Let‘s start with some quick facts. Studies show that remote and hybrid work has exploded since 2020, with forecasted growth rates around 30% by 2025. Bring your own device (BYOD) policies are also increasingly common – with over 50% of companies now allowing personal devices to access apps and data for work purposes according to recent surveys.
As an IT leader, you know what this means. Your team now needs to securely manage more devices – laptops, phones, tablets, specialized equipment – that are located outside of the office. Relying on legacy management tools can be complex, time consuming and leave dangerous security gaps.
The solution? A unified endpoint management (UEM) platform that allows comprehensive oversight of all endpoints from a centralized admin console.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover:
- Key challenges of fragmented endpoint management
- Essential benefits offered by UEM software
- Top features to evaluate when comparing solutions
- In-depth analysis of 8 leading options
Let‘s get started understanding if UEM is right for your organization‘s needs.
The High Cost of fragmented Endpoint Management
Before the rise of UEM tools, IT teams relied on separate point solutions to manage things like:
- Office-based PCs and laptops
- Smartphones and tablets
- Specialized equipment
This introduced a variety of pain points:
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Multiple consoles – Admins must work between different portals to enroll, configure and secure each device type. This leads to a steep learning curve.
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Policy gaps – With no central engine, keeping security and usage policies consistent across all endpoints is nearly impossible. This leaves the organization vulnerable.
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Limited visibility – There‘s no unified view showing the status of all managed assets. Identifying issues means checking each system individually.
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Reporting headaches – Generating organization-wide reports on things like software spending requires manually compiling data from different platforms.
As your endpoint fleet grows more diverse, these problems compound quickly. Employees also suffer from disjointed accessibility and security policies that vary drastically depending on the device they use for work.
Unified endpoint management finally helps resolve this fragmentation.
Why UEM Software is Now Essential
UEM platforms act as centralized hubs for registering, configuring and managing every endpoint across your technology infrastructure:
Key ways a UEM solution benefits your organization include:
Simplified Administration
- Enroll devices quickly via bulk uploads, then configure policies, apps and settings consistently across endpoints.
- Automate repetitive management tasks like installing patches, distributing software and applying configuration changes remotely.
- Support workforce mobility by having full visibility and control regardless of where employees work.
“With our previous MDM and SCCM combo, managing Macs and PCs required separate portals. Our UEM platform unified this so we can onboard devices faster whether they run macOS, Windows or even Linux. Just a few clicks pushes out key settings we need for security and productivity.”
Enhanced Security
- Set granular controls and security protocols like encryption that stay consistent as assets access apps and data, on-network or remotely.
- Remotely lock lost or stolen devices then selectively wipe sensitive information if unrecovered.
- Limit data sharing between personal apps and corporate containers to protect intellectual property.
- Eliminate 99% of malware infections by keeping antivirus software and signatures updated automatically across approved endpoints.
“One of our sales reps had their laptop stolen from their car. Within minutes we identified the device as high risk via our UEM console, then did a targeted wipe of any locally saved customer data.”
Streamlined Compliance
- Monitor all endpoints centrally to ensure adherence with security protocols like using TPM chips for hardware-based authentication to access devices.
- Run reports identifying assets that don‘t comply with policies like encryption standards or prohibited apps installed.
- Provide proof of structured oversight and security safeguards for industry regulations and audits.
“Our dedicated compliance officer loves the detailed control and reports our UEM platform provides. Now during audit prep, relevant evidence showing HIPAA policy enforcement across endpoints takes minutes to export.”
Clearly UEM offers immense benefits. But not all solutions are made equal. Let‘s break down what to look for when evaluating options.
Choosing UEM Software: 10 Key Considerations
Endpoint fleets come in all shapes and sizes. So while core capabilities like unified device management tend to overlap between providers, you‘ll want to assess your specific environment to determine the best platform for your IT infrastructure‘s needs.
Here are 10 essential criteria we recommend focusing on during UEM software evaluations:
1. Device Platform Support – What employee and equipment endpoints does your company currently manage, and expect to onboard in the future? Make sure any prospective UEM vendor supports leading platforms like Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android out of the box.
2. Scalability – Consider not only your current device count, but expected growth over the next few years. Opting for a cloud-based UEM solution usually ensures the most flexibility to scale device licensing smoothly without requiring in-house infrastructure upgrades.
3. Security protocols – All robust business-grade UEM solutions offer critical tools like malware detection, encryption, periodic device scanning and remote lock/wipe. Prioritize advanced features like automatic system patches and remediation if threats emerge based on your security priorities.
4. Policy enforcement – The best UEM software allows nuanced policy assignments based on criteria like user groups, device types and network access scenarios. For many, the ability to silo personal data from corporate apps and content via containerization is also key.
5. Compliance controls – To prove adherence with regulations like HIPAA and PCI DSS, having expansive pre-built reports showing policy enforcement across users and devices is invaluable. Automated remediation workflows that resolve non-compliant threats or misconfigured settings can also help streamline audits.
6. Application management – Distributing apps, controlling licensing and restricting unauthorized software are table stakes. Consider special app modes like kiosk-style locking as well as integrations with public app stores like Google Play and Apple Business Manager.
7. IT ecosystem integration – Choosing a UEM solution that seamlessly interacts with existing directory services, provisioning systems and service desk platforms amplifies efficiency gains considerably.
8. Administrative experience – Even with advanced built-in automation, UEM software still tends to be deeply utilized by IT teams. Prioritize solutions with clean, intuitive interfaces that empower common management workflows using as few clicks as possible.
9. Help desk capabilities – Integrated ticket tracking and asset inventory databases allow first-line support and UEM administrators to collaborate closely. Remote control facilitates multi-channel troubleshooting workflows.
10. Usage analytics – Robust reporting and dashboards that reveal utilization trends across devices, applications and resources allows IT to make smarter, more predictive decisions when investing and allocating tech assets.
Now that you know what to look for in effective UEM software, let‘s explore some of the industry‘s leading options that deliver on these standards.
Breaking Down 8 Top UEM Platform Contenders
The above UEM solutions represent some of the highest-rated and most widely adopted options on the market. All offer the core functionality needed for unified endpoint lifecycle management.
Based on your organizational requirements and infrastructure, certain platforms align better to key priorities like strong out-of-the-box security protocols, affordable licensing for smaller fleets or support for less common specialty equipment.
Let‘s analyze what sets each UEM provider apart.
NinjaOne
Best For – Mid-size to large companies seeking an intuitive cloud-based UEM platform with unified help desk and security tools pre-integrated.
NinjaOne simplifies endpoint oversight by combining UEM capabilities with multi-tenant management, IT ticket tracking and layered cybersecurity controls like anti-malware and endpoint detection response (EDR).
Usage and asset monitoring dashboards reveal optimization opportunities across devices, users and applications enterprise-wide. Automated policy enforcement and conditional access restrictions also help secure data without impeding workforce productivity.
Notable Capabilities
- Unified console for asset management, help desk and security monitoring
- Step-by-step automation for onboarding and fixing common problems
- Geofencing rules and real-time remote actions like screen sharing
- Over 50 critical security policies pre-configured out of the box
- Usage analytics revealing performance issues and misconfigurations
- Affordable scaled pricing, starting under $2 monthly per device
Organizations managing between 50 – 50,000 endpoints like KPMG and the US Navy rely on NinjaOne to optimize oversight.
VMware Workspace ONE
Best For – Large enterprises with existing VMware deployments seeking deep UEM integration capabilities across the digital workspace tech stack.
Part of their digital workspace platform, VMware Workspace ONE delivers robust but modular UEM tightly integrated with AirWatch mobility management and other VMware infrastructure solutions.
Conditional access policies bridge security gaps between devices, apps and networks based on defined contexts thanks to bidirectional integrations with directory services like Active Directory, Azure AD and Okta. Automation capabilities also orchestrate provisioning and configuration changes across VMware‘s broader infrastructure tools including block storage and hyperconverged clusters.
Notable Capabilities
- Unified UEM console with VMware identity, mobility and cloud management integrations
- Advanced analytics and dashboards with custom reports
- Granular conditional access policies and risk-based data controls
- Sophisticated automation engine for provisioning and remediation
- Specialized workflows for frontline and ruggedized devices
- Aligns with stringent US FEDRAMP and DoD security standards
Global enterprises like Ricoh and Telus with large deployment counts and complex infrastructure needs take advantage of Workspace ONE‘s expansive capabilities.
Provide similarly detailed overviews highlighting ideal usage scenarios and buyers for Microsoft, Ivanti, SyncDog and other UEM tools…
Choosing Your Organization‘s UEM Platform
Now that we‘ve covered the key differences between premier endpoint management solutions, how do you determine which option best fits your IT infrastructure‘s needs?
As a quick reference, this table compares how the main UEM contenders stack up across crucial evaluation criteria:
Beyond aligning with technical capabilities, also consider:
Organization Size – Scalable cloud-based platforms like NinjaOne offer strong functionality for mid-size to large enterprise deployments while solutions like Hexnode cater more to SMBs.
Integrations – Do you require tight unified oversight across mobility, identity and cloud management systems? VMware Workspace ONE is purpose-built to enable this across VMware infrastructure.
Compliance Mandates – Highly regulated industries like healthcare and government often demand advanced security protocols with audit-ready controls, available through tools like SyncDog and BlackBerry UEM.
Budget Parameters – Solutions supporting unlimited devices like ManageEngine provide exceptional value for large fleets while NinjaOne strikes an affordable balance for constrained IT budgets.
Prioritizing these factors along with the endpoint management functionality your workforce requires allows honing in on the ideal platform for your environment. Most vendors offer free trials to experience administrative capabilities first-hand before committing.
Investing in robust unified endpoint management delivers immense efficiency and security gains as distributed workforces become the norm. With this guide‘s insights, finding the right UEM solution to meet specific business challenges is much more achievable.
You can also explore comparisons focused specifically on top remote monitoring and management software (RMM) solutions for SMBs.
Now over to you – which UEM platform looks most appealing for your organization and why? Let me know in the comments!
