For enterprises looking to drive operational efficiency, security, and flexibility, End-User Computing (EUC) is rapidly emerging as a key solution.
EUC technologies already play a significant role in many organisations’ tech stacks, helping businesses manage complex issues such as remote and hybrid working, which has grown significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pain points, like hardware management, application control, and security concerns, can be addressed by the flexibility EUC offers. But, despite its rise in recent years, why are so many businesses undecided if it will benefit them?
At the IGEL Disrupt 2024 conference in Munich, Germany, earlier this month, we spoke to experts in the field to find out more.
What is End-User Computing (EUC)?
EUC, or End-User Computing, comprises a range of tools, policies, and technologies allowing employees to access company resources from various devices in any location in a secure and scalable fashion — either on-premises or via the cloud.
This may include virtual desktops, application management, or, more recently, the increasing use of enterprise browsers.
As Brad Peterson, field CTO at Workspot, describes: “Instead of installing a bunch of applications and an operating system (OS) onto a laptop and then giving it to an employee — for them to walk away leaving you wondering what shape it’s in, or how to upgrade it — the IT team installs the OS and applications on virtual machines, on servers in a data centre.
“Then, wherever you are in the world, whatever device you have, you can open a browser and log into your work desktop or apps via the data centre and display it on your screen.”
Though the popularity of EUC has increased in recent years, the technology has been around for a while.
IGEL Disrupt 2024 in Munich, Germany; the event focussed on the future of EUC and VDI
The evolution of EUC
In the early days of EUC, companies distributed physical PCs to employees. Then, IT teams had to install and manage software on each individual device.
This decentralised model made it difficult for IT to control and support remotely, placing a high management and support burden on internal tech teams.
This created a number of challenges, including configuration issues, outdated software, and device retrieval when an employee left the business.
Peterson, who has over two decades of experience in the field, explains that in that time, the most transformative development in endpoint management has been the evolution of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
“If IT can virtualise and centralise everything, they can own it. They can secure it, keep an eye on what’s going on, and have no crazy laptop issues, outdated version issues, etc. And if an employee leaves, they just disconnect them from it.”
The rise of VDI and Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) has fundamentally reshaped the EUC space, according to Peterson, especially with the proliferation of the cloud.
How did cloud technology transform EUC?
“The only way to do EUC 20 years ago was to take Citrix or VMware software and install it in your data centre. They would drop off complex software, and you were on the hook to make it work,” says Peterson.
He explains that managing Citrix software in data centres was so complex that people built their entire careers on it — himself included.
“Then, about ten years ago, we had access to cloud computing. The cloud is just another data centre.”
Instead of setting up your own data centre, purchasing servers, and managing everything yourself, you can use a cloud provider like Azure, GCP, or AWS.
These providers have numerous data centres and offer their capacity for rent over the Internet. This means that IT doesn’t have to handle software installation, operation, patching, or updating for VDI.
Instead, they can centralise and virtualise VDI with enhanced security and flexibility through the cloud.
How did Microsoft’s entry into the space change EUC?
Andy Tynes, VP of sales at virtual desktop interface Apporto, agrees that the shift toward VDI reduces the need to maintain a large fleet of physical devices, which also leads to substantial savings in hardware costs and IT staff hours.
However, Tynes acknowledges that businesses still face significant challenges in adopting desktop virtualisation, particularly when it comes to cost and complexity. This is where Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) offerings are gaining traction.
He explains: “The market had already been around for 30 years with Citrix and VMware. However, once Microsoft entered, it further validated the market and redefined it to a degree with this second offering — Windows 365.”
Tynes adds that when Microsoft entered the EUC market with Windows 365 and its Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), it wasn’t going after traditional VDI customers, which had always been around 10 to 12% of all business users.
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“Microsoft made it very clear that the objective was to grow this market. The Windows 365 offering provides something a little easier to use out of the box.”
Microsoft’s subscription-based model eliminates much of the capital expenditure associated with traditional VDI setups.
Businesses can now opt for a pay-as-you-go service, aligning costs with actual usage and reducing overhead, which Tynes predicts will lead to Microsoft’s domination of the market.
“As a consumer, you can’t tell the difference between a regular laptop and a Windows 365 cloud desktop. As they continue to build out that offering, it will allow them to dominate the market more and more,” he says.
The emergence of Enterprise Browsers
Tynes also predicts that Enterprise Browsers could become a major part of the desktop virtualisation solution set every organisation adopts over the next 5-10 years.
Indeed, a 2023 Gartner report stated: “By 2026, 25% of enterprises will be using managed browsers or extensions, up from less than 10% today. By 2030, enterprise browsers will be the core platform for delivering workforce productivity and security software on managed and unmanaged devices for a seamless hybrid work experience.”
For businesses that rely heavily on VDI, enterprise browsers can reduce the need for complex setups by allowing secure access to applications without the overhead of virtualising the entire desktop environment.
Traditional browsers, like Chrome and Firefox, often require additional layers of security, such as firewalls and VPNs, which increase operational costs and complexity.
Kurt Tomaschko, regional director at Island.io, an enterprise browser, explains that enterprise browsers provide operational efficiency by consolidating security measures directly within the browser itself, reducing the need for external solutions.
This is particularly beneficial for companies dealing with unmanaged devices or integrating new teams during mergers and acquisitions.
“Let’s say you acquire a company with 1000 people. You don’t know their applications or technology, but you want to integrate people as soon as possible. When using a browser, you can give them granular access to critical applications in your organisation to quickly onboard newly acquired employees,” he says.
The future of EUC
Gavin Connelly, field CTO at Nerdio, predicts that the DaaS market will reach $50 billion by 2030 as more organisations adopt virtualisation to support remote work.
“Research by Nerdio showed that over 84% of companies in the UK have used virtual desktops, which is a massive share of the market. The most common use cases are in healthcare, finance, local government, and developer environments.”
He adds: “Many organisations leverage virtualisation to give their developers a sandbox environment where they can test and develop their software and capabilities. We’re seeing huge success with that in particular.”
Connelly spoke about a particularly successful use case for EUC, when Nerdio helped the Make-a-Wish foundation manage their high flux workforce.
“They needed a solution that was scalable with their business model. They have periods where they inflate their volunteer workforce, so they needed a solution that could burst at times but then scale back down when those volunteers were no longer participating.
“Normally, they would have to procure a piece of hardware, bring that in-house, configure that, optimise it, secure it, and then ship that out to wherever that volunteer’s location is — whether that’s a satellite office, somebody working from home, etc. That’s very slow. It’s often unreliable and costly. With Nerdio and AVD, they could scale and flex as they needed.”
He explained that Nerdio has seen organisations save up to 80% by optimising their cloud costs, offsetting procuring expensive hardware, and the human resources, cost, and time of shipping devices.
EUC technologies address the pain points of managing remote workforces, ensuring security, and maintaining operational efficiency.
As businesses increasingly adopt cloud-first strategies, solutions like VDI and enterprise browsers could become central to providing flexible, secure, and scalable desktop delivery.
TechInformed sat down for a coffee with IGEL’s CEO, Klaus Oestermann, to discuss EUC. Watch the full video below.
