How FileWave’s Multi-Platform Approach Reduces Complexity

Single-purpose endpoint management or unified endpoint management? Find out what’s best for your organization.


With each passing year, organizations manage increasingly complex device environments, with a mix of corporate-owned and BYOD computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones across a variety of platforms: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and Chromebooks.

Closing the Complexity Gap with UEM

Specialized tools originally intended to reduce complexity of each device type or function instead now result in a “Complexity Gap” as the number of controls and devices outpaces the staff needed to manage them all. This complexity leads to increased cost and IT time, oversights in standards and security, and is problematic for long-term management.

Unified endpoint management (UEM) evolved to bring simplicity, visibility, and control back to endpoint management. Rather than saying MDM is Dead, we acknowledge that mobile device management has evolved to UEM, recognizing a more user-friendly, policy-driven approach to endpoint management that reflects the complexity of today’s device environments. FileWave’s multi-platform approach to device lifecycle management grants the powerful insights and ease of use required by today’s IT Administrators.

Does Single-Purpose Management Simplify Work?

Gartner analyst Manjunath Bhat argues for the return to single-purpose endpoint management (SPEM) tools. The argument goes that single-purpose tools help to solve very specific management problems when used at large scale. This is undoubtedly true. But what starts out as single-purpose rarely stays so – as we saw when the PC lost its market exclusivity very quickly.

Are there times when these tools are useful? Yes. Here, it is important to note that products such as Android tablets aren’t really niche and don’t need a single-purpose tool, but that your retail kiosk may be the perfect fit for tools like this, as something specialized within a specific vertical or for a very specific user group, such as the frontline worker mentioned by Gartner.

More Device Layers Mean More Complexity

By 2020, it’s expected that the number of connected devices per person will be 6.58 – and chances are, people will want to use more of these devices for work.

The consolidated visibility as well as configuration and policy management present in FileWave make it the ideal tool for managing these shifting device landscapes. Single sign-on solutions and other workarounds needed for single-purpose management tools are not a replacement for a strong endpoint management solution.

With complex device landscapes, you are not “saving” by adopting a single-purpose tool, particularly for a mainstream device platform such as Android. This route will more often lead to gaps in endpoint management, with devices that remain unmanaged and unsecured.

Adapting to Change

Saying that unified endpoint management (UEM) tools have “no incentive to meet niche requirements” is not giving credit to UEM providers, particularly when talking about mainstream Android or Windows devices. The goal of UEM providers is to unify all of your endpoints, to future proof your organization against all of these changes.

There are significant dangers to single-purpose approaches to IT. Although built to scale, single-purpose tools fail to adapt well to changing environments – and let’s face it, device environments are not getting less complex. Without the right tools to scale and adapt to the future, organizations will struggle to support innovation and optimization as the marketplace shifts.

Want to see how a multi-platform approach can protect your organization? Attend a free demo to learn more about FileWave’s multi-platform endpoint management capabilities.

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