a major challenge for organisations across a range of industries. One of the greatest issues faced, according to Computing’s findings, is BYOD. Pre-pandemic, employees had access to their in-office desktop computer, now they expect to deliver the same workload via their personal phone, laptop, and home computer. There’s a clear mandate here for a secure and reliable mobile endpoint estate, in many cases where there wasn’t one previously.
19%
20%
3%
58%
Strongly disagree
Somewhat disagree
Neither agree or disagree
Somewhat agree
Strongly agree
1%
46%
16%
1%
36%
Strongly disagree
Somewhat disagree
Neither agree or disagree
Somewhat agree
Strongly agree
6%
6%
22%
21%
45%
Strongly
disagree
Somewhat disagree
Neither agree or disagree
Somewhat agree
Strongly agree
5%
7%
25%
36%
28%
Modern remote management is also a key feature. 48 per cent use modern management solutions such as cloud-based tools for managing their IT estate. 25 per cent are currently implementing, 16 per cent are planning to within the next two years, and 5 per cent are interested.
Respondents say the greater shift to cloud-focus and cloud tools has been a challenge for endpoint manageability, with difficulties finding the best fit for both a hybrid and fully cloud solutions. This is unsurprising considering greater at-home working and cloud workloads as a consequence. 18 per cent say cloud-hosted tools are an important factor when it comes to specifying endpoint management tools.
Reliable and scalable remote endpoint management would reduce the burden on our IT team
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About the sponsor
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Strongly disagree
Somewhat disagree
Neither agree or disagree
Somewhat agree
Strongly agree
4%
7%
31%
20%
38%
Updating and installing devices
1 = not at all important, 10 = extremely important
The importance of effective endpoint management in preventing and limiting cyber security incidents
Average score = 8.5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0%
0%
1%
1%
4%
5%
28%
5%
22%
35%
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Introduction
Key findings
Challenging landscape
People problems
The importance of capable hardware
Conclusion
Sponsor info
Only around a third say their IT teams’ capacity to fulfil business priorities is at least ‘good’, with 44 per cent saying it is ‘adequate’, and 19 per cent ‘poor’ or ‘very poor.’ 45 per cent agree that endpoint management takes up a lot of day-to-day time and detracts from their focus on wider business objectives. This suggests organisations are being held back by IT workloads.
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