IGEL DISRUPT 24 Munich Sponsor Q&A Interview: Lenovo

In just a couple of weeks, IGEL will bring the End User Computing (EUC) community together for  IGEL DISRUPT 24 Munich.

We are excited to have this opportunity to showcase What’s Now & Next in EUC, and we are looking forward to a packed two-day agenda where attendees will have the opportunity to engage with leading analysts, pursue technical certifications and gain insights from the industry’s top experts.

We are continuing the IGEL DISRUPT 24 sponsor interview series with Andy Nieto, Senior Solutions Manager, and Joe Cleary, Senior Sales Engineer for Cloud Connected Devices at Lenovo. Read on for insights into Lenovo’s partnership with IGEL and why they are eagerly anticipating IGEL DISRUPT 24 in Munich.

1) Why does Lenovo sponsor IGEL DISRUPT and what keeps bringing you back?

Andy Nieto: Lenovo is the leading provider of Smarter Technology for ALL. As the global leader in personal computer devices, Lenovo is committed to solutions that empower and inspire. IGEL’s approach to cloud-connected solutions aligns directly with Lenovo’s empowering approach. The power of this robust collaboration drives our continued support and participation in Disrupt!

2) What are 2-3 things you would like attendees at IGEL DISRUPT Munich to know about your partnership with IGEL?

Andy Nieto: Lenovo’s industry-leading AI PC range will help increase end users’ UX and Productivity by enabling them to gain access to Personalized data, workflow, and device optimizations. Additionally, AI PCs will ultimately increase endpoint security and IT peace of mind, knowing your devices are protected and can support features such as predictive, proactive security and fraud detection. And the good news is, AI PCs aren’t just for Microsoft Windows…

Joe Cleary: Lenovo and IGEL’s partnership goes way beyond the hardware, or should we say our partnership goes below and beyond the OS.

IGEL is known for its industry-leading Preventative Security Model (PSM), which ensures the OS, Kernal, User authentication, and access to data are highly secure. Working with Lenovo, IGEL can now enhance this security posture by looking below the OS layer as well as increasing physical Hardware protection at the edge. Lenovo powered by IGEL is a truly secure solution above and below the OS.

3) What will your organization be presenting/showcasing at IGEL DISRUPT Munich? What do you want attendees to take away from your session/booth presentation? Andy Nieto/Joe Cleary

Andy Nieto: Lenovo will be showcasing our broad range of IGEL Ready devices and our supported peripheral ecosystem. We will highlight our desktop and mobile form factors, performance visual systems, and our award-winning “Docking Monitor” solutions.

Joe Cleary: Lenovo powered by IGEL is a partnership that goes beyond our supported hardware offerings and includes a solution stack of Hardware, Software, and Services.  Attendees will leave our stand/sessions with a deeper insight into the Lenovo and IGEL collaboration and vision for a safe and robust cloud-connected future.

4) In your view, what are the key challenges/opportunities for the EUC space in the next 3-6 months? What should IT organizations be doing as they prepare for 2025?

Joe Cleary: The three mega trends in our industry are AI, Security, and Cloud Native/First EUC strategies – especially with Win10 to Win11 migrations. With IT budgets continuing to decline while business operations continue to expand, every dollar spent on IT needs to be scrutinized, and every investment made must be as resilient and as future-proofed as possible – no pressure!

Microsoft Copilot and AI PCs are very hot topics…are the EUC devices you are looking at today capable of supporting local AI workflow offloading and acceleration to help reduce the number of calls/pings into Azure/your cloud AI provider which has the potential to save significant cost when implementing these solutions?

Although many customers have yet to explore these solutions, the chances are they will be in the near future. Forward planning any new EUC device purchases will help ensure your investments are not only future-proof but will help drive down the TCO of these types of AI solutions in the future.

Security, the market is already saturated with many security vendors, with a rapidly increasing number of new vendors or solution enhancements and add-ons coming to market. With all this noise, it is very easy for IT to become overwhelmed, lost and ultimately, overspend on security. When evaluating new security solutions, I would suggest not only looking “within IT” but also strongly evaluating how IT is consumed across multiple business and operational functions. You may find that by taking a Preventative Security approach or simply by changing one or two business/operational processes, you can close many perceived security threats in your organization without having to invest heavily in new hardware or security solutions.

With the increase in cloud-first/native and SaaS strategies, organizations must ensure that they have a robust business continuity plan in place combined with a rigorous application/firmware patching strategy. As we have seen in recent times, simply enabling cloud or SaaS service providers to autonomously release applications and DaaS updates into the world can have a significant impact on business operations and revenue generation.

A cloud-native approach can help accelerate the adoption of new technologies or operating systems within an organization. However, this can impact operational efficiency, resilience, and business continuity in the event of a disaster, and of course, ongoing OPEX costs must always be considered.

When evaluating cloud-native solutions, make sure that you do not overlook the benefits that a hybrid cloud or multi-cloud strategy can offer your business. Lenovo Think Agile Hybrid Cloud Solutions and IGEL-powered Lenovo devices can help keep businesses secure and can make a significant contribution to an organization’s Business Continuity plans

5) And, just for fun, what is your favorite thing to do during your summer holidays?

Joe Cleary: Spending time with family either abroad or taking the kids to theme parks, hosting family BBQs whenever possible, going fishing with my two boys, and the occasional afternoon tea with my two daughters.

Don’t miss the IGEL DISRUPT 2024 in Munich! Register today!