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EUC Predictions: The Future of EUC, App Management, and Platforms

By Nico Zieck, Director of Technology & Solutions at Liquit (part of Recast Software)

EUC, platforms, application management and the cloud are at the point of a massive shift. Every company is at a different stage of development in seeking the modern workspace. Although most have chosen multiple solutions for a variety of reasons, three key areas define the overall shift in the landscape:

• A shift in offerings and opportunities of VDI vendors for EUC
• Divergent EUC market strategies of the U.S. and Europe
• The Shifting post-COVID landscape's impact on the future of EUC, application management, and platforms.
  

While no one can accurately predict how this will play out, it's obvious that this shift has been coming for at least a decade where consistency in cost, experience and use are in flux. Major EUC platform vendors are experiencing a major shift with Microsoft taking the lead and expanding its influence.

The Shift to Other VDI Vendors, Filling EUC Gaps

Users envision a transparent, agile, and automated workspace that allows smooth transitions between solutions, applications, and platforms. If they can't get it with legacy solutions, they want frictionless transition to one that will, and the cloud/DaaS is gaining traction.

The uncertain future of at least two major VDI/DaaS vendors is a major factor contributing to end user frustration and nervousness, leaving many customers scrambling to transition from one platform to another. Customers see this cloud shift through the lens of little time and few options that leave behind stability in cost and convenience. They increasingly see that being replaced by uncertainty, complexity, and loss of control.

Security across applications, devices, platforms, and approaches is now paramount. But the chaos of using multiple solutions to deliver and control everything in the EUC space in a hybrid remote and cloud world still leaves gaps. This is true for UEM, VDI, DaaS and most application management solutions.

Vendor collaborations are on the rise, with several mature and mid-journey vendors forming strategic alliances to dominate the EUC market with universal endpoint management solutions that fill the security gaps. But integration and ease-of-use challenges persist, slowing down the process and adding to user frustrations. Things only look more uncertain with impending end-of-life dates for Windows 10 and the uncertain future of mature EUC platforms.

The Difference Between U.S. and European Approaches

The U.S. and Europe take distinctly different paths in adapting to these changes in the EUC sphere where European markets:

• Are predominantly SMEs
• Prioritize strong channel-to-customer relationships, which fosters quicker vendor innovation and acceptance.
• Focus on long-term, slow-expansion relationships that broaden vendor solution use
• Proactively innovate to meet future needs
  

This approach is straightforward in the European work-from-home environments and technology architectures, which often predate those in the U.S. Large enterprises are the primary focus in the U.S. market, which results in a different dynamic where:

• Vendors prioritize direct client relationships over channel to foster quicker, but smaller wins
• Market size and diversity result in slower vendor innovation
• A reactive approach is driven by the need to respond to immediate customer pain points
  

The pandemic is the greatest evidence of this, as the US had to focus on stopgap solutions over long-term strategic innovation.

The Shifting Post-Covid/ Remote Work Landscape

To bring about this future landscape, markets and vendor collaborations will meld the best of both US and European approaches. That means giving companies and end users the type of control they want through DEX, by:

• Constantly innovating beyond short-term pain points
• Shifting to innovation grounded in long-term agility and change
• Focusing on giving end users the type of control they want while keeping the broader control of back-end processes with the vendor and IT
• Creating collaborative solutions that work well together or even integrate broadly
• Ensuring they account for agile innovation as a fundamental part of the solution for ease-of-change response to emerging needs and not just those needs users see today
  

A few vendors working globally see the truth that current and future shifts don't need to be understood reactively. The idea is to innovate proactively based on the reality that shifts happen all the time and will continue to happen. 

Vendors that design agile and changeable solutions that build collaborative partnerships with other vendors, customers/companies, and end users will dominate the future. These few vendors will lead the way by creating approaches that are agile enough to embrace each shift quickly and cost effectively, while delivering the scalability, cost effectiveness, and consistency that end-users demand.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nico Zieck is the Director of Technology & Solutions at Liquit (part of Recast Software) where he serves as the primary evangelist for Liquit on a technical, practical, and business innovation level. Nico has been at the forefront of driving end user and reseller understanding of how Liquit continually innovates and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in application and digital workspace management. 

Prior to joining Liquit, Nico held several key positions as an IT consultant and architect for several global IT consulting firms, such as Cegeka and Axians, working out of their Netherlands-based offices. Nico's experience as a Citrix consultant has further bolstered his ability to help resellers and end-users navigate the complex and changing world of EUC by defining Liquit as a future-proof solution that continually evolves to fit their changing needs. 

Nico is a recognized thought leader who brings a collaborative spirit to shaping the future of digital workspaces and empowering organizations to thrive in a changing digital workforce landscape. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for identifying emerging trends, Nico has played a pivotal role in the success of Liquit.