Unified Endpoint Management (UEM), End User Computing (EUC), and Digital Employee Experience (DEX) all exist in the same technology realm. While there are (many) crossovers and similarities between the three, there are differences. Those differences are important to understand to ensure you implement the products, platforms, and solutions that your business needs.
After all, there is no point investing in what is essentially a UEM platform when what you are really looking for is a DEX solution. Similarly, a specific DEX product is likely to come up short when what you actually need is a fully fledged, all bells-and-whistles, UEM solution.
The problem is there is a lack of clarity out there in the technology world not least because the terms UEM, EUC, and DEX are often used interchangeably as vendors try to capture as large an audience (and user base) as possible.
Our aim with this blog is to demystify UEM, EUC, and DEX to provide you with more clarity when looking at your options.
Users, Devices, and Computer Networks
Definitions are a good starting point when demystifying UEM, EUC, and DEX. Let’s start with endpoints.
Endpoint
An endpoint is any type of device that connects to a computer network. This includes devices that run code and applications for users such as desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets as well as all variations of virtual machines – on and off-premises VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure), VDI cloud, DaaS, etc.
The term endpoint also includes devices that can be connected to a computer network but are not used or operated by people such as security systems, lighting, and thermostats.
Endpoint Management
Endpoint management describes the use of technologies in addition to policies and workflows to access and monitor endpoints. Common functions and objectives include controlling and authenticating access to the network, managing installed applications, and ensuring endpoints are sufficiently secure.
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
UEM describes the ability to manage all endpoints with a single tool.
End User Computing (EUC)
EUC is a collective term covering the technologies that give users access to the devices, applications, and data they need. EUC also encompasses technology-related policies and processes.
Endpoints are a part of EUC. DEX (see below) is also a part of EUC, as are UEM solutions.
DEX
DEX describes how employees view, use, and interact with workplace technologies including endpoint devices, applications, and digital processes.
Blurred Lines
Endpoint management platforms have been around for decades, right back to the time when computer networks were largely on-prem and endpoints were mostly limited to desktop computers and printers.
Modern UEM solutions are much more advanced with capabilities covering all types of technologies, protocols, and ways of working including remote access, cloud computing, and virtualisation.
DEX is the new category of EUC technologies. In fact, a better way of phrasing it is that DEX is the hot new category that everybody wants to be part of.
So, you now have products from industry leaders like Microsoft, Omnissa, Citrix, and Broadcom using their endpoint data gathering and monitoring capabilities to muscle in on the DEX space.
The same applies to well-established products designed mainly for a specific endpoint management function, such as security or issue resolution. Many of these products are also presenting themselves as DEX solutions.
But are they?
UEM Products: Are They Really DEX Solutions?
There is no doubt that many UEM products have DEX-related functionality and tools, but they didn’t start out as DEX products. And here is the difference between DEX products and UEM solutions that highlight their DEX capabilities.
The starting point for UEM products is technology – endpoints, data, technical metrics such as uptime, etc.
The starting point for DEX products, on the other hand, is users. Only when users are the focus of everything can DEX – the digital employee experience – be truly optimised. Enterprises will continue to need UEM solutions as factors such as technical metrics, security, access authentication, etc are still critically important. However, true DEX solutions, where the digital experience of users is at the core, will also be required.
Clarity Where Lines Are Blurred
The crossover between UEM, EUC, and DEX solutions will continue. We are a good example here at Access IT Automation as our solutions were developed with a laser focus on users. This puts our products firmly in the DEX category, although we also offer functionality that is more in the endpoint management and EUC space.
The most important factor is to understand your requirements and what you want to achieve across endpoint management, DEX, and the blurred lines between.
