End-User Computing Services: Everything You Can Expect
End-user computing describes technologies and platforms that enable all team members to perform tasks that were formerly limited to IT experts. Using things like centralized infrastructure, efficient storage, and virtual desktop solutions, an EUC system lets everyone in your company share files and access company data regardless of their technical knowledge. Here we take a deeper look at what you can expect from end-user computing services.
End-User Computing Services: Everything You Can Expect
From Centralized IT Management
Depending on a company’s size and operational complexity, it may have up to thousands of computers in its IT environment. It takes significant staff and resources to manage such a complex network, especially when there’s something to repair or upgrades to install. Your company can experience downtime whenever repairs or application updates are needed, as IT personnel must go around and address these issues on every single computer.
End-user computing services offer a solution to this dilemma, as all updates and patches are managed on one centralized workstation. For companies of all sizes, centralized IT management will reduce the need for a large IT staff to maintain multiple individual computers. This means you can expect less downtime, as application updates only have to be performed once. Further, only having to perform one update will reduce the possibility of errors.
Better Versatility and Mobility
Companies have realized numerous benefits from enabling more mobility in their workforce, and this trend was established well before the COVID pandemic. EUC services allow your team members to work from anywhere, which not only increases productivity but is now almost a requirement for attracting the best talent. EUC helps promote mobility, and it will do so in a way that avoids some of the pitfalls associated with more traditional methods. Before EUC, companies would typically provide employees with laptops or mobile phones that had to be managed by in-house IT staff. This put additional strain on IT systems and personnel, which added costs and raised system security concerns that had to be addressed. EUC services avoid these concerns by enabling team members to use their own devices, connecting to the system via virtual desktops.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Support
Today’s mobile workforce prefers the familiarity and freedom of sticking with their own laptops and mobile phones for both personal and professional use. EUC services can help enable this by supporting a bring-your-own-device policy, which optimizes productivity in addition to reducing expenses, as companies no longer have to purchase and support extra mobile devices. BYOD is a versatile solution with benefits that extend beyond the traditional business world. Any large organization such as a government agency or educational institution faces tremendous IT system challenges. Using an EUC service to support a BYOD policy makes managing the system far easier and more cost-efficient. This has already had a significant impact on the educational system, reducing economic pressure to provide students with computers and other technological tools.
Easier OS Migration and Updates
As many companies have experienced, operating system migration and updates can take several hours and bring productivity to a screeching halt. Beyond the amount of time they take, there are other challenges, such as cost, hardware incompatibility, and end users who are not comfortable adjusting to the new system. These challenges are even more daunting when OS migration and updates have to be performed on every end-user machine in the company. This process becomes dramatically easier with EUC, as only the central server will need to be updated. There is no longer a need for every end user’s computer to receive a system upgrade, as they will essentially just access the main server in order to perform their operational tasks. This saves significant time and allows companies to be more agile, which are important benefits when we consider how often today’s operating systems require updates.
Tighter Security
Companies today must be more vigilant than ever in protecting against cyber security threats, and this is another area where EUC services can help. Traditional IT systems with multiple independent end-user devices are highly susceptible to cyber threats, as not every employee is a security expert. It only takes one weak spot for a cybercriminal to access an entire system using things like spyware and ransomware attacks. EUC services protect against these threats by confining sensitive company data to one highly secure server. The server can be further secured with tools such as firewalls and two-factor authentication. Employees will then access this server as needed to perform their work, rather than compromising security by storing data on their own devices. This should give you a general idea of what to expect from an EUC service. Generally speaking, your company should benefit from greater operational efficiency, lower IT costs, and optimized security across your network.
