Top Five Things to Know about Modern Management

Many organizations are transitioning to modern management, also known as unified endpoint management (UEM), because of the simplicity it provides IT in managing devices. Our Global Engineering Team — as well as Gartner and other research companies — found VMware's Workspace ONE to be the best UEM solution for transforming the digital workspace. In fact, our internal IT department was so impressed with its capabilities that they adopted the platform to support our global employee base at WWT. 

Using Workspace ONE, both as an end user and a solutions architect helping organizations move to modern management, I've experienced firsthand the array of benefits it has to offer. When I saw that VMware recently interviewed a VP of IT and a solutions architect about their journeys to modern management (available to download below), I was curious how their perspectives would compare to mine. 

Each started their journey in a vastly different environment. The VP's organization didn't have an existing endpoint management system in place, making it a somewhat smooth and quick transition to a modern management platform. On the other hand, the solutions architect's organization — with more than 20,000 employees — was using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). This required workloads to gradually move to modern management, making for a longer process.

Both leaders agreed the switch to modern management was worth it, touching on benefits like out-of-the-box deployment, simplified management and compliance, and auditing capabilities. While those are certainly important, I believe modern management is game changing in so many ways.

Here are my five most important things to know about moving to modern management, specifically Workspace ONE:

1. If you haven't already, consider migrating to Windows 10 before making the move. While Windows 10 is not required for modern management, it is strongly recommended. We can help organizations quickly and seamlessly transition to Windows 10.
2. Consolidate endpoint device management tools. IT organizations are having to do more with fewer employees and tools. Moving to a modern management platform is a great way to collapse multiple toolsets into a single pane of glass for managing all devices.
3. Manage any device. Company-owned. BYOD. PCs. Macs. Mobile. Internet of Things (IoT). Rugged. All can be managed in Workspace ONE for a holistic view of an organization's device landscape.
4. Gain remote management capabilities. IT can remote screenshare to provide service support, deploy applications and more — without users being on the network or VPN.
5. Improve security posture with compliance reporting. Again, no matter where the device is located — on or off the network — Workspace ONE can report on patching compliance. Automated access policies can be created based on report results. For example, if a device has not reported in, it can be marked as non-compliant and blocked from the network until it becomes compliant.

While these are all great benefits of transitioning to modern management, keep in mind it's a journey. For large organizations faced with migrating workloads, it's common for full implementation to be a two- to three-year process. Regardless, every organization should continuously evolve their use of Workspace ONE over time, as it provides a wealth of valuable data and insights for IT to leverage.

There is a lot to understand if you're considering a move to modern management — and firsthand insight into another organization's journey is a great place to start.