In organizations today, employees not only use company devices to access sensitive work-related data, but also personal devices. Some companies don’t even issue company devices, but instead, follow the bring your own device (BYOD) approach to save on hardware costs. Also, employees use a wide variety of operating systems (OS), such as Windows OS, macOS, IoS, Android, and different web OS. 

This presents a challenge for companies in this era of remote work: how to manage the multitude of employee devices in remote environments?

To tackle this issue, many companies are adopting unified endpoint management (UEM) software, but why is UEM software considered the cornerstone of remote device management?

The endpoint is the riskiest point of cyber attacks

A Mimecast survey shows that 6 out of 10 businesses acknowledged enduring a ransomware attack last year. This causes on average 3 days of downtime and only 6 out of 10 companies got their data back. 

Attacks can come from malicious emails, password leaks, unpatched software security holes, and so on. The risk of losing access to employee devices is paramount in the work-from-home era. IT teams no longer have in-person access to all employee devices. To add to that, traditional endpoint management software is outdated because it is designed to only track a single computer operating system. Now, companies want software that can manage all employee devices—company-issued or not. This is why many businesses are beginning to use cloud-based UEM solutions to support their remote workforce. 

As long as the device is used for business purposes, it should be managed, protected, and updated regardless of whether the device is company-owned or employee-owned. Unmanaged devices are susceptible to cyber attacks and unauthorized uses.

UEM software is in huge demand due to remote work

Businesses now need UEM software more than ever. From the G2 category traffic data below, the unique visits for the Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) software category increased by 354% from the beginning of 2020 to September 2021.

This shows that when employees are working from home, companies are opting for UEM software to remotely manage employee devices.

This also explains why there is a huge traffic dip from July to August 2021—this is the period when many employees got vaccinated and planned to go back to the office. So there is a lack of incentive to buy UEM software when in-person IT support is available. However, the Delta variant of the coronavirus hit hard in September 2021 and many back to office plans were stopped. Thus, the interest in this category rose again to support a remote workforce.

Organizations of all sizes need UEM software

It is not just big corporations and enterprises that need UEM software. Mid-size companies and small businesses also show high interest in this type of software. From the G2 segment data below, 6 out of 10 reviewers for this category are either from small businesses or mid-market companies. 

This data highlights that even if you are not from a big company, you would still need to manage all of your employees’ devices that are used for business purposes. 

What are the top incentives to buy UEM software?

According to the 2021 G2 Software Buyer Behavior Report, security is one of the top three factors that small businesses, mid-market companies, and enterprises consider when purchasing software. 

A Deloitte security report highlights that endpoint threats are rising significantly due to increasing remote work and usage of IoT)devices. Companies struggle to manually secure every type of endpoint device because employees can use MacBook, Windows, iPhones, Android, and all kinds of BYOD to access company data.

UEM software solves this problem since it is designed to integrate with multiple types of devices. It is interesting that integration is also one of the top three factors small businesses and enterprises consider when purchasing software. UEM software brings security and integration to the table and becomes one of the best tools to buy today.

Organizations should consider using UEM tools

Did your organization encounter cyber attacks through employee mobile, IoT, or BYOD devices? Did the frequency of this type of endpoint cyber attack increase during the COVID-19 pandemic? 

If so, your organization should consider using UEM software for additional endpoint security to secure mobile and IoT devices, in addition to traditional laptops and workstations.