Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2018. Read them in this 10th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Simon Townsend, EMEA Chief Technologist, Ivanti
Windows 10 Comes of Age in 2018 as IT Faces a Hybrid World
The year 2018
will see Windows 10 coming of age, moving from the planning stage for many
organizations, to actual deployment.
Organizations spent much of 2017 trying to understand the minefield of
updates, multiple deployment rings, and what Microsoft would and would not
support, and for how long. Keeping enterprises in the constant state of
migration, Microsoft also released another two versions of their "Windows as a
Service" OS.
Going into 2018
more organizations have a better understanding of how they will deploy and manage
Windows 10 and the cadence of updates. They are finding out, however, that Windows 10
knowledge is becoming even more imperative as Windows 10 machine purchases are
increasing while Windows 7 available machine stock is heading towards
non-existence. New hardware which now only supports Windows 10 is coming into
the enterprise and IT has to deal with Windows 10 migrations as part of
business as usual.
With legacy
Windows 7 machines diminishing, and more Windows 10 machines coming in, IT has
no choice but to support a hybrid world of operating system environments.
Windows 10 Migration Support
Expect to see
Microsoft directly work with more customers during 2018 to help with Windows 10
migration. Meanwhile, value added resellers and partners across the globe
are now ramping up to accommodate a larger deployment at scale in 2018. They
will be providing managed service support to assist their customers with the
planning and deployment of Windows 10. The
channel will also be offering technologies which help IT move users from 7 to
10, and from 10 onwards.
For some organizations
there will be a desire to move quickly - deploying the very latest version of
Windows 10 as early as possible. Experience to date shows, however, that organizations
need to test and pilot the latest semi-annual releases before they go broad
deployment due to incompatible 3rd party products and
applications.
The question for
2018 is: will Microsoft again change its stance on how quickly organizations
have to deploy and maintain each version? The feedback from customers is that
the 18-month support timeframe, and bi-annual release is overwhelming IT teams
in some enterprises.
Hybrid Headaches
Besides the
challenges of managing a hybrid OS environment, IT will also be contending with
an increasingly diverse approach to the desktop. 2018 won't be the year of VDI. It won't be
the year of Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) either. Sure, they may grow in usage,
but at the same time, Windows traditional desktops are making a comeback. Just face it.
It will be a hybrid world with a heterogeneous mix of desktop delivery
platforms. For sure, more Remote Desktop Session
Host (RDSH) and VDI
desktops will move to the cloud, either as primary datacenter or as backup. Ultimately, however, the focus will be on
delivering more applications and data to a desktop. Exactly how these are delivered will be a
secondary consideration.
Consolidation is an Antidote
As IT manages an
increasingly hybrid environment, another operational challenge is getting more
attention: that is the need to more
efficiently manage end user computing. We
have talked for some years how the number of devices per user has been growing,
but with an increase in applications, platforms and the sheer number of OS and
application updates, managing varying platforms using various toolsets from
multiple vendors is becoming a bottleneck and costly experience for IT.
Managing windows
desktops separately to the VDI desktops, and managing MAC's separately to
mobile devices, for example, has to evolve and become easier and more cost
effective. Organizations are now
deploying unified endpoint management toolsets that provide a means of better
managing users, regardless of the device they use. It's part of the movement toward
consolidation: we see more organizations
reducing the number of vendors and technologies they use to manage their user
estate.
This
consolidation doesn't just stop with managing end user computing either.
Service management, IT asset management, endpoint security, networking and
reporting are also areas where technology reduction needs to take place. In the security space, there are hundreds, if
not thousands, of vendors and different technologies. For every technology and
additional vendor there is another license, another console, another training
course. This places more pressure on IT management.
To remain
successful, vendors across all technology platforms need to either provide more
than just a point solution, or focus on integration, API support, and 3rd party
platform compatibility.
Endpoint Security needs a Refresh
While IT faces
hybrid and end user management challenges, we know 2018 will also be the year
of more devastating cyberattacks. Endpoint
prevention must become mandatory and it's not just the security teams who need
to listen. The user and their endpoint
is one of the weakest links and the environment that needs preventative
controls. Teams across functional areas
have to take more responsibility for security.
The responsibility of patching and application control, for example, is
shifting to Windows engineering or end user computing teams. Even those who
deploy VDI and RDSH have to step up and appreciate that security is their
responsibility too.
Patching itself
will continue to evolve. The need to
patch and continually assess both the user workspace and datacenter for known
vulnerabilities is hopefully now well understood by most and many now realize
that utilizing System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and/or only patching
Microsoft OS/Apps is no longer good enough. The patching "window" is also
reducing, and based on various recommendations and/or mandates across the globe,
organizations need to patch far quicker and look at additional layered preventative
controls.
The key to
success will be balancing user experience with the time to implement and
maintain an effective security posture. As 2018 continues, those technologies
and methods which integrate, allow self-service, and operationalize security will
be the ones that succeed. Education of users will continue to take some
IT budget too - assisting users in recognizing phishing attacks and spoof
emails is an important layer in this layered approach to prevention.
The Changing Face of IT
Hybrid
environments. Escalating endpoint
security threats. IT has a lot on its
plate. The upside is, this is the
perfect time to elevate IT's role in the organization. Digital transformation, everyone's favorite
buzz word of 2017, is a good place to start.
Organizations and IT are beginning to realize they need to work closer
together and that IT can actually help drive initiatives such as digital
transformation, not just support it. We
firmly believe digital transformation goes far beyond the latest technology. The way to get to a digital business
successfully is to focus on people, budgets and processes, not just
technology.
Executives do
play their part here. CIO's need to
self-elevate and be more aligned with the business, CSO's need to be less siloed,
and IT needs money and time assigned to innovation, and less on what the
industry refers to as Mode 1 IT, focused on stability and legacy systems
management.
To give IT time
and money to innovate will mean employing automation, AI, chatbots, self-service and other technologies to make management
more efficient. Could Windows migrations become a self-service task? Should
patching take weeks per month to complete?
Does the "support desk" really need people on the support desk?
By freeing up IT
time, and it becoming less of a support function, IT can devote more resources
to help drive the business and successfully implement new initiatives.
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About the Author
Simon Townsend is the
Chief Technologist EMEA for Ivanti and an expert in endpoint management and security.