Stop managing devices

In the (relatively recent) old days, life was simultaneously easier and more complicated.

Easier, because there was only one technology model to manage – at least, so far as users were concerned. Everybody got pretty much the same issue of device and applications. And in the main, that meant a desktop PC, kitted out with Microsoft Office and a browser. Something a bit faster? You’ll be lucky. An oddball spec? Sorry, no configuration changes.

But life was also more complicated because patches, updates, security issues and new software releases could be problematic, time-consuming and costly. On the whole, though, centralized IT control worked, and it was possible to monitor all that was going on.

Now everything has changed.

It’s not just one model anymore. There are numerous architectures and multiple operating systems. New platforms sprout like mushrooms. There’s a lot to keep up with. Increasing demands for mobility, remote working, specialist apps, and access to sensitive corporate data all add to IT’s headaches. How can you be expected to keep track of all the various devices in use, never mind monitor and manage them?

So here’s a radical idea: Don’t try.

Or to put it another way; stop managing devices, and start managing user personas instead!

The key is desktop transformation, and one of the principal benefits is that it frees everyone from the constraints of the status quo. Business users gain unprecedented freedoms; IT professionals effortlessly achieve a manageable level of visibility and control.

With a device-agnostic approach, the focus is about access to resources – about managing the conduit to information. It’s means shifting the effort away from trying to predict every eventuality, to dealing with risk better and faster when it threatens. It’s a move that calls for a fundamental change in attitude and policy across the board.

But it’s one for which you can build a convincing business case.