Build an End-User Computing Strategy

Deliver business applications and enable end users without breaking the bank.

ANALYST PERSPECTIVE

"Over the past 20 years enterprise technology has consistently been playing catch-up to consumer tech. Nowhere is that more evident than the flickering landscape of screens and keyboards end users interact with 16+ hours a day. Laptops as a status symbol may be a quaint memory; in their place we have a deeper – bordering on intimate – relationship between the person and machine. Devices are no longer just tools but the digital extension of our very selves. Employers who ignore this fact fail to attract talent. IT, whose primary metric is end-user satisfaction, has to adjust.
Life/work balance; anywhere, anytime, anyone collaboration; digital workplaces; the gig economy… all these trends are changing how the enterprise is getting work done. This flexibility has lofty promises of cost containment, efficiency, or risk mitigation, but the devil’s in the details and those details are always left to IT.
Remember: ultimately the end-user compute manager’s job is to provide users access to applications when and where the business needs work done. Start there! A comprehensive strategy aggregates the now and future work requirements of the enterprise, and frames deployment around corporate priorities to enable end users while ensuring proper security and maintenance through the lifecycle of devices, software, and platforms. A good strategy is a competitive advantage letting great employees do their best work. Save the end-user experience – save yourself!"" - John Annand, Senior Manager, Infrastructure Practice, Info-Tech Research Group

End-user computing is complicated; simplify it with an application-first approach

This Research Is Designed For:

• End-user computing (EUC) managers

This Research Will Help You

• Develop a list of the applications that end-user computing is responsible for providing access to.
• Outline the device/OS possibilities for those applications, overlay them to increase efficiency.
• Develop a roadmap for implementing a new end-user computing strategy.

This Research Will Also Assist

• CIOs
• Infrastructure managers
• Service desk managers

This Research Will Help Them

• Improve IT’s reputation
• Reduce costs

Executive summary

Situation

• Spending on IT devices in the enterprise has shrunk or remained flat in recent years, all while consumers are embracing devices in their home lives (McLellan). According to Pew, 84% of American households report owning a smartphone, 68% have tablets, and 80% have desktops or laptops (Olmstead).
• People want more; IT is spending less.

Complication

• Squaring the circle is a challenge faced by every IT department. With the consumerization of IT driving end-user preference for variety in endpoint devices, the end-user computing manager is caught between a rock and a hard place (Baron).
• The variety of devices and provisioning models available is daunting. How can EUC most effectively enable access to key applications?

Resolution

• Use this blueprint to develop an empirically grounded list of device/OS combinations that align with your organization’s application needs, and more effectively streamline your end-user computing offerings.
• Determine which device deployment model makes the most sense based on your organization’s broad priorities, and align it to your device/OS package.
• Evaluate the applicability of desktop virtualization as an end-user computing solution based on your capabilities and current state.
• Develop initiatives relating to your end-user computing strategy and plot them on a roadmap.

Info-Tech Insight

1. The end-user computing manager’s job is to provide access to applications. Be an advocate, but application choices belong to the business.
2. Take an application-first approach. Persona analyses are useful but difficult to conduct at scale.
3. Endpoint devices are the primary conduit through which end users form opinions about IT. If you want a positive impression (you do), an effective EUC strategy is a must.

Drive higher overall satisfaction with IT through a successful EUC strategy

Endpoint devices represent a major area of contact between end users and IT. Opinions formed around these devices matter.

For every 1 unit increase in a business stakeholder’s satisfaction with devices, their satisfaction with IT in general increases by 0.79 units.

"When users like their devices, they tend to like IT!"– John Sloan, Research Director, Infrastructure Practice, Info-Tech Research Group

Ride the device wave or get pulled out to sea by its undertow

An increasing variety of devices and services, combined with the higher levels of sophistication among end users, presents a challenge to IT.

• According to a Dimension Data study, in mid-sized organizations, the median number of devices service desk technicians are tasked with supporting is 571 (Hanson and Rains). In smaller organizations, the ratio is better, while larger organizations’ technicians are required to support more end users.
• On top of this, the average worker uses about three devices daily for work, and the number of devices in the enterprise is only increasing, with the overall number of devices increasing by 72% between 2014 and 2015 (Citrix).
• With such a proliferation of devices and a comparatively small number of staff, managing end-user computing is a challenge.

The end-user computing manager is an advocate and an implementer (but mostly an implementer)

While the end-user computing manager should advocate for the most effective way to access applications, the buck ultimately stops with the line of business managers who make application decisions.

• The burgeoning scope of end-user computing is making the job of managing it more difficult – with negative consequences for end users.
• Apps are IT’s responsibility, but where they’re used as business tools, choice about which ones to use falls to the business.
• Be an advocate, but understand that ultimately the role of the EUC manager is to implement and administer the application, not decide its applicability.

EUC managers need to be chameleons in many ways – having the ability to adjust to business needs in a continuous improvement mode, but at the same time, be an advocate to provide access to applications in the most efficient and secure manner. Having an EUC strategy is the best way to deal with this variability and also to have a structured way to get measured results. – Dave Wallace, Senior Research Director, CIO Practice, Info-Tech Research Group

An application-focused approach will help you efficiently and effectively align your offerings and your needs

A traditional IT persona analysis has its strengths. It is useful for the end-user computing manager to know which groups of employees use which devices. But taking an application-first approach provides other benefits.

Applications will be dictating policy, and not the other way around.– Kirk Schell, SVP Commercial Client Solutions, Dell

Understand the relationship between application and device management, end users, and applications

Realize the benefits of a reduction in the number of device/OS combinations serviced

List of possible device/OS combinations

• Windows 10/Hybrid
• Windows 10/Kiosk
• Windows 10/Tablet
• Windows 10/Desktop
• Windows 10/Laptop
• Windows 7/Kiosk
• Windows 7/Desktop
• Windows 7/Laptop
• Windows (legacy)/Kiosk
• Windows (legacy)/Desktop
• Windows (legacy)/Laptop
• macOS/Desktop
• macOS/Laptop
• iOS/Tablet
• iOS/Smartphone
• Android/Hybrid
• Android/Tablet
• Android/Smartphone
• Web App/Hybrid
• Web App/Kiosk
• Web App/Desktop
• Web App/Laptop
• Web App/Tablet
• Web App/Smartphone
• Web App/Chromebook
• Linux/Desktop
• Linux/Laptop
• Linux/Tablet
• Linux/Hybrid

Potential device/OS combinations actually served

• Windows 10/Desktop
• iOS/Smartphone
• Web App/Chromebook

Part of our end-user computing strategy, our endpoint strategy, is also in looking at an opportunity to consolidate assets.– Gina Anderson, Supervisor, IT Customer Support, City of Arlington

Info-Tech Best Practice

Fewer device/OS “buckets” are better. When IT is tasked with providing and supporting a wide array of buckets, it is more difficult to take advantage of economies of scale, more breadth of expertise is required, and, in some cases, more tools are needed.

Adapt innovative end-user computing initiatives and impress your stakeholders

There is a clear relationship between satisfaction with IT and the IT department’s innovation leadership.

When an organization’s members were asked “Overall, how satisfied are you with your IT department?” their response was strongly correlated with the IT department’s innovation leadership. Use our process to achieve innovation leadership.

Info-Tech’s approach to end-user computing focuses on application provision

Use SMART metrics to track the success of your project

Track your project’s overall progress by recording specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound metrics.

Info-Tech Insight

If you’re not tracking your success, you might as well not be succeeding. Metrics tell a story. Make sure you’re tracking the right metrics, and ensure that the story that emerges is the one you want to tell your stakeholders.

SAP employed its corporate priorities in developing its end-user computing strategy: Case Study

SAP SE

SAP’s CIO Thomas Saueressig is one of the youngest CIOs of a multinational corporation and has brought innovative goals with him to SAP. One of Saueressig’s more impressive initiatives is to support Macs throughout SAP .

Supporting Macs: SAP SE’s Approach

Saueressig recognized that managing Macs required a paradigm shift within IT; trying to manage Macs the same way they managed Windows PCs would have killed the initiative.

As such, SAP SE hired Apple-certified technicians as well as Apple experts who embrace Apple’s philosophy to manage its fleet of Apple computers. The organization also empowers its Mac end users through self-service.

Results

Directly measuring the benefits of supporting Macs is difficult. However, it fits into SAP’s overall strategy of increasing employee morale. SAP SE also uses its support of Macs to help in the war for talent – many post-secondary graduates want to use Macs at work.

The self-service functionality is also helping to reduce the call load on its service desk over the long run.

What we saw was a lot of young people from university are using Mac books. We need to be attractive to those graduates.– Thomas Saueressig, CIO, SAP SE

Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs

DIY Toolkit

“Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”

Guided Implementation

“Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.”

Workshop

“We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.”

Consulting

“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.”

Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options

Develop an end-user computing strategy – project overview

Workshop overview

Contact your account representative or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.

Phase 1

Select Device/OS Combinations

Build an End-User Computing Strategy

Step 1.1: Clarify your end-user computing needs

This step will walk you through the following activities:

• Collate a list of applications that end-user computing is responsible for delivering.
• Speculate what your application needs will be two years from today.
• Outline the computing power required to run each application.
• Identify whether the applications in question are primarily creation- or consumption-focused.
• List each application’s delivery mode (thick or thin).
• Determine application location requirements.
• Record where the organization expects users to do work with applications.
• Select the “buckets” IT will support.

This involves the following participants:

• End-user computing manager
• Senior IT staff
• Line of business managers

Outcomes of this step

• List of device/OS “buckets” that end-user computing will be tasked with supporting

Use the End-User Computing Strategy Tool to determine appropriate device/OS combinations

1.1a End-User Computing Strategy Tool

The End-User Computing Strategy Tool is a one-stop shop for developing a set of device recommendations. Each of the following sub-steps will take you through the tool’s requirements and help you understand its output.

Info-Tech Best Practice

The fewer the number of application/OS combinations the better. The End-User Computing Strategy Tool is designed to produce a simple, easy-to-read overlay in order to facilitate this understanding.

Collate a list of applications that end-user computing is responsible for delivering

1.1b 15 minutes

The end-user computing manager is ultimately responsible for delivering a pre-defined list of applications.

1. Gather IT staff, including a representative from the service desk and the EUC manager, along with representatives from as many lines of business (LOB) departments as possible.
2. Have each of the LOB representatives list the applications IT supports for their departments.
3. Record the applications on a whiteboard or a piece of chart paper.
4. Have more experienced IT staff fill in any applications that might be missing.
5. Input the list into tab 4 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool.

Info-Tech Insight

While the end-user computing manager is not necessarily responsible for the organization’s application decisions, ultimately their expertise should be used to influence application selection.

Insert the list of contacts into tab 4 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool.

Be aware of the significance of the migration towards web apps over thick clients

Google has managed to lock in the educational market by focusing on its web-based Chrome OS, but this is not the extent of the web app revolution.

• Despite having unbridled access to millions of applications, research shows that consumers regularly only use five non-native applications (Perez).
• With the explosion of Software-as-a-Service, like Salesforce.com CRM and Microsoft’s Office 365, enterprise customers are becoming used to accessing services hosted off-site – and so have their employees.
• Thick clients have to be patched and maintained regularly; web applications live on the vendors’ servers, allowing for instantaneous, universal updates, and relieving the need for comprehensive internal patch management strategies.

We have a cloud strategy that is not just about infrastructure, it’s about SaaS (software as a service) and infrastructure, and we think about what we can do to differentiate and [add value] to our customers in that context. – Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft

Envision what your application needs will be two years from today

1.1c 30 minutes

End-user computing needs are not static. Adjust your plan to accommodate changes in your employee needs and changes in the market for devices and applications.

Instructions

1. Gather representatives from the applications team and from as many lines of business as is immediately feasible.
2. Have each line of business participant summarize departmental initiatives planned over the next two years. Record each of the initiatives on a whiteboard or piece of chart paper.
3. Each of the priorities should be addressed by the application team, which should ask the following questions:
   1. Do we have any applications that can support this initiative?
   2. If not, what applications will we need?
4. Record the list of resulting applications in tab 3 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool.

Info-Tech Best Practice

IT departments that innovate have more positive reputations with the business. Exercises like this put IT’s innovative capacity on display and can help to improve IT’s image.

Outline the computing power required to run each application identified in steps 1.1b and 1.1c

1.1d 15 minutes

Average computing power varies by endpoint device; your EUC strategy must reflect this.

If your organization uses applications primarily for lighter computing tasks, like word processing content consumption, it might not be necessary to invest in powerful hardware. Chromebooks, tablets, or even smartphones could be viable endpoint options.

1. For each application identified, go around the room and assess whether the application is “heavy” or “light” in terms of its computing requirements.
2. This is designed to be a notional activity, but it is a good idea to ask consistent questions to introduce rigour into the process:
   1. Is significant local data manipulation required?
   2. Does the app access multiple other systems/data sources?
   3. Does the app require extensive reading/writing/modelling?
   4. Does the app consistently deal with large file sizes?
   5. Does the application do data transformations?
3. Record the results next to the applications on your whiteboard or chart paper.

Insert the results into tab 5 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool.

Identify whether the applications in question are primarily focused on creation or consumption

1.1f 15 minutes

The expected use of each of the applications will inevitably inform decisions about form factor.

You name it and there’s an application designed to do or optimize it. That said, applications can be sorted broadly into two categories: “consumption” apps, and “creation” apps. Different devices are more appropriate for different use models.

Consumption: Applications primarily intended to convey information to a mostly passive end user. Example: The New York Times mobile application.

Creation: Applications intended to facilitate the creation of some sort of digital artifact (a document, an edited image, etc.). Example: Adobe Photoshop.

Instructions

1. Facilitate a group discussion about each application. (Most will be relatively easy to place.)
2. Record whether an application falls primarily into the consumption or creation category on the whiteboard or piece of chart paper.

Insert the results into tab 5 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool.

List each application’s delivery mode (thick or thin)

1.1g 15 minutes

What client mode does the business owner of the application want to support?

Thick applications do most of their computing on the endpoint device, while thin applications have to connect to a remote server to be effective.

Example of a thick application: Microsoft Office Suite 2003

Examples of a thin application: Google Chrome; Salesforce.com, Office 365 web apps.

Instructions

1. Go around the room and sort the applications listed in step 1.1f.
2. Record the results of the exercise on a whiteboard or chart paper next to the applications and results of preceding activities.

Establish sufficiency before anything else. Never trade sufficiency for portability. It doesn’t matter if you can carry your device around if you can’t actually do effective work on it.

Establish sufficiency before anything else. Never trade sufficiency for portability. It doesn’t matter if you can carry your device around if you can’t actually do effective work on it.

Determine application location requirements

1.1h 15 minutes

The expected use of each of the applications will inevitably inform decisions about form factor.

Instructions

1. Go around the room and sort each of the applications into one of the three categories outlined on this slide.
2. Record the results of the activity on a whiteboard or chart paper.

Mobile: is mobility a critical part of an application’s function? Consider the use case for the application. Would the user have to be able to physically move around easily in order to make full use of the app’s functionality?

Example: spectrometry application for paint color testers

Fixed: does the application’s use case include any sort of mobility, or can it be reasonably provided in a physically fixed location?

Example: Adobe Photoshop

Shared: does the application’s use case involve multiple users?

Example: punch-card software

Insert the results into tab 5 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool.

Record where the organization expects users to do work with applications

1.1i 15 minutes

Outline what the organization expects of its users.

Remote with internet: the application is expected to work outside of a main office, whether permanently (satellite location) or as a critical part of duties (travelling, working from home).

Example: an email application that employees are expected to monitor regularly

Remote without internet: the application in question is expected to work when its users do not have access to the internet.

Example: tree-tagging software used by remote tree planters in Alaska

One office: the organization’s activities as they relate to a specific application are highly centralized; employees are not expected to use said application outside of the office.

Example: physical security software controlling building entry

Instructions

• Go around the room and sort each of the applications into one of the three categories outlined on this slide.
• Record the results of the activity on a whiteboard or chart paper.

Insert the results into tab 5 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool.

Interpret the End-User Computing Strategy Tool’s output

1.1j Refer to tab 6 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool

Use the End-User Computing Strategy Tool to understand how your applications’ requirements should inform your endpoint hardware decisions.

Info-Tech Insight

“Can” and “should” are different words for a reason. It is possible to run PowerPoint on a kiosk, but a desktop or a laptop probably makes more sense because of those devices’ usability and, in the latter case, portability. See also: It Runs Doom.

Interpret the End-User Computing Strategy Tool’s output (cont.)

1.1k Refer to tab 7 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool

Once you know how your potential device options stack up, review tab 7 of the tool to see how many applications each device/OS combination can effectively serve.

• In this example, a hybrid or laptop running Windows 10 could meet both PowerPoint and Salesforce.com needs, while a Chromebook, tablet, smartphone, laptop, or kiosk could only serve one of the two applications.
• Note: the graph simply indicates what is possible, not what is recommended. Look to the next tab of the tool for details on how each device stacks up.

Interpret the End-User Computing Strategy Tool’s output (cont.)

1.1l Refer to tab 8 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool

Evaluate the percentage of applications that can be served by each bucket, combined with a score for each device that reflects the use case identified in earlier steps.

Select the “buckets” IT will support

1.1m 15 minutes

The End-User Computing Strategy Tool produces an output that will clarify how your applications can be served by device/OS combinations (“buckets”). Take advantage of this to reduce the number of buckets you will have to service as EUC.

Instructions

1. Open the End-User Computing Strategy Tool and prepare a whiteboard or piece of chart paper with the list of applications.
2. Refer to tabs 5 and 7 of the tool, and next to each application record the bucket (device/OS combination) that makes the most sense for that application. Keep in mind that fewer device/application buckets are better.
3. If there are any applications that are islands (unable to be provisioned with one of the more popular buckets), make a note of this application for discussion with the line of business manager about that application’s necessity.
4. Record the list of buckets in the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

If you want additional support, have our analysts guide you through this phase as part of an Info-Tech workshop

Book a workshop with our Info-Tech analysts

Book a workshop with our Info-Tech analysts:
	To accelerate this project, engage your IT team in an Info-Tech workshop with an Info-Tech analyst team. Info-Tech analysts will join you and your team onsite at your location or welcome you to Info-Tech’s historic Toronto office to participate in an innovative onsite workshop. Contact your account manager (www.infotech.com/account), or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.
The following are sample activities that will be conducted by Info-Tech analysts with your team:
	Collate a list of applications that end-user computing is responsible for delivering The analyst will guide workshop participants through an exercise that will help them determine which applications end-user computing is ultimately responsible for providing access to. This will help participants appropriately tailor device/OS combinations to their organization’s needs.

Phase 1 Guided Implementation

Call 1-888-670-8889 or email GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com for more information.

Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of 2-3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships.

Guided Implementation 1: Select device/OS combinations

Proposed Time to Completion: 1 week

Step 1.1: Clarify application requirements

Start with an analyst kick-off call:
Discuss the applications end-user computing is responsible for delivering, produce device/OS buckets.

Then complete these activities…

• Collate a list of applications that end-user computing is responsible for delivering.
• Speculate what your application needs will be two years from today.
• Outline the computing power required to run each application.
• Identify whether the applications in question are primarily creation focused or consumption focused.
• List each application’s delivery mode (thick or thin).
• Determine application location requirements
• Record where the organization expects users. to do work with applications.
• Select the “buckets” IT will support.

With these tools & templates:
End-User Computing Strategy Tool

Phase 1 Results & Insights:

• Take an application-first approach. Persona analyses are useful, but difficult to conduct at scale.
• Establish sufficiency before anything else. Never trade sufficiency for portability.

PHASE 2

Understand and Match Corporate Priorities

Build an End-User Computing Strategy

Step 2.1: Understand corporate priorities

This step will walk you through the following activities:

• Use the corporate priorities questionnaire to determine your organization’s focus.
• Brainstorm corporate priorities as a group.
• Interpret the results of the corporate priorities questionnaire.
• Develop a list of key performance indicators (KPIs) that track to your identified priorities.

Outcomes of this step

• Radar diagram outlining your organization’s corporate priorities

Understand three broad corporate priorities

Every organization’s priorities are going to differ slightly based on context and goals. All of these priorities, however, can be sorted into one of the following three categories based on COBIT’s needs:

1. Cost containment
2. Risk mitigation
3. Productivity

Info-Tech Insight

These are not mutually exclusive categories, though they are completely exhaustive (with the possible exception of “vanity”). Everything organizations, from family restaurants to consumer electronics manufacturers, seek to do should be covered here.

Cost containment: money as a corporate priority

Money matters to every organization, but not necessarily to the same degree. A start-up in the growth stage might be happy to burn through cash to grab market share, while an established commodity business might not.

• As a general rule, the more money an IT organization is willing to spend on EUC, the higher the quality of the devices that end up in its end users’ hands.
• From a provisioning perspective too, organizations that are willing to spend more money will have more options.

What does this mean for end-user computing?
Cost-sensitive organizations prioritize endpoint devices and provisioning strategies based on their pecuniary footprints. Expect more expensive options like VDI to fall out of favor. Instead, straight corporate provisioning on company-owned devices or a subsidized BYOD might make more sense.

With the go-go nineties receding into the past faster than you can say “hand me my Palm Pilot,” organizations are increasingly cost-conscious. Add to this the fact that CEOs often view IT as a cost-center, and it’s no surprise that shrunken or flat budgets are the new normal.

Understand your corporate priorities: Cost containment (cont.)

Cost containment can be further disaggregated into its component parts.

1. Acquisition costs: upfront cost of the solution in question – CapEx essentially.
2. Support costs: expense associated with operating the chosen solution.
3. Lifecycle costs: total cost of a solution over a defined period (a lifecycle).
4. Total cost of ownership: acquisition costs and support costs combine for TCO.
5. Opportunity cost: employee time spent building and maintaining the solution.

Risk mitigation: fantastic threats and how to fight them

No organization is completely safe from cyberattacks, but for some organizations their consequences can be exceptionally severe.

• No organization has unimportant data, but some organizations are required to abide by certain regulations, like US HIPAA regulations in the medical field.
• Sensitive organizational information on personal devices is always a challenge, and at the very least requires significant effort by IT to achieve visibility. In practice this means that detailed information about how end users use their mobile devices, including logs and access history, need to be made available to IT. This presents logistical challenges, and the degree of control needed over users’ personal devices could inspire some pushback.

What does this mean for end-user computing?
Different end-user device delivery strategies present different dangers from a risk perspective. Organizational ownership allows for complete control over device settings while desktop virtualization keeps sensitive information off of endpoints. Strategies like BYOD provide the least amount of control and, therefore, open the organization up to some additional risk.

Pictured above: a businessman whose risk mitigation strategies were insufficient for the level of risk his organization was willing to tolerate. Notice his look of surprise as his world crumbles around him.

There is more to risk than cyberattacks and flooded datacenters

There is more to risk than cyberattacks and flooded datacenters. Risk can manifest itself in a variety of ways, enumerated below. If any participants in the priorities exercise point to a priority along one of these lines, it belongs with risk.

1. Reputational: susceptibility to negative perception among clients or end users.
2. Financial: susceptibility to pecuniary losses.
3. Lost opportunity: susceptibility to the inability to capitalize on opportunities.

Info-Tech Insight

Different kinds of risk require different responses, but not necessarily from the end-user computing manager. Whether it’s reputational risk or financial risk that most concerns the organization, advisable provisioning models remain the same.

Productivity: do more with less

Some organizations will realize the most potential business benefit from strategies that increase their employees’ productivity.

• Productivity is “…an economic measure of output per unit of input.” (Investopedia)
• When an organization is focused primarily on increasing its market share, productivity might be less important to the C-suite than aggregate performance.
• At some point, however, every organization will feel the productivity pinch.

What does this mean for end-user computing?
While no device necessarily enhances productivity in all situations, allowing staff to choose their devices in a BYOD or a CYOD environment can make work easier and increase productivity.

A happier workplace will likely be a more productive workplace. According to one study, individuals who received a “happiness” treatment were roughly 12% more productive than their colleagues who did not receive the treatment (Oswald et al). Pictured above: a happy employee, who is no doubt far more likely to be productive.

Productivity: do more with less (cont.)

At its core, productivity is taking less effort to produce the same amount of something, or more of it. In some industries this is easy to measure – in factories, for example. In the IT space it can be difficult to nail down how exactly we should think about productivity.

• Stopwatch trials: how long does it take staff to complete routine tasks?
• Employee satisfaction: since employees who are more satisfied tend to produce more, satisfaction can serve as a proxy for productivity. (Harter et al)
• Business satisfaction: how satisfied is the rest of the organization with IT’s performance relative to overhead costs?

(Source: Wikipedia)
Frederick Taylor was an early advocate of scientific management, which involved timing workers to find the most efficient way to work.

Use the corporate priorities questionnaire to determine your organization’s focus

2.1a Refer to tab 2 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool

There are as many different corporate goals as there are corporations. That said, those goals typically fall into one of three buckets based on COBIT stakeholder drivers.

1. Cost containment
2. Risk mitigation
3. Productivity

Instructions

1. Open the End-User Computing Strategy Tool to tab 2, “Corporate priorities.”
2. Select “TRUE” or “FALSE” from the drop-down menus for each of the questions.

Note: do not select TRUE if the statement in question is not true an overwhelming majority of the time. While it is true that edge cases can make this activity difficult, keeping this maxim in mind will keep the tool’s output meaningful.

Brainstorm corporate priorities as a group (optional)

2.1b 20 minutes

Which corporate goal is a priority is not always immediately obvious. If this is the case, gather a group together to come up with a list.

Instructions

1. Gather a diverse group from around the organization into a conference room and explain the purpose of the activity
2. Have each person work individually to record a list of specific priorities they have noticed coming down from on high. Do this on sticky notes.
   • Note: these priorities should not be extremely specific (“reduce boot time on legacy XP machines by 4.8 seconds”) or vague (“do computing better”) but somewhere in between.
3. Each participant should rank the priorities from 1-3, 1 being the lowest, 3 being the highest.
4. Collect the notes and sort each of the sub-priorities into one of the three main priorities.
5. Add up the total scores of the priorities that fall under each of the three main headings. Have a final discussion with the group to gauge satisfaction with the results.

Interpret the results of the corporate priorities questionnaire

2.1c Refer to tab 3 of the End User Strategy Tool

The End User Strategy Tool produces a radar diagram illustrating your organization’s corporate priorities based on your answers in the questionnaire.

• The vertices of the triangle will be closest to the corporate goals that align most closely with your organization’s priorities.
• If the tool produces an equilateral triangle, according to Info-Tech’s methodology, you have no easily identifiable priorities. In some circumstances this makes sense, but it is important to note that such a result precludes a deployment model recommendation based on your corporate priorities.
• Evaluate the shape of the triangle produced in the radar diagram to determine priorities.

Interpret the results of the corporate priorities questionnaire (cont.)

2.1d Refer to tab 3 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool

Equilateral:
If your output resembles this equilateral triangle, you have not identified any clear corporate priorities. This does not preclude an end-user computing strategy. It does, however, mean that corporate priorities will not figure into your deployment decision.

Scalene:
If your result is a scalene triangle, you have identified a particular priority that should clearly inform your deployment model. The vertex at the meeting of the two longest sides of the triangle represents the clear priority.

Isosceles:
An isosceles result indicates that the organization has two competing priorities. This means that recommendations will focus on the weaknesses of particular deployment models as opposed to their strengths.

Develop a list of key performance indicators (KPIs) that track to your identified priorities

2.1e 30 minutes

Key performance indicators can be tracked to measure the effectiveness of EUC at meeting the corporate priorities outlined earlier in this phase.

Instructions

1. On a whiteboard, draw a column for each of the three priorities outlined in step 2.1.
2. As a group, record the key performance indicators you are currently tracking.
3. Place each of those KPIs into the column under one of the three corporate priorities already identified.
   Example: what would successful cost containment look like?
   1. Lower cost per unit
   2. Reduced number of service desk calls
   3. Cheaper maintenance
4. Record the results of the exercise in section 7 of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Leverage a list of sample key performance indicator metrics

Info-Tech Insight

Successfully communicating the results of your project is almost as important as achieving those results, especially for your career prospects.

If you want additional support, have our analysts guide you through this phase as part of an Info-Tech workshop

Book a workshop with our Info-Tech analysts:
	To accelerate this project, engage your IT team in an Info-Tech workshop with an Info-Tech analyst team. Info-Tech analysts will join you and your team onsite at your location or welcome you to Info-Tech’s historic Toronto office to participate in an innovative onsite workshop. Contact your account manager (www.infotech.com/account), or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.
The following are sample activities that will be conducted by Info-Tech analysts with your team:
	Collate a list of applications that end-user computing is responsible for delivering The analyst will guide workshop participants through an exercise that will help them determine which applications end-user computing is ultimately responsible for providing access to. This will help participants appropriately tailor device/OS combinations to their organization’s needs.

Phase 2 Guided Implementation

Call 1-888-670-8889 or email GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com for more information.

Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of 2-3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships.

Guided Implementation 2: Understand and match your corporate priorities
Proposed Time to Completion: 1 week

Step 2.1: Understand and match your corporate priorities

Review findings with analyst:

• Develop a list of corporate priorities

Then complete these activities…

• Use the corporate priorities questionnaire to determine your organization’s focus
• Brainstorm corporate priorities as a group
• Interpret the results of the corporate priorities questionnaire
• Develop a list of key performance indicators (KPIs) that track to your identified priorities

With these tools & templates:
End-User Computing Strategy Tool

Phase 2 Results & Insights:

• Different kinds of risk require different responses, but not necessarily from the end-user computing manager.
• If you do not bother to track your end-user computing improvements, it will be like they never happened.

PHASE 3

Select a Device Deployment Model and Evaluate Desktop Virtualization

Build an End-User Computing Strategy

Step 3.1: Evaluate deployment models

This step will walk you through the following activities:

• Map your corporate priorities to a deployment model.
• Select a deployment model appropriate for your organization based on your device/OS buckets.
• SWOT analyses for each deployment model.

This step involves the following participants:

• End-user computing manager

Outcomes of this step

• Deployment models to service your end-user computing devices
• SWOT analysis for each deployment model

Select a deployment model based on your corporate priorities

Take advantage of the information gleaned in Phase 1 to understand how your corporate priorities align with the strengths of each of the provisioning models outlined in the following slides.

1. Corporate ownership
2. Bring your own device
3. Choose your own device
4. Corporately owned, personally enabled
5. Direct-to-carrier stipends

Corporate ownership: trading choice for control

Definition:

Your new hire arrives on her first day and finds a company-issued laptop on her desk. The organization owns the laptop, pre-loaded with applications. When she leaves the company, she is expected to return the laptop to IT, who will then reassign it to her replacement. IT has complete visibility into the device and all of her activity. This is straight corporate ownership.

Strengths

• Complete control: employees get what they are given, which means that IT can exercise significant control over the devices and their software.
• Lower costs: it is easier to supply and support fewer endpoint devices, and the fact that corporate ownership enables uniformity means that in some (but not all) circumstances, there is potential for savings.

Weaknesses

• People like choice: even if it’s not in their best interest, most people like to exercise some control over things that affect them, including the endpoint devices they’re assigned.
• Studies show that choice begets productivity: people know what they want and usually they’re right.

Key features:

• Company-owned devices
• Lack of end-user choice
• Complete corporate control
• Complete visibility into activity on the device

Corporate ownership: Radar diagram

Cost containment Ultimately, there is a device for every budget. Corporate ownership allows the organization to select its preferred devices and make that choice uniform.	Risk mitigation Complete ownership allows for complete control. If risk is your number one concern, corporate ownership is an effective mitigation strategy.	Productivity Corporate ownership means no choice. While some staff will be happy with their devices, others will not. Inherently, then, there is no productivity benefit.

Perform a SWOT analysis of corporate ownership

3.1a 10 minutes

In general, the strengths and weaknesses of corporate ownership as a deployment model are enumerated in the previous slides. Every organization is different, however. Conduct a SWOT analysis to outline the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats presented by corporate ownership.

Instructions

1. Draw a table on a whiteboard or chart paper with four columns: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
2. Go around the room and brainstorm points to fit under each of the headings. (Definitions at right.)

Strengths: Immediate benefits of the deployment model.
Weaknesses: Immediate limitations of the deployment model.
Opportunities: Potential strengths of the deployment model.
Threats: Potential negative impact the deployment model could have.

Insert the results of the analysis into section 5.1 of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Bring your own device: More productivity (and management headaches)

More than 70% of business have adopted BYOD or are in the process of adopting BYOD (Maddox). It is a prolific solution, but not a panacea.

Definition:
A new employee arrives at his desk, pulls out his iPhone 6S, its case worn from overuse, and asks his supervisor, “what’s the Wi-Fi password?” He opens up his email app, syncs his email client with the company’s, and sends a message around to the office with his cell-phone number. This new employee is bringing his own device, and he loves it.

Strengths

• Employees will likely be more satisfied if they have to option to use their favourite hardware.
• Improved productivity can result from this choice.
• Potential cost-savings come from not having to purchase hardware for employees, and from not having to manage every detail of a hardware implementation.

Weaknesses

• Difficulty managing devices outside of IT’s immediate control: when employees bring their own devices into the workplace, IT loses some control. This presents a security risk.
• Juicy targets: the “…era of mobile workers using multiple devices has expanded the attack surface for hackers.” (SearchSecurity)

• Employee ownership
• Device variety
• Mobile device management software often employed

Bring your own device: Radar diagram

Cost containment Ultimately, making employees responsible for their own devices is going to be cheaper than buying them. The costs come from support and policies.	Risk mitigation Of all of the provisioning models, BYOD is probably the riskiest; IT has limited visibility into devices, does not control data, and could suffer from a lost device.	Productivity BYOD is widely popular, and the unfettered choice it’s associated with has been demonstrated to enhance productivity. Happy employees are more productive.

Perform a SWOT analysis of BYOD

3.1b 10 minutes

Adopting a BYOD device deployment strategy isn’t all sunshine and roses (though BYOD does have its benefits). Leverage your existing knowledge and codify your expected benefits.

Instructions

• Draw a table on a whiteboard or chart paper with four columns: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Go around the room and brainstorm points to fit under each of the headings. (Definitions at right.)

Strengths: Immediate benefits of the deployment model.
Weaknesses: Immediate limitations of the deployment model.
Opportunities: Potential strengths of the deployment model.
Threats: Potential negative impact the deployment model could have.

Insert the results of the analysis into section 5.2 of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Choose your own device: cost control with some user choice

Definition:
On his first day, a new hire is called into the IT department as part of his onboarding process. He is offered the choice of either a Windows PC or a MacBook Pro. He understands that, while he does have some choice about the device that he ends up using, the organization will retain ownership of the device and all of the data that travels through it.

Strengths

• Employee choice boosts productivity and satisfaction.
• Limiting employee device options can help keep costs down and ensures compatibility with endpoint management solutions.
• CYOD has been demonstrated to reduce costs in the past (see IBM case study).

Weaknesses

• It is more expensive to provision multiple devices than it is to provision a single type of device. CYOD is likely more expensive than straight corporate provision.
• There are likely more device preferences among staff than there are feasible device options. Despite best efforts, a CYOD model will not satisfy all users.

Key features:

• Corporate ownership
• Limited menu of devices offered to employees

We try to offer our customers some choices. We don’t push Macs, but we allow them. Dealing with Macs and supporting them is a lot different from supporting the Windows systems and the Linux systems we have out there.– Bill Clair, Applications and Customer Services, Principal Director, Aerospace Corporation

Choose your own device: Radar diagram

Cost containment Provisioning more devices means paying more money. CYOD implies at least some variety, which will ultimately result in higher costs.	Risk mitigation This score is high because the organization ultimately maintains control over device ownership and data. It is pure organizational ownership.	Productivity Device choice enhances productivity, and in this respect CYOD is better than straight corporate ownership, but worse than BYOD or stipends.

Perform a SWOT analysis of choose your own device

3.1c 10 minutes

Choice makes end users happy. However, it also has the potential to make end-user computing managers and service desk managers sad. Codify these strengths and weaknesses.

Instructions

• Draw a table on a whiteboard or chart paper with four columns: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Go around the room and brainstorm points to fit under each of the headings. (Definitions at right.)

Strengths: Immediate benefits of the deployment model.
Weaknesses: Immediate limitations of the deployment model.
Opportunities: Potential strengths of the deployment model.
Threats: Potential negative impact the deployment model could have.

Insert the results of the analysis into section 5.3 of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

IBM gave its employees choice – and saved money CASE STUDY

IBM
IBM employs over 300,000 employees worldwide, and while it is indisputably a tech titan, Big Blue’s straight-laced reputation means that innovation on the device front does not necessarily come to mind. Initially, fewer than 10% of IBM/s staff were equipped with Macs. This was less than ideal, however, as 40% of other PC users required service desk support.

Fletcher Previn and the Great Mac Rollout
IBM, led by VP Fletcher Previn, rolled Macs out to its end users, increasing their overall number from 30,000 to 90,000, and eventually targeting a goal of nearly 200,000 company wide.

Results
Fewer calls to the service desk (5% of users compared to 40% with non-Mac PCs) resulted in significantly reduced costs. According to Previn, although Macs are initially more expensive to purchase, over four years they can produce savings of more than $500 compared to similar non-Mac PCs. In addition, the Macs have been exceptionally popular, with users reporting a 91% satisfaction rating.

“If you make it simple and easy for people to use, they will pull it from you — you don't have to push it on them.”– Fletcher Previn, Vice President, Workplace as a Service, IBM

Corporately owned, personally enabled: the best of both worlds?

With BYOD’s strengths and weaknesses causing angst in CIOs’ offices around the world, a new solution has emerged.

Definition:
IT issues a new hire a smartphone with a pre-loaded OS and MDM software. The phone is new and flashy, and the new hire’s managers explain that she does not have to restrict her use of the device to work. The company will cover the monthly bill and carve out a space on the device understood to be for her personal use.

Strengths

• The devices are likely more cost effective than straight BYOD because larger organizations can typically get bulk discounts from carriers.
• Corporate control typically means fewer devices, which means lower overall costs.
• The organization owns all of the data on the device, which can reduce risk.

Weaknesses

• Users have less choice than they would in a BYOD setting.
• Some users may not be comfortable with storing personal information on a device owned by an employer.
• Employees might not be as careful with devices they don’t own.

Key features:

• Corporate ownership.
• No expectation that the device will be strictly for business use.
• Guaranteed compatibility with MDM

Corporately owned, personally enabled: Radar diagram

Cost containment Additional employee usage could drive up costs and reduce lifecycles for COPE devices, though this is highly dependent on organizational context.	Risk mitigation COPE is a relatively safe choice from a risk mitigation perspective, the only additional risk coming from additional use by employees on their own time.	Productivity Employees are bound to be more comfortable with their devices if they double as personal, but this is the extent of the productivity benefits.

Perform a SWOT analysis for corporately owned, personally enabled

3.1d 10 minutes

As a deployment model, COPE presents some challenges. There are also some benefits. Record how its strengths and weaknesses stack up for your organization.

Instructions

1. Draw a table on a whiteboard or chart paper with four columns: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
2. Go around the room and brainstorm points to fit under each of the headings. (Definitions at right.)

Strengths: Immediate benefits of the deployment model.
Weaknesses: Immediate limitations of the deployment model.
Opportunities: Potential strengths of the deployment model.
Threats: Potential negative impact the deployment model could have.

Insert the results of the analysis into section 5.4 of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Direct-to-carrier stipend: disintermediate for the good of your wallet

A new twist on an old favorite, a direct-to-carrier stipend is a step some organizations have taken in response to some of BYOD’s shortfalls.

Definition:
As part of her onboarding, a new employee is determined to be eligible for a credit on her bill each month based on her role. (If she had a different role in the organization, she would be eligible for more money.) Through an arrangement with the carrier, the credit is applied directly.

Strengths

• Significant choice for employees to select their own devices.
• Employees select devices based on their needs while the organization offers a flat stipend to cover its portion.
• Stipends can be tied to MDM adoption.

Weaknesses

• The fact that the organization does not own the device limits control.
• Some users might resist an organizational presence on a personal device.
• It can be difficult to provide services to a wide variety of endpoint devices.

Key features:

• Personal ownership
• Flat stipend paid to the carrier
• Based on an employee’s role in the organization

Direct-to-carrier stipend: Radar diagram

Cost containment The ability to tailor a stipend to each employee based on job duties is useful and can help keep costs down. Paying carriers directly can lower overhead.	Risk mitigation These are still employee-owned devices, so the organization does not have complete control. That said, the stipend can be tied to compliance, so that’s a mitigation.	Productivity Choice choice choice! DtC stipends are a good way to cover some of the costs of employee devices without dictating which device employees should use.

Perform a SWOT analysis for direct-to-carrier stipends

3.1e 10 minutes

Carriers would love to be paid directly and are more than happy to facilitate that arrangement. However, is this a deployment model that makes sense for your organization? Perform a SWOT analysis to answer this question.

Instructions

• Draw a table on a whiteboard or chart paper with four columns: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Go around the room and brainstorm points to fit under each of the headings. (Definitions at right.)

Strengths: Immediate benefits of the deployment model.
Weaknesses: Immediate limitations of the deployment model.
Opportunities: Potential strengths of the deployment model.
Threats: Potential negative impact the deployment model could have.

Insert the results of the analysis into section 5.5 of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Map your corporate priorities to a deployment model

3.1f 5 minutes

Once you understand how different provisioning models stack up, select one that aligns most closely with your organizational needs.

• Refer to the radar diagram on tab 3 of the End-User Computing Strategy Tool or the corporate priorities brainstormed in step 2.1.
• On a whiteboard, draw out a rough version of the diagram produced by the tool or by a group brainstorming sessions.
• Compare the radar diagram to the radar diagrams included in this step for each of the major provisioning models.
• From the provisioning models, select the one that aligns most closely with the radar diagram produced in phase 2.

A rough diagram will suffice for discussion purposes.

Map your corporate priorities to a deployment model

3.1g 5 minutes

Once you understand how the strengths and weaknesses of deployment models align with your organizational needs, select a model.

Instructions

1. Refer to the buckets identified in the End-User Computing Strategy Tool. Identify the fewest number of device/OS buckets that service the greatest number of your applications.
2. Make sure to refer to the output on tab 8 as well to determine which device/OS bucket has the most suitable device for your list of applications.
3. Compare the results of the activity on the previous slide to the buckets. Identify whether or not the provisioning models could work with the device/OS combinations.
4. Look for potential issues with provisioning models and devices: for example, is it possible to have employees bring their own desktops?
5. Record the results in the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Info-Tech Insight

If your organization has a diverse array of applications and end-user needs, you may need a large number of device/OS combinations and several deployment models. The goal is to minimize this as much as is possible.

Step 3.2: Determine the applicability of desktop virtualization for your organization

This step will walk you through the following activities:

This step involves the following participants:

Outcomes of this step

Determine whether or not it is in fact the “year of VDI”

Enterprise versions of VDI have been around for years, and vendors are quick to extoll their products’ various virtues (unsurprisingly).

There is more to VDI than the marketing pitch, however. In many cases, it’s a complicated and expensive transition, and, like all business decisions, it needs to be carefully examined from a value perspective.

This is the year of VDI!– Every analyst/vendor ever each year since VDI was invented

Info-Tech Insight

It doesn’t matter if it’s “the year of VDI.” Dispassionately review the business case for VDI adoption. If it makes sense for you, go ahead and ignore media naysayers. If not, it’s not VDI’s “annual status” that made it that way.

Understand the strengths and weaknesses of virtual desktop infrastructure as a delivery model

VDI centralizes control over end users’ desktop image, allowing for greater security and control.

Definition:
VDI allows you to disaggregate the application and OS pairing from the device. It’s an abstraction layer that breaks the application/OS/device dependency. It can be rolled out in a variety of different workplaces for a variety of reasons.

Strengths

• Complete control over the image that is pushed out to desktops, including version control.
• Potential cost-savings (commodity hardware).
• The ability to remotely access the network allows employees to work offsite and access apps on multiple devices.
• VDI improves security by storing info centrally.

Weaknesses

• The hardware required to virtualize desktops is typically more expensive than desktops themselves. Expect to spend more money on your comparatively more expensive SAN or HCI array.
• It may be difficult or impossible to virtualize some of your organization’s critical applications.

Evaluate VDI’s suitability as part of your end-user computing strategy

3.2a 1 hour

Answer a series of questions to determine if VDI is right for your organization right now.

1. Do you have the capital budget to pay for the server setup?
   • Do you have a mature bill-back process?
2. Do you have sufficient external/distributed bandwidth?
   • Do you have physical infrastructure capable of supporting virtual desktops on the scale you’re proposing?
3. Is your application distribution and patching toolset sufficient?
   • If you find yourself expending significant effort to keep your desktops up to date and patched, VDI could help reduce this pain. If not, the benefit it offers is limited.
4. Is there an organizational push to support BYOD, short-term employees, or a “work from anywhere” program?
   • VDI allows employees to work from anywhere and offers device agnosticism. If your organization has high turnover, has a BYOD policy, or encourages employees to work from anywhere, VDI’s benefits are clear. If not, not so much.

Evaluate VDI’s suitability as part of your end-user computing strategy

3.2a 15 minutes

If your organization does not have extra capital, bandwidth, or support for a BYOD-like initiative, and if your current state is satisfactory, it is difficult to make the case for VDI.

Info-Tech Insight

Consistent application suites across users is no longer required to make VDI worthwhile. Tools like Workspace One, offered by VMware, allow administrators to customize individual desktops with little in the way of additional effort.

Further explore the results of the activity in 3.2a

3.2b 20 minutes

Making it through the flowchart to the “maybe VDI” result is a green flag for VDI adoption. Before taking the plunge, however, it is important to further evaluate VDI’s suitability.

1. Are your applications already well matched to your device/OS buckets?
   • Yes: VDI may be a solution in search of a problem
   • No: VDI can eliminate some of this friction
2. Are you willing to spend money to address the issue of employees losing control of endpoint devices with valuable data on them?
   • Yes: VDI will help with endpoint data security
   • No: you may not derive much benefit from VDI
3. Do you have lots of employee churn or are you frequently re-provisioning desktops for some other reason?
   • Yes: VDI can save you provisioning time
   • No: the ease of provisioning is a key VDI benefit that you will not see
4. Can you take advantage of scheduled batch processing?
   • Yes: access to what is effectively a supercomputer can come with VDI
   • No: combined processing power will be wasted on you

If you want additional support, have our analysts guide you through this phase as part of an Info-Tech workshop

Book a workshop with our Info-Tech analysts

Book a workshop with our Info-Tech analysts:
	To accelerate this project, engage your IT team in an Info-Tech workshop with an Info-Tech analyst team. Info-Tech analysts will join you and your team onsite at your location or welcome you to Info-Tech’s historic Toronto office to participate in an innovative onsite workshop. Contact your account manager (www.infotech.com/account), or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.
The following are sample activities that will be conducted by Info-Tech analysts with your team:
	Evaluate VDI’s suitability as part of your end-user computing strategy The analyst will guide workshop participants through a flowcharting exercise to determine whether or not desktop virtualization is a reasonable way forward for the organization.

Phase 3 Guided Implementation

Call 1-888-670-8889 or email GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com for more information.

Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of 2-3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships.

PHASE 4

Finalize Your End-User Computing Strategy

Build an End-User Computing Strategy

Step 4.1: Build your end-user computing strategy

• Develop a plan to provision your supported device/OS combinations
• Engage with your security team to encrypt your applications and devices
• Outline a strategy to deploy/update applications to your device/OS buckets
• Back up and protect your sensitive data
• Protect your device/OS combination from injection attacks
• Ensure your device/OS combinations will comply with policies
• Ensure you have a plan to track your devices
• Develop a plan to decommission your device/OS combinations

• End-user computing manager
• IT security

• End-user computing strategy
• Easy-to read summary

Populate the End-User Computing Strategy Document with details of each device/tool

4.1a End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

The goal of this exercise is to produce a simple reference chart that illustrates how you have progressed in your implementation of your end-user computing strategy.

• Include a list of each of the device/OS buckets you have decided to support in the leftmost column of the table in section 6 of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.
• Proceed through the following seven slides and color code all of the listed qualities in the columns across the top of the chart based on their statuses.
• If it is complete (if, for example, a comprehensive asset management plan exists), color the cell green.
• If one will need to be produced from the ground up, color that cell red.
• If the asset management plan is incomplete but under development, color the cell yellow.
• Record the details of the answers to each of the questions posed on the following slides in the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Develop an easy-to-read reference chart to illustrate your organization’s end-user computing status

4.1a End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

The chart pictured below is a digestible summary of the End-User Computing Strategy project and can be shared with stakeholders.

End-User Computing Strategy. The headings are: Device/OS Bucket; Provision; Protect from loss/theft; Deploy/update apps; Backup & protect; Protect from injections; Comply with policies; Track; Decommission">

Maintain and update your application suite that reflects your delivery models and device form factors

Once you have determined which buckets EUC is willing to support, develop a strategy to care for and feed your applications.

1. Physically provision
2. Encrypt
3. Deploy/update applications
4. Back up and protect your data
5. Protect your devices from injection attacks
6. Ensure compliance with company policies
7. Physically track
8. Decommission

Plan to provision your supported device/OS combinations

4.1b End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

Once you have nailed down your application responsibilities, your supported device/OS combinations, and your deployment model, determine a plan to provision your device/OS combination.

1. Where will the devices be sourced from? Will they come from one vendor? Multiple vendors?
2. Will the devices come pre-imaged or will the internal help desk or the employee them self be responsible for configuring it?
3. Who will be responsible for selecting the applications that each device will come with? Ensure that this line of authority is established.
4. Who will be responsible for vendor relations? If necessary, who will ensure that service desk staff are capable of providing support to any unfamiliar device/OS combinations?

Info-Tech Insight

Provisioning devices can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. Recognize, however, that full service (pre-imaged devices, complete support package etc.) will be reflected in the price. Large vendors can take advantage of economies of scale. Note this when provisioning.

A large manufacturer engaged Dell to handle its end-user computing and reduced its EUC headcount: CASE STUDY

Protect devices from physical theft or loss

4.1c End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

Despite your best efforts, your devices will not always find themselves in your employees’ possession. This presents a security problem.

1. How will you ensure that the data on the lost or stolen device does not find its way into the wrong hands? How will you remotely wipe the device? Will you engage a vendor like AirWatch to facilitate enterprise wipes?
2. What steps are you planning on taking to prevent hardware from being misused by bad actors?
3. How will you encrypt data on your devices? If bad actors do manage to get hold of one of your devices, do you have a solution in place to prevent it from getting

Deploy/update applications to your device/OS buckets

4.1d End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

For reasons of security and functionality, it is essential to effectively manage patches. While SaaS-based applications require no patching, updating, or deployment, traditional thick clients typically do.

For many device/OS combinations, patch management will be relatively simple (this is doubly true if you elect to move ahead with VDI). If the device is off site or does not regularly have an internet connection, provisioning new updates can be difficult. Be sure to keep this in mind when developing your strategy.

Backup and protect your sensitive data

4.1e End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

Most applications – especially thick ones, but not exclusively – store important information locally on devices. Ensure that this information is backed up (employees often lose their devices), and that it cannot be exfiltrated by malevolent actors.

No matter what you do, odds are that someone out there wants your data. Take necessary steps to protect it.

1. Do you have a plan to encrypt your data? Encrypted data is useful, even if it does slip your network’s surly bonds.
2. Is your firewall configured to block sensitive traffic from leaving the network?
3. Do you have a plan to ensure that all employees are aware of your data security policies and the nature of the modern threat?
4. Can you track employee activity to ensure staff are not passing on company data?

Ransomware is a popular new way for cybercriminals to digitally extort businesses of all sizes. If you aren’t prepared, you could lose all of your data. Ensure that your critical data is not stored solely on endpoint devices.

1. Do you have a data backup plan?
2. Which vendors are you engaging/will you engage to back up your sensitive data? How regular are your backups?
3. Will your backup be on-premises or in the cloud?
4. Are you prepared for a cyberattack targeting your endpoints?

Protect your device/OS combination from injection attacks

4.1f End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

With the proliferation of cyberattacks on organizations of all sizes and types, endpoint security is crucially important. As part of your end-user computing strategy, ensure that you have a plan to protect your devices from malware.

1. What anti-virus solution will you employ to protect your devices from attacks?
2. Will you further restrict the hardware in some way? (e.g. lock down USB ports)
3. Which vendors will you engage to provide endpoint security?

Attackers can get into your network in one of two ways: they can either compromise the network itself or get in through a poorly secured device. While network security is important, it is not the primary concern of the end-user computing manager. Ensuring that endpoints are not compromised by malware delivered over the internet or storage devices like USB keys is, however, an end-user computing function.

Insert the results into the appendix of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Ensure your device/OS combinations will comply with policies

4.1g End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

Corporate policies around how employees use devices are important to protect the company from liability and other potential costs (including device damage). Determine how you are going to ensure that devices comply with your organization’s policies.

1. How are you going to monitor employee web usage?
2. Are you going to monitor where your employees are working or what time they are working?
3. Some unified endpoint management products offer this feature, and it can be used for security reasons (triggering two-factor authentication, for example).

Free from email?

It might seem far fetched in our connected world, but in some places it’s actually illegal to have work-related email conversations after hours (Schofield).

In 2017, a French law giving employees the “right to disconnect” from electronic communications in the evenings and on the weekends came into effect, following on the heels of a similar regulation passed in Germany in 2013 (Vasagar).

Insert the results into the appendix of the End-User Computing Strategy Document.

Plan to track your devices

4.1h End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

Consult with your asset management practice to determine what hardware is worth tracking? Sometimes the solution can be more expensive than losing the item.

1. Barcoding
2. QR codes
3. RFID
4. RFID + barcoding
5. Manual tagging
6. Serial numbers
7. GPS

Your logistical needs will ultimately dictate how you choose to track your assets. If you do choose to go ahead with GPS, particularly in reference to smartphones (which your staff are likely to have on them at all times), you could inspire pushback. In the United States, The Atlantic reports, “The legal landscape around tracking employees is murky. There’s no federal privacy law to keep businesses from tracking their employees with GPS, and only a handful of states impose restrictions on it.” (Waddell) Whether or not you can get away with it, the peace of mind that comes with knowing where an iPhone is all the time might be outweighed by the goodwill your organization loses.

Decommission out of scope or obsolete device/OS combinations

4.1i End-User Computing Strategy Document, section 6

An ineffective decommissioning strategy can lead to unnecessary costs for every organization. Asset management is the solution.

• A specific, controlled process needs to be in place to wipe all equipment and verify that it’s been wiped properly. Otherwise, companies will continue to spend money to protect data while equipment is in use but overlook the dangerous implications of careless IT asset disposal. A detailed documentation process to track your assets’ every step of the way to ensure that data and applications are properly disposed of. Detailed documentation can also help bolster sustainability reporting for organizations wishing to track such data.
• Better communication should be required. Most decommissioning or refresh processes use multiple partners for manufacturing, warehousing, data destruction, product resale, and logistics. Setting up and vetting these networks can take years, and even then, managing them can be like playing a game of telephone; transparency is key.

1. Do you have an asset management program in place?
2. Have you effectively communicated your hardware asset management plan to managers to ensure compliance?

Info-Tech offers two additional blueprints on asset management, one each on hardware and software.

If you want additional support, have our analysts guide you through this phase as part of an Info-Tech workshop

Book a workshop with our Info-Tech analysts

Phase 4 Guided Implementation

Call 1-888-670-8889 or email GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com for more information.

Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of 2-3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships.

Guided Implementation 4: Finalize your end-user computing strategy
Proposed Time to Completion: 1 week

Step 4.1: Build your end-user computing strategy

Start with an analyst kick-off call:

Then complete these activities…

• Develop a plan to provision your supported device/OS combinations
• Engage with your security team to encrypt your applications and devices
• Outline a strategy to deploy/update applications to your device/OS buckets
• Backup and protect your sensitive data
• Protect your device/OS combination from injection attacks
• Ensure your device/OS combinations will comply with policies
• Ensure you have a plan to track your devices
• Develop a plan decommission your device/OS combinations

With these tools & templates:
End-User Computing Strategy Document

Phase 4 Results & Insights:

• A strategy document facilitates informed choice between a variety of options. Policies are about implementing that choice. A strategy document’s value comes from the guidance around which policies need to be put in place.

Insight breakdown

Insight

The end-user computing manager’s job is to provide access to applications.
Be an advocate, but application choices belong to the business. Don’t encourage folly; if the line of business manager is in the process of making bad choices, use your expertise to discourage that. If the decision goes through, however, it is ultimately up to you to implement it, even if you have reservations.

Take an application-first approach.
Persona analyses are useful but can sometimes be difficult to conduct at scale. The end-user computing manager’s number one job is to provide the organization and its employees with access to applications. It is, therefore, logical to begin with applications when deciding which device/OS combinations make sense for the organization.

Insight 3

Endpoint devices are the primary conduit through which end users form opinions about IT.
If you want a positive impression (you do), an effective EUC strategy is a must. Your reputation is built on the devices and services you provide, and a positive perception of the department will increase stakeholder satisfaction, ultimately making your life (and the lives of everyone else in IT) much easier.

Summary of accomplishment

Knowledge Gained

• Minimum number of device/OS combinations to serve application needs
• Broad corporate priorities
• Applicability of various deployment models
• Suitability of VDI for your organization

Processes Optimized

• Device/OS selection
• Device/OS administration

Deliverables Completed

• End-User Computing Strategy Document

Project step summary

Client Project: Build an end-user computing strategy

1. Clarify your end-user computing needs
2. Outline your corporate priorities
3. Evaluate deployment models
4. Determine if desktop virtualization is appropriate for your organization
5. Build your end-user computing strategy

Info-Tech Insight

This project has the ability to fit the following formats:

• Onsite workshop by Info-Tech Research Group consulting analysts.
• Do-it-yourself with your team.
• Remote delivery via Info-Tech Guided Implementation.

Bibliography

Apple. “Business: Products and Platform.” Apple. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.apple.com/ca/business/products-platform/)

Android. “Put Android to work.” Android. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.android.com/work/)

Athow, Desire. “Top 10 best business laptops in 2017.” TechRadar Pro. 20 July 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/lap... )

Baron, Simone. “Millennial Workers Demand BYOD Flexibility.” Accelera Solutions. 23 October 2014. Web. 27 July 2017. ( http://blog.accelerasolutions.com/blog/millennial-... )

Barrett, Brian. “If you still use Windows XP, prepare for the worst.” Wired. 14 May 2017. Web. July 2017. (https://www.wired.com/2017/05/still-use-windows-xp-prepare-worst/)

Bitglass. “HIPAA Compliance, PHI and BYOD.” Bitglass. 2014. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.ciosummits.com/Online_Asset_Bitglass_H... )

Blanco, Xiomara. “Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 review: Samsung's best tablet screen is a sight to behold.” CNET. 22 March 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-galaxy-tab-s3-review/)

Bort, Julie. “Macs are a third as expensive to own as Windows PCs IBM’s IT guy says.” Business Insider. 20 Oct. 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.businessinsider.com/an-ibm-it-guy-macs-... )

Bouk, Josh. “How to use stipends to ensure BYOD success.” NetworkWorld. 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.networkworld.com/article/2984674/wide-a... )

Bramfit, Simon. “Was 2012 ‘The Year of VDI’?” TVP Strategy. 2 Jan 2013. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.virtualizationpractice.com/was-2012-the-year-of-vdi-19832/)

Branscombe, Mary, and Desire Athow. “Windows 7 review: Our final and definitive verdict on the best Windows operating system ever.” TechRadar Pro. 2

Sept. 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/windows-7-622923/review)

Capterra. “Top Patch Management Software Products.” Capterra. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.capterra.com/patch-management-software/)

Carey, Gabe. “After years of stumbling, 2-in-1 laptops will finally find their stride in 2016.” DigitalTrends. 2 Jan. 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/2016-will-be-the-year-of-the-2-in-1-pc/)

Casey, Henry T. “Lenovo Yoga 720 Review.” LaptopMag. 6 May 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/lenovo-yoga-720)

Chokkattu, Julian. “About 86 Percent of Active Apple iPhone and iPad Devices Run iOS 10.” DigitalTrends. 20 June 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ios-distribution-news/)

Citrix. “7 Enterprise Mobility Statistics You Should Know.” Citrix Mobile Analytics Report. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.citrix.com/articles/7-enterprise-mobil... )

Cobb, Michael. “Information security controls for data exfiltration prevention.” TechTarget. Aug. 2012. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/tip/Information-security-controls-for-data-exfiltration-prevention)

Evans, Dean. “What is BYOD and why is it important?” TechRadar Pro. 7 Oct. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/what-is-byod-and-why-is-it-important-1175088)

Fessler, Leah. “The three words that make brainstorming sessions at Google, Facebook, and IDEO more productive.” Quartz. 10 July 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://qz.com/1022054/the-secret-to-better-brainstorming-sessions-lies-in-the-phrase-how-might-we/)

Gartner. “Gartner Says Worldwide IT Spending Forecast to Grow 2.7 Percent in 2017.” 17 Jan. 2017. Web. 27 July 2017 ( http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3568917 )

GSA. “2003 Facilities Standards: 1.8 Life Cycle Costing.” General Services Administration. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017 ( https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101197 )

Hanson, Mike and Jenny Rains. “Staffing Desktop Support.” HDI Research. March 2013. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.bomgar.com/assets/documents/HDI_2013_R... )

Harter, James K., Frank L. Schmidt, and Theodore L. Hayes. “Business-Unit-Level Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, and Business Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Applied Psychology 87 no. 2 (2002): 268-279.

Howarth, Tom. “Will 2016 Be The Year of VDI—Sorry EUC?” TVP Strategy. 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.virtualizationpractice.com/will-2016-year-vdi-sorry-euc-35831/)

IDC. “Press Release: Commercial Notebooks and Detachable Tablets Will Drive a Return to Growth in the Personal Computing Device Market in 2019, According to IDC.” IDC. 25 May 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42595417)

IDC. “Press Release: PC Shipment Decline Continued in First Quarter as Expected, with Hopes for Improvement Depending on Commercial Replacements & Economic Stability, According to IDC.” IDC. 11 April 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41176916)

IDC. “Press Release: Worldwide Smartphone Market Gains Steam in the First Quarter of 2017 with Shipments up 4.3%, According to IDC.” IDC. 27 April 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42507917)

Investopedia. “Productivity.” Investopedia. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/productivity.asp)

Jones, Don. “Four reasons why VDI might not be right for you.” TechTarget. July 2010. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://searchvirtualdesktop.techtarget.com/Four-reasons-why-VDI-might-not-be-right-for-you)

Kulkarni, Govind. “Applying the Goals Cascade to the COBIT 5 Principle meeting Stakeholder Needs.” ISACA. 24 April 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. ( http://www.isaca.org/COBIT/focus/Pages/applying-th... )

Maddox, Teena. “Research: 74% using or adopting BYOD.” ZDNet. 5 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.zdnet.com/article/research-74-percent-u... )

Matchett, Mike. “Five Reasons 2014 will be the Year of VDI.” 1 June 2014. Web. 27 July 2017. https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2013/12/...

McLellan, Charles. “IT budgets 2016: Surveys, software and services.” ZDNet. 1 Oct. 2015. Web. July 2017.

Microsoft. “Windows Defender.” Microsoft. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-defender)

Microsoft. “Windows lifecycle fact sheet.” Microsoft Support. July 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet)

MOBI. “Bring your own decision: An alternative perspective.” Enterprise CIO. 1 Dec. 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.enterprise-cio.com/news/2016/dec/01/bri... )

Murphy, Alan. “2009: The Year We Virtualize The Desktop (VDI).” DevCentral. 7 Jan. 2009. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://devcentral.f5.com/articles/2009-the-year-we-virtualize-the-desktop-vdi)

NetMarketShare. “Desktop Operating System Market Share.” NetMarketShare June 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0)

NH Learning solutions. “4 Key Benefits of Desktop Virtualization.” New Horizons Computer Learning Centers. 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://blog.nhlearningsolutions.com/blog/4-key-ben... )

NPC. “The Myth of the Secure Virtual Desktop.” NPC Data. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.npcdataguard.com/The%20Myth%20of%20the%... )

Olenick, Doug. “Lost devices leading cause of data breaches, report.” 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.scmagazine.com/lost-devices-leading-cause-of-data-breaches-report/article/530198/)

Olmstead, Kenneth. “A third of Americans live in a household with three or more smartphones.” Pew Research Center. 25 May 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. ( http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/25/a-... )

Osborne, Joe. “Microsoft Surface Pro 4 review.” TechRadar. 20 July 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/microsoft-surface-pro-4-1290285/review)

Oswald, Andrew J., Eugenio Proto, and Daniel Sgroi. “Happiness and Productivity.” Journal of Labor Economics. 33 no. 4 (2015): 789-822.

Perez, Sarah. “Consumers Spend 85% Of Time On Smartphones In Apps, But Only 5 Apps See Heavy Use.” TechCrunch. 22 June 2015 . Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/22/consumers-spend-... )

“Q&A with Steve Jobs – WWDC (1997)” EverySteveJobsVideo. 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://everystevejobsvideo.com/qa-with-steve-jobs-wwdc-1997/)

Richman, Dan. “Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: How Azure will fend off Amazon Web Services in the enterprise.” GeekWire. 27 Jan. 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.geekwire.com/2017/microsoft-ceo-satya-... )

Rose, Tom. “The History of VDI.” Unidesk Blog. 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://blog.unidesk.com/history-of-vdi)

Samsung. “Galaxy Tab S3.” Samsung. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/tab-s3/)

Santo Domingo, Joel. “Asus Chromebook C300 (C300MA-DB01).” PCmag 5 Dec 2014. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2473070,00.asp)

Santo Domingo, Joel. “Acer Chromebook 14.” PCmag. 25 July 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.pcmag.com/review/346377/acer-chromebook-14)

Schmidt, Cory. “The Top 10 Pros and Cons of VDI Implementation.” Lookeen. 3 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017. https://lookeen.com/blog/the-top-10-pros-and-cons-...

Schofield, Hugh. “The plan to ban work emails out of hours.” BBC News. 11 May 2016. Web. July 2017.

SearchVirtualDesktop. “Definition: virtual desktop infrastructure: VDI.” TechTarget. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://searchvirtualdesktop.techtarget.com/definition/virtual-desktop-infrastructure-VDI)

SearchSecurity. “Mobile endpoint security: What enterprise infosec pros must know now.” TechTarget. N.d. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/essentialguide/Mobile-endpoint-security-What-enterprise-infosec-pros-must-know-now)

Singer, Natasha. “How Google Took Over the Classroom.” 13 May 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/technology/google-education-chromebooks-schools.html?_r=0)

Spacey, John. “Thin Client vs Thick Client.” Simplicable. 21 Nov. 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://simplicable.com/new/thin-client-vs-thick-cl... )

Spector, Lincoln. “Why you may want a desktop instead of a laptop.” PCWorld. 16 Sep 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. (http://www.pcworld.com/article/2048257/why-you-may-want-a-desktop-instead-of-a-laptop.html)

Sreenivasan, Hari, and Brian Fung. “Is your boss tracking your location from your smartphone?” PBS Newshour. 17 May 2015. Web. (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/boss-tracking-location-smartphone/)

Statista. “Global tablet market share held by tablet vendors from 2nd quarter 2011 to 1st quarter 2017.” Statista. 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.statista.com/statistics/276635/market-share-held-by-tablet-vendors/)

Statista. “Market share held by the leading personal computer vendors worldwide in 2016.” 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/267018/global-market-share-held-by-pc-vendors/)

Statista. “Number of smartphone users worldwide from 2014 to 2020 (in billions).” Statista. 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. ( https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/)

Stein, Scott. “iPad Pro review: A killer creative canvas with laptop-replacement dreams.” CNET. 8 June 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-ipad-pro/b)

Thakran, Shekhar. “iPad Pro 10.5-Inch and 12.9-Inch 2017 Models Come With 4GB of RAM.” Gadgets 360. 16 June 2017. Web. 27 July 2017. (ipad-pro-ram-10-5-12-9-specifications-geekbench-1712972 )

Westhovens, Erik. “2010. The Year VDI Really Starts.” Symantec Connect. 26 May 2010. Web. 27 July 2017. (https://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/2010-year-vdi-really-starts)

“Windows 10-Satya Nadella.” 22 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017. ( )

Research contributors and experts

Photo of Gina Anderson	Gina Anderson, Supervisor, IT Customer Support City of Arlington Gina’s past end-user computing experience comes from both the public and private sector. In her career, Gina has worked in municipal government, state government, healthcare, manufacturing, and healthcare.
	Bill Clair, Principal Director, Applications & Customer Services Aerospace Corporation Bill’s extensive IT experience began with his service in the US Navy, where he served for twenty years. Since entering the private sector, he has built experience in architecture support, enterprise applications, and customer service.
	Kirk Schell, Senior Vice President, Commercial Client Solutions Dell Following a career in the US Navy, where he served as both a liaison and a nuclear power officer, Kirk began work with Dell, where he developed extensive experience in product management. He holds degrees in engineering and business.
	Kaitlin Shinkle, Director of Corporate Communications and Product Marketing Jamf Kaitlin has extensive experience in corporate communications and public relations, including social media, internal communications, and corporate events. She has been with Jamf for two years, and holds degrees in public relations and psychology, and marketing management.
	Nick Thompson, Product Marketing Manager Jamf Nick’s role at Jamf is the logical result of his experience and education. He spent several years working on and managing marketing campaigns for Jamf, four years running his own design and marketing company, along with nearly six years at Apple. He holds a degree in marketing and finance from Bethel University.
	Terry Walker, Manager of IT Client Services at Morrison HershfieldA certified systems analyst, Terry has extensive experience with System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), Hyper-V Virtualization, Windows OS/Server, Networking, Enterprise Mobility Management, and IT Service Management. He has been with Morrison Hershfield for more than twelve years and holds a diploma from Royal Roads University.

Appendix A: Device and OS types

Build an End-User Computing Strategy

Understand form factor strengths and weaknesses: Desktop

Since the dawn of the personal computing era, the desktop has been the workhorse of commercial organizations. Cheap and powerful there is a lot to love.

Strengths:

• Powerful
• Cheap (relatively)
• Easy to repair (relatively)
• Desktops cover the widest range of computing capabilities

Weaknesses:

• Fixed location
• Lack of flare

Info-Tech Insight

While PCs may be easy to upgrade, unless you’re confident you’re actually going to take advantage, avoid letting this dictate your device form factor choice.

Understand form factor strengths and weaknesses: Hybrid

• Versatile – can be used as either a tablet or a traditional laptop
• Fairly powerful
• Portable
• Touch screen capabilities
• Modern and flashy

• Detachable keyboards can feel like an afterthought
• For laptop-level performance, expect to pay a premium for the same amount of computing power
• Keyboards are not always included
• Some concerns around battery life

These statistics from IDC show that the detachable tablet market is expected to grow over the next four years (IDC). Sales of traditional tablets, however, have flat lined, suggesting that consumers are excited by the versatility that comes with OEMs 2-in-1 offerings.

Understand form factor strengths and weaknesses: Laptop

• Portable
• Powerful (relatively)
• Users are typically familiar with laptops
• Can be paired easily with peripherals like monitors and keyboards

• More expensive than a desktop
• Fewer options (there is not a laptop for every budget and requirement
• Easier for end users to lose or break

Understand form factor strengths and weaknesses: Chromebook

• Cheap (likely the cheapest option, in fact)
• User friendly
• Portable
• Useable anywhere with internet
• Excellent battery life
• Easy to set up

• Internet connection often required
• Small hard drives
• Comparatively less powerful than laptop equivalents
• No Windows thick clients

The public education system is a powerful use case for light, portable computing. In order to keep pace with the increasingly digitized world, school districts have to equip their students with the ability to use the internet for research and collaboration, all without breaking the bank. Google has become dominant in this space, and now ships more devices to schools than Apple or Microsoft.

In less than 10 seconds, a student can grab a Chromebook and be off and running.– Rajen Sheth, Senior Director of Product Management, Android and Chrome for Business and Education, Google

Understand form factor strengths and weaknesses: Tablet

• Portable
• Flashy/appealing to tech-savvy employees
• Can be cheaper than some laptops
• Excellent consumption platform

• Not intended for intensive content creation (necessary accessories like keyboards often ship separately)
• Comparatively less powerful than laptops, desktops, or hybrids that come in at equivalent or lower price points

Tablet Tribulations

Since 2011, Apple’s share of the tablet market has more than halved, but no specific counterweight has emerged. The tablet market is fragmented, with no single vendor possessing more than 25% of the overall market, which is shrinking.
Source: Statista, IDC

Understand form factor strengths and weaknesses: Smartphone

• Portability
• Ease of use
• Ubiquity
• Battery life
• Comparative cost effectiveness

• Lack of storage
• Small screen
• Difficult to secure physically
• Less powerful than alternatives like laptops or desktops

This data from Statista shows that, unlike tablets and desktops, the smartphone market is projected to continue its growth over the next five years. As smartphones become more integral to everyday life, they are going to become more important to business as well.

Understand form factor strengths and weaknesses: Kiosk

• Low cost (relatively)
• Shareable
• Cheaper Microsoft licensing
• Easy to use
• Facilitates customer/end-user self-service

• Only one end-user at a time can be productive with a kiosk
• Fixed location
• Not particularly user-friendly (though not particularly user-unfriendly either)
• Difficult to customize for unique end-user needs

Kiosks have become the go-to solution for the service industry in its quest to cut labor costs. But kiosks have applicability beyond the customer-facing realm.

Understand how Windows 10 fits into your end-user strategy

A manifestation of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s belief in the importance of the cloud, Windows 10 is the company’s first SaaS-based OS.

Microsoft has long been the leader in OS software, and with Windows 10 it is leading the way into the cloud-based future. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 10 is available to many users as a free upgrade. Alongside this development, Microsoft has made a push with its own line of hardware, including Surface tablets and laptops.

• No need to manually upgrade—Windows 10 in distributed using the SaaS model, meaning that upgrades are frequent and automatic.
• Windows 10 ships with Defender—no need to separately purchase or install Microsoft’s anti-virus.
• The Windows 10 Store offers business applications in a closed ecosystem.
• Universal identity management

Quick Facts

Introduced: July 2015
Market share: 26.8% [1]
Developer: Microsoft
Compatible devices: desktops, hybrids, laptops, tablets, kiosks

Windows 10 is built for a world where everything or nearly everything both at home and at work is digitally mediated, where you want to be able to interact with your computing environment in the most natural of ways…– Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft

Realize the continued relevance of Windows 7

Don’t let its age fool you – Windows 7 is still a powerhouse in the enterprise OS space, with a market share near 50%.

Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, Windows 7 was widely praised, with at least one critic calling it “the best Windows operating system ever.” (Branscombe) What makes Windows 7 so great?

Benefits

• Windows 7 has significant market penetration because of its ease of use, and its optimization for traditional office desktop and laptop computers (as opposed to the tablet-focus of the less successful Windows 8 OS intended to succeed it).
• The wide availability of essential applications, including Microsoft’s Office Suite, makes Windows 7 a safe choice for enterprise.

You may have noticed that Windows 8 is absent from this rundown. Windows 8 was an innovative, touch-focused OS that never managed to penetrate the PC market in the same way that its predecessor did. That focus on touch has survived into Windows 10, where it has found more success.

Quick Facts

Introduced: October 2009
Market share: 49.04% [1]
Developer: Microsoft
Compatible devices: desktops, laptops, tablets, kiosks

Understand the implications of the proliferation of older versions of Windows

Between them, Windows 10 and Windows 7 have more than 60% of the desktop OS market, but older versions of Windows still abound.

Some organizations just can’t let go of their older systems. Whether this hesitation is due to budget constraints or application requirements, it has implications for IT.

End of life
Every OS must one day go to live at a farm upstate. When Microsoft ends extended support, as it has for Windows 2000, NT, XP, and Vista, security becomes a serious problem. The end of extended support means that no further security updates will be released, and can render systems vulnerable to hackers, as was the case with Britain’s National Health Service and the WannaCry ransomware attack (Barrett).

Quick Facts

Introduced: various dates
Market share: 15.66% [1]
Developer: Microsoft
Compatible devices: desktops, laptops, kiosks, tablets (Windows 8/8.1)

Recognize how macOS can be leveraged for your end-user computing strategy

Apple’s commitment to synergy between its hardware and software offerings has made macOS a leader in OS user experience.

Apple’s proprietary OS is intended exclusively for Mac devices (iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook laptops), but it still commands a respectable 6% of the overall PC OS market share. Apple has always placed a premium on simplicity and functionality, building both its hardware and its operating systems in-house to maximize their synergy.

Benefits

• OS and hardware designed to work together seamlessly with an emphasis on user experience that extends to other operating systems.
• The extensive App Store means that your organization can provision most applications without reaching outside of the ecosystem. Compared to alternative operating systems, the Mac App Store’s offerings are quite extensive.

Quick Facts

Introduced: March 2001
Market share: 6.1% (all versions) [1]
Developer: Apple
Compatible devices: desktops, laptops

Identify the potential benefits of iOS for your smartphone/tablet needs

iOS, now on its tenth iteration, powers Apple’s flagship iPhone smartphones, and its path-breaking iPad tablets.

Apple is the clear leader in the mobile/tablet space, and iOS, its mobile operating system, is a triumph of UX design that is category defining. Like macOS, the way iOS is designed to work with Apple’s hardware is impressive; the closed ecosystem, frequent updates that keep the majority of devices up to date, and the platform’s ubiquity in the consumer space are all major points in Apple’s favor.

Benefits

• According to Apple, there are more than 230,000 applications on the App Store focused for business.
• Apple did not release the first smartphone or tablet, but it revolutionized the former market, and practically created the latter. As a result, iOS is the gold standard of mobile operating systems.
• iOS is regularly updated and carefully curated, with more than 85% of iPhones and iPads running the latest version of iOS.

You‘ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.– Steve Jobs, co-founder and late-CEO, Apple

Quick Facts

Introduced: September 2007
Market share: 32.9 (mobile/tablet) [1]
Developer: Apple
Compatible devices: smartphones, tablets

Clarify the benefits of Android’s versatility

Not to be outdone by Apple, Google’s open-source Android operating system has an overwhelming share of the overall mobile/tablet market.

Unlike its cousin, iOS, Android is open source and proliferates on devices produced by a wide variety of manufacturers. If it’s not an Apple device, chances are it’s running Android (in fact, between iOS and Android, more than 99% of the smartphone market is covered) (Vincent).

Benefits

• Choice! Choice! Choice! As an OS, Android is largely device neutral. Whether your staff prefer a Samsung phone, an LG tablet, or even the latest BlackBerry, Android is the OS that has the widest distribution across devices.
• Android is specifically designed to facilitate a corporately owned, personally enabled deployment model by separating out business and personal applications.

Quick Facts

Introduced: September 2008
Market share: 64.2% (mobile/tablet) [1]
Developer: Google
Compatible devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops

Appreciate the potential of Linux for your organization

Linux certainly has its use cases – the amount of control it offers is unprecedented – but the work involved makes it difficult to justify.

Portability is for people who cannot write new programs.– Linus Torvalds, Linux creator

Benefits

• If you want to keep your outlay costs down and have exceptional software expertise in-house, Linux can offer an extreme degree of control.
• Linux can run on cheaper commodity hardware.
• Linux allows exceptional control and privacy. Windows and macOS come with features that may not be relevant to every organization.
• With Linux, if you like a feature of another OS, you can program it in yourself – a sort of cafeteria approach.

Quick Facts

Introduced: September 1991
Market share: 2.36% (mobile/tablet) [1]
Developer: Open source
Compatible devices: Desktops, laptops, kiosks, tablets, smartphones

Info-Tech Insight

When it comes to EUC, the use cases for Linux are limited. The lack of third-party support, and the expertise required to roll it out effectively, preclude all but the largest organizations from making an economically sound go of it.