‘Think Changing’ the Financial Services Industry with IGEL

Ever try to change someone’s mind on an issue, a product idea, even what to have for dinner? Tough challenge, isn’t it? IGEL has the answer: it isn’t about mind changing; it’s about ‘think changing.’ At IGEL we’re asking customers to think differently from the start, that there is a better approach to the workspace, and it’s moving data into the cloud and data center, freeing people from clunky old laptops. I am pleased to be joining IGEL as a Canadian consultant working with the financial services industry to bring this new way of thinking about the endpoint to the banking industry.

IGEL’s way of disrupting thinking, of bringing an endpoint and OS solution to businesses that was simple and secure, came to light for me when I was with AIG. I already knew Ken Shipman, IGEL’s Canada sales director.  We were foot soldiers for years in the battle to change thinking around endpoint management.

After talking with Ken, Steve Bell, IGEL Vice President, Global OEM Sales, and IGEL CEO Jed Ayres, I thought IGEL was a dream come true.  My colleagues and I dreamt of simplifying the way people work, of streamlining and better managing the cost of the endpoint environment. IGEL did it all – took the data off the endpoint, gave people a device choice and managed the environment from a single dashboard. I became a fanboy!

Working with the banking industry to bring this change of thinking about the endpoint will be an exciting and rewarding task for me. The way the banking industry has approached the endpoint does really mirror how a lot of organizations still support the workspace. When COVID-19 hit, banks gave remote workers laptops which are costly and eventually become obsolete. A cloud OS like IGEL can replace those laptops with, for example, IGEL’s UD Pocket. The employee can use the device of their choosing, plug in the UD Pocket, have access to work apps and files, and when they’re done, take out the UD Pocket and return to other use. It’s simple, secure and can save banks millions in not having to purchase laptops with the inherent data risk.

IGEL’s UD Pocket and the IGEL OS are particularly important to banking which is governed by a slew of regulations and must have a controlled, secure environment for accessing any data. Another incentive is that the banking industry itself has evolved from the traditional teller model to knowledge workers. The new generation of employees wants to use multiple devices and expects access to higher end applications which IGEL supports. Lastly, as the banking industry looks ahead, IGEL is the solution already accommodating the future via integration with Windows Virtual Desktop, AWS, VDI leaders like Citrix and VMWare and rich media technologies. When new apps come into play, the IGEL OS is designed to change along with the technology!

This year I look forward to working with Ken and the IGEL team to change the thinking of the banking industry from laptops and beanbags to a flexible, secure environment that fits the future! Reach out and share your ideas with me at Loftus@igel.com.