Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2024. Read them in this 16th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
What's in Store for End-User Remote Office Computing
By Karen Gondoly, CEO, Leostream
The conversation of "work from home" finalized its shift
over the course of 2023, as the enterprise mindset changed from "hybrid" or
"remote" to that of "modern." Many organizations mandated a return to the
office, but even those realized that a modern workplace balances in-office time
with out-of-office efficiencies. Thankfully, we have come out the other end to
realize these new normals are the modernizations that keep society and the
workplace moving forward.
A good deal of predictions for 2024 will likely focus on AI,
but let's think outside of the box for what else may be in store for end-user
computing.
2024 Predictions for End-User Computing
1. Let's start with AI
Everyone is considering how they will leverage AI in their
workplace or everyday life, and people are talking about the policies around
that use. For 2024, organizations will clarify how their employees access
AI with an eye on isolation. Tools that allow organizations to isolate
corporate data and PII, as well as control and monitor which users can access
generative AI tools, will see an uptick and end-user computing will take on a
life as end-user AI.
2. Everyone gets a GPU
Somewhat related, and already a trend, more and more
segments of the end-user computing clientele will demand GPUs, stressing
capacity in public clouds, increasing prices, and leading to longer lead times
for hardware. For end-user computing, that means potentially focusing on
display protocols that can leverage and optimize GPU usage. But, giving
everyone a GPU and a high-performance display protocol is pricey, and seeing
what solution rises to the top remains a mystery that perhaps 2024 will solve.
3. EUC for ESG
Organizations are increasing taking a hard look at how they
are investing and solving the three biggest concepts in the workplace today:
diversity, technology, and sustainability. Taken together, these are the
environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals of an organization and many
concepts of EUC fit right in. This is not a new concept, as evidence by a blog
from December 2022, but with a wider range of options such as Microsoft 365
and Amazon WorkSpaces Core, now is an even better time to deploy EUC to satisfy
strategic ESG goals.
4. Service Providers see a win
Going back to last year's prediction about shrinking IT
teams, last year's problem poses a real opportunity for individuals and
companies who provide services to assist their clientele with deploying an EUC
environment. The market is ready for additional solutions that solve specific
problems as well as for services that help smaller
organizations and IT teams leverage and optimize their environments,", and
I expect to see novel solutions that target the topics in my first three
predictions.
5. We'll stop talking about VDI (I hope!)
I've been in this industry for 15 years. There has never
been a "year of VDI," there never will be, and that's OK. Talking about
"Virtual Desktop Infrastructures" obscures the real problems IT is trying to
solve, which are security, performance, ease-of-management, BYOD, and the list
goes on. The focus for 2024 will be on workspaces, applications, and data.
Ultimately, these are the things that end-users need in their computing
environment, and those can be physical, virtual, or in the cloud.
I, personally, am starting now and ditching VDI in
preference for EUC, which puts the end users before the desktop. Thinking about
our users, first, is the best way to ensure success in 2024.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen Gondoly combines executive leadership and technical skills to head up Leostream Corporation, a leading connection management platform for virtual desktop infrastructures, where she serves as both CEO and VP of Product Management.