Emerging Tech: What is Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
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Loading... - Dario Guaman
- 27 Jul 2022
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It can sometimes seem that technology is evolving and developing at breakneck speed. Every week seems to bring something new, whether it is totally innovative or an improvement on existing tech. As a result, you could be forgiven for often feeling overwhelmed by the tsunami of new terms, words, and acronyms you have to deal with.
For staff on the ground, they need to manage the various devices within their organization. That can include devices used by the various departments and teams that operate within your organization. For example, outbound contact centers may utilize multiple devices to carry out daily work. One process that can help with that is called unified endpoint management. But, just what is unified endpoint management, and how does it actually help?
What is unified endpoint management?
Unified endpoint management (UEM) is a type of software application that allows you to manage all devices (or a chosen range of devices) that are utilized by your organization. Your company likely uses multiple enterprise-level devices and applications, and UEM allows you to manage these efficiently.
Of course, managing devices and applications at the enterprise level is nothing new. UEM is the new generation of device management software, and previous to that, you had EMM (enterprise mobility management) and MDM (mobile device management). These were all developed to meet business needs as the use of mobile devices increased and the many new SaaS, cloud-based, and mobile apps being used by businesses.
Where UEM takes a step forward is that there is an expansion in the amount and type of devices and applications it can manage. That includes PCs (Windows and macOS), wearable devices, and IoT (internet of things) devices. UEM can now also manage identity and access functionality.
Further to that, if you use UEM, you can also manage a range of security features and configurations that may be embedded in client apps and on devices that may not be owned or managed by your company.
If you choose to switch to UEM, you will have to formulate a UEM strategy that includes some major decisions such as how you will approach the delivery of applications, if and how you will support different types of devices, how you will deal with devices that are owned by employees (including privacy issues), network access, managing identities, and what the experience of your employees will be.
How Did UEM Evolve?
As with many software applications, the question is not just what is unified endpoint management, but also how did it evolve? You will be used to seeing different versions of software as the developers make improvements and add features. UEM is another step forward in enterprise-level management of devices and tools.
It is often the case that the development of one product creates the need for another, and so it was with UEM and its predecessors. As smartphones became more popular within the business world, products were developed to integrate them into your business networks and systems. Probably the first were enterprise email clients and MAM (mobile app management) tools such as Nitrodesk Touchdown.
You would have then seen MDM tools with Android 2.2 and iOS 4 (both themselves evolutions of earlier versions) that had APIs (application programming interfaces) that allowed for remote management via an MDM server.
In the early stages of management tools, MDM tended to be separate from other client management tools, which mainly worked on the management of PC devices. The next stage of evolution saw MDM and MAM into one unified platform, becoming known as EMM products. These products allowed a business to manage devices using MDM protocols and APIs.
Then we come to UEM, the next and inevitable stage of evolution. UEM came about as people combined EMM with existing client management tools. This wasn’t necessarily a linear evolution, as several approaches were used. In some cases, client management tools added support for mobile devices by utilizing MDM protocols. In other cases, organizations linked EMM platforms with their client management platforms, allowing visibility and management of both.
In tandem with these developments, desktop OS started including the ability of remote management with their own MDM protocols and APIs. This then allowed UEM to include desktops in the range of devices supported. That was then followed by a cascade effect as more MDM options were added to expand the types of devices supported and then to add more client management aspects. Read More...
