In 2025, endpoint management continues to evolve rapidly towards its Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) moniker, with the concurrent trends of capability consolidation (including acquisition) and multi-platform support. Today endpoint management leaders are grappling with not only dynamic changes to workforce location, but an expanding technology ecosystem across edge computing, AI, and IOT demanding multi-platform coordination across mobile, desktop, virtual, and automation environments.

For 2025 and beyond, the consolidate-and-unify trend will be a critical driver towards a single pane of glass UEM coordination, driving continuous device, application and data management and security policy alignment across complex enterprise landscapes. As part of the integration and consolidation trend, we can also expect to see a blurring of the lines between leading cybersecurity practices and endpoint management conversations.

What is Endpoint Security Management?

Endpoint security management is protecting all of the devices like computers, smartphones, and servers from cyber threats by enforcing security policies, monitoring activity, and deploying protective measures such as antivirus software, encryption, and access controls. It ensures that all endpoints connected to a network remain secure against malware, unauthorized access, and data breaches, reducing the risk of cyberattacks.

Who Needs Endpoint Security Management

Endpoint security management is essential for any organization or individual that handles sensitive data, operates in a digital environment, or connects multiple devices to a network. Key groups that need endpoint security management include:

Businesses of all sizes – Protects company data, employee devices, and customer information from cyber threats.

Healthcare organizations – Secures patient records and ensures compliance with regulations like HIPAA.

Financial institutions – Safeguards transactions, customer data, and financial systems from fraud and breaches.

Government agencies – Protects classified and sensitive information from cyber espionage and attacks.

Remote and hybrid workforces – Ensures secure access to company networks from personal and corporate devices.

Educational institutions – Defends student and faculty data while preventing unauthorized access.

Manufacturing and critical infrastructure – Secures industrial control systems and IoT devices from cyber threats.

In short, any organization that relies on digital infrastructure needs endpoint security management to prevent cyberattacks and ensure business continuity.

Risks of Not Having a Unified Endpoint Strategy

Today, most endpoint management leaders face the complexities of handling multiple dashboards across Windows, iOS, Android, Linux and more. Inconsistent interface capabilities, interoperability and policy deployment differences are just some of the daily operational challenges. The platform gaps can drive significant enterprise-level risks, including:

• Non-synchronized device current-state transparency, including report compilation complexity

• Inconsistent updates driving exposure from security gaps and/or configuration errors

• By-platform guidance integration driving room for manual errors between policy design and multi-platform deployment

• Limitations in scaling monitoring and/or security solutions, including leveraging of autonomous capabilities

• Vendor management complexity due to misalignment or misunderstandings in updating multiple platforms

For modern enterprises, the risks, operational and workload inefficiencies, and cost implications from endpoint management platform reconciliation are no longer acceptable operating parameters.

At Hypershift, we have worked with many organizations to help them define a unified endpoint management path forward. In the following section, we cover our recommended best practices in the planning process towards cohesive endpoint management.

Best Practices for Unified Endpoint Management

Few organizations are one-size-fits-all for endpoint management. We have worked with many enterprise clients to define the right-mix coordination of unifying capabilities across solutions to build a cohesive end-to-end view. For optimal enterprise-specific tailoring, the ideal outcome is understanding and aligning which capabilities across platforms present the optimum mix of device visibility while maintaining overall cost efficiency.

Before deciding, we recommend creating a step-by-step guide to evaluate current IT infrastructure and requirements.

It should look something like this:

Step 1: Inventory the Device, Application, Data and Workforce Landscape

• Inventory device, application, data - include automations that span the endpoint landscape and other near-term roadmap plans

• Identify existing endpoint management platforms in usage, costs, and contract structure

• Identify security issues, operational inefficiencies, and cross-platform reconciliation work effort required

Step 2: Create Ideal Unified Policy Framework and Solution Mix

• Define required security and compliance standards

• Create a consistent device, application, and data management approach

• Define optimal single pane view for device ecosystem, including ideal unified endpoint management workflow

• Define on-prem requirements for specific device, applications or data

• Define endpoint workflows which can be platform-agnostic, and whether authentication policies and channels are effective

• Identify best-fit of endpoint management unified view capabilities

• Identify deferred or necessary platform-specific exceptions

Step 3: Roadmap and Cost-Model Technology Architecture

• Evaluate architecture integrations including identify management, sign-on, authentication, and conditional-access requirements across platforms

• Plan API integrations between systems

• Define cost model for optimal mix of capabilities, including cost comparison to current-state manual platform reconciliation

• Build roadmap for implementation, including potential migration across UEM solutions

Step 4: Pilot Test and Migration Planning

• Create migration plan from legacy platforms, if relevant

• Build and test cross-platform management scenarios and APIs

• Build communication and user feedback plan

• Review dashboard reports for gaps in cross-platform visibility

• Confirm security controls and compliance enforcement

• Document cross-platform performance gaps, optimization opportunities and platform-specific limitations

Step 5: Ongoing Governance and Improvement

• Define schedule for regular compliance and security auditing

• Review efficacy and gaps in incident response workflows

• Establish cross-platform update workflow

• Review new platform-specific capabilities and limitations

• Define cost-efficiency and automation opportunities

Implementing Endpoint Security Management with Hypershift

We’ve worked with hundreds of organizations to align IT strategy and implementation with projects including endpoint security management. Learn a little bit more about us here at Hypershift and schedule some time below. We’ll start with a quick discovery call to learn more about your organization and find the next best steps. Book a call with us, and let’s talk.