A Miami Showstopper: IGEL Unveils Bold Vision for Secure Computing’s Future
The vibrant energy of Miami provided the perfect backdrop for IGEL‘s flagship event, Now & Next 2025, where the company showcased its ambitious roadmap for secure endpoint computing. The event brought together technology leaders, partners, and customers for an immersive experience that highlighted how IGEL is positioning itself at the forefront of enterprise security innovation.
“We have relaunched the company and are becoming more visible in our industry,” IGEL CEO Klaus Oestermann told the packed audience during his keynote address. With projected annual recurring revenue growth of 45% this year and expansion into new territories including MEA, Eastern Europe, and APAC regions, IGEL’s momentum was palpable throughout the conference.
What made this year’s event particularly noteworthy was the sheer volume of announcements-more than 20 new products, features, and integrations that collectively paint a picture of IGEL’s comprehensive approach to addressing today’s most pressing endpoint security challenges.
Preventative Security Takes Center Stage
The cornerstone of IGEL’s strategy remains its Preventative Security Model, which flips the traditional reactive security paradigm on its head by focusing on stopping threats before they can take hold. The company has significantly expanded this ecosystem, adding 20 new technology partners in the past year alone to reach a total of 100 integrated security vendors.
This approach resonated strongly with attendees facing increasingly sophisticated cyber threats in their own organizations. Rather than simply detecting and responding to breaches after they occur, IGEL is helping enterprises build environments where common attack vectors are eliminated from the start.
“Our channel partners can now offer next generation defense,” Oestermann emphasized, highlighting the company’s 100% partner-focused go-to-market strategy.
The Game-Changing IGEL Managed Hypervisor
Perhaps the most talked-about announcement at the event was the introduction of IGEL Managed Hypervisor, set to launch in Q2 2025. This innovative solution addresses a critical pain point for many enterprises: how to securely maintain legacy applications running on outdated operating systems while modernizing the broader IT infrastructure.
The hypervisor, which runs on IGEL OS 12 and is managed through IGEL’s Universal Management Suite (UMS), enables organizations to virtually isolate these legacy workloads within a secure container. This approach is particularly valuable in operational technology (OT) environments like manufacturing, healthcare, and industrial settings where critical systems often run on unsupported versions of Windows.
One IT director from a manufacturing company called the solution “a lifeline” for their operations, explaining: “We have production line systems running Windows 7 that control million-dollar equipment. Replacing everything would cost a fortune, but leaving them unsecured isn’t an option either. This gives us a third path.”
IGEL has successfully tested the hypervisor with devices from its top platform partners, including HP, Lenovo, and LG, ensuring broad compatibility. The solution supports remote management, centralized policy enforcement, and seamless integration with the broader IGEL Ready ecosystem.
Zero Trust Architecture: Beyond the Buzzword
Zero Trust security principles were woven throughout virtually every technical session at the event. IGEL demonstrated how its solutions enable organizations to implement true Zero Trust architectures where no user, device, or application is inherently trusted.
New integrations with Zscaler Zero Trust Browser, Zscaler Client Connector, and Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access on IGEL OS 12 captured significant attention from attendees. These partnerships extend IGEL’s ability to support comprehensive security frameworks that verify every access request regardless of where it originates.
The company also announced it had achieved FIPS 140-3 Level 1 certification in partnership with wolfSSL, a critical milestone for organizations working with government agencies or in regulated industries. For defense contractors and federal agencies, IGEL unveiled 90Meter support for NIPR Networks, further strengthening its position in high-security environments.
Omnissa Partnership Deepens
Another major highlight was the expanded partnership between IGEL and Omnissa, the end-user computing spin-out from VMware. Bharath Rangarajan, Senior Vice President of Products and Technology Alliances at Omnissa, took to the stage to announce new integrations between Omnissa Workspace ONE, Horizon, and IGEL’s solutions.
“By working closely with IGEL, we’re helping organizations accelerate their move away from legacy VDI and app delivery models, and adopt a more modern, cost-effective and secure approach to desktop and app virtualization and device management,” Rangarajan told attendees.
This integration addresses a key challenge for enterprises: gaining comprehensive visibility and control across hybrid work environments. By combining IGEL’s secure endpoint OS with Omnissa’s AI-driven digital work platform, organizations can more effectively manage employee access to critical regulated applications and data.
Rangarajan noted that Omnissa currently serves 26,000 customers with a team of 4,000 staff, demonstrating the significant scale of this strategic partnership.
Management Innovation: UMSaaS Leads the Way
For IT administrators struggling with endpoint management at scale, IGEL unveiled several promising solutions. The introduction of IGEL Universal Management Suite as a Service (UMSaaS) offers a cloud-based approach to endpoint management that reduces on-premises infrastructure requirements while improving scalability.
The company also showcased Active UMS for real-time, policy-based management, allowing administrators to implement changes across thousands of endpoints simultaneously. Expanded hardware support, including Lenovo BIOS management and V100 device compatibility, further enhances IGEL’s position as a comprehensive endpoint management solution.
Future-Focused Innovations: IGEL Insights Takes Shape
Looking ahead, IGEL offered attendees a preview of upcoming technologies that will shape its roadmap beyond 2025. IGEL Insights, a telemetry and data platform scheduled for later in 2025, promises to streamline reporting across multiple cybersecurity tools and platforms-giving security teams more comprehensive visibility.
Other forward-looking announcements included the IGEL App Creator Portal for securely packaging and signing Linux applications for IGEL OS 12, FIDO2 authentication expanding passwordless login options for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, and IGEL Managed Containers for further application isolation.
Recognizing Excellence: The Inaugural Now & Next Awards
The event also featured the debut of the Now & Next Awards, celebrating customers who have demonstrated exceptional results with IGEL solutions:
- Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOL) received the Innovation Award
- Honeywell took home the Visionary Award
- COCC was recognized with the All-In Award
These awards highlighted real-world implementations where IGEL’s solutions have delivered meaningful business impact, from improved security postures to significant cost savings and enhanced user experiences.
Miami Heat: LIV Nightclub Hosts Unforgettable Closing Party
After three days of intense technical sessions and business discussions, attendees let loose at the conference’s closing party, held at the exclusive LIV nightclub within the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel. The party featured Brazilian dancers, flowing drinks, gourmet food stations, and pulsing music from a professional DJ.
The highlight of the evening came when Grammy award-winning artist Shaggy took to the stage, performing hits like “It Wasn’t Me” and “Boombastic” to the delight of the crowd. The performance created a perfect exclamation point for what had already been a memorable event, with attendees dancing and singing along until late into the evening.
The Road Ahead: Security, Cost, and Manageability
Throughout the conference, Oestermann emphasized that IGEL is focusing its innovation efforts in three primary areas going forward: security prevention, financial optimization (TCO), and improved manageability.
This three-pronged approach recognizes that today’s IT leaders must balance seemingly competing priorities: strengthening security postures while controlling costs and reducing complexity. IGEL’s announcements at Now & Next 2025 demonstrated a coherent strategy that addresses all three concerns simultaneously.
By extending device lifespan through solutions like the Managed Hypervisor, organizations can realize significant cost savings while improving their security posture. Similarly, management innovations like UMSaaS reduce operational overhead while enabling more consistent security policy enforcement.
Final Thoughts: A Company in Transformation
Now & Next 2025 showcased a company in the midst of a significant transformation. While IGEL remains committed to its core endpoint OS business, it’s clear that the company sees its future in becoming the security layer that connects and protects the modern digital workspace.
With 45% ARR growth and an expanded ecosystem of 100 technology partners, IGEL appears well-positioned to execute on this vision. The enthusiasm of partners and customers at the event suggests strong market validation for IGEL’s strategy of putting preventative security at the center of everything it does.
As organizations continue to grapple with ransomware threats, regulatory requirements, and the operational challenges of hybrid work, IGEL’s comprehensive approach to secure endpoint computing provides a compelling answer to many of today’s most pressing IT challenges. If Now & Next 2025 is any indication, we can expect to see IGEL playing an increasingly central role in enterprise security strategies in the years ahead.
##
