The Endpoint Strategy Gap: A Unified Platform Vision for the AI Era

Most higher education IT organizations have accumulated their endpoint management tools incrementally—one for mobile devices, another for desktop patching, a third for VDI, perhaps a fourth for security monitoring. Each solved a real problem at the time. But the resulting patchwork creates fragmented visibility, inconsistent security policies, duplicated administrative effort, and rising costs that limit investment in strategic priorities. This matters now more than ever: the AI-driven capabilities institutions are eager to adopt—predictive analytics, automated remediation, digital experience monitoring—all depend on comprehensive, unified data across the device estate. Partial data produces partial and potentially misleading insights. This session offers a framework for evaluating and consolidating endpoint tools into a coherent platform strategy. We devote the most time to consensus-building because that is where consolidation efforts most often stall in higher education. We map stakeholder concerns and demonstrate practical strategies for each. Attendees will begin a current-state assessment during the session and leave with a total cost of ownership model and a phased migration roadmap.