Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) is often understood as the fusion of MDM (Mobile Device Management) and EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management).

This holistic IT security strategy encompassing all enterprise devices has gained in importance, especially in the last three years. Against the backdrop of the Corona pandemic and the associated rise of the home office and mobile working models such as workation, even the last companies have finally realized that endpoint management is indispensable for securing company devices, employees and data against threats.

The future of endpoint management: where is it headed?

By now, most business owners are aware of the importance of an IT security strategy. However, for a refresher, here's why a holistic security strategy is important and should be implemented today rather than tomorrow.

Endpoint management is definitely an ever-growing industry. In the U.S. alone, it's expected to see an annual growth rate of 32%. Other forecasts also predict that UEM will become even more important in Europe, as the trend towards BYOD (Bring your Own Device) and IoT solutions is also growing here, with a growth rate of 31.2% over the next five years.

Essentially, since 2019, we can see that the trend is moving towards end solutions that combine the management of all enterprise devices and their security.

Cloud-based solutions and software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers are also gaining market share. One driver for the use of UEM solutions in Europe is, of course, the implementation of the GDPR - which applies in all EU member states.

Mobile and desktop work are merging more and more

But it's not just the numbers that show an increasing relevance of endpoint management:

More and more solutions aim to be able to manage and secure Windows and macOS devices together with all Android or iOS devices as well.

The trend is clearly moving away from the pure inventory of desktop computers and laptops to a platform that can also secure these devices using policies. IT security strategies are thus becoming more seamless - because instead of many programs and measures that have to be integrated with each other, holistic UEM systems are emerging. The advantage is that the fewer interfaces there are, the fewer points of attack there are. So if your company doesn't have its own IT department or a resourceful admin, it's a good idea to opt for a large solution that averts the most common threats and have it supplemented with one or two selected other solutions.

Conclusion: 

In summary, there are many factors that play a role in the growth of UEM solutions:

- The need to implement the GDPR, and preferably in the most straightforward way possible.

- The increase in devices per employee and greater mobility

- The need for software solutions that can be used without an IT department and cover points 1 & 2.