Security isn’t at the top of DEX's mind, but IT staff wants you to think again

Delivering the best digital employee experience (DEX) is a hot topic right now. Gartner says, "by 2025, 50% of IT organizations will have established a DEX strategy, team, and management tool, up from less than 20% in 2023”.

DEX technology is not just a game-changer; it's a revolution at its core, inspiring a new era of employee interaction and engagement. It encompasses the tools, platforms, and processes designed to revolutionize the digital work environment. This disruptive technology has the potential to alter how IT manages, patches fundamentally, and secures devices and apps today. By automating AI actions in real time, DEX can significantly reduce the cost and complexity of device management. This shift enables IT to focus more on higher-value tasks while still achieving a more secure, high-performing enterprise.

Organizations are witnessing the tangible benefits of DEX, such as improved employee satisfaction, higher retention rates, and increased revenue. DEX is gaining traction in hybrid work settings, where many employees operate without direct IT support. This presents a new set of challenges for IT teams, who must manage dispersed endpoints and ensure a positive DEX. However, the lurking threat of security vulnerabilities must not be ignored amidst the focus on DEX perks like faster logins and meeting corporate performance targets.

The IT department is facing many challenges, and we understand the complexity of their role. Hybrid employees are grappling with issues related to application access, insufficient training to onboard new software, and overwhelming notification alerts. Meanwhile, IT is juggling the daily onslaught of help desk tickets while also adapting to new tasks like integrating AI technologies into DEX. These challenges are not overlooked, and the resilience of IT staff in managing them is commendable. We understand and appreciate the hard work they put in every day.

The Marriage of DEX and Security

While IT is charged with constantly improving DEX, those improvements are futile unless we further integrate security practices into DEX processes. Without increased visibility, IT cannot keep up with vulnerabilities to discover and patch accordingly or obtain actionable insights when devices fall out of compliance. Another potential threat is the large variety of OS and application versions in hybrid work environments. While endpoint security software may be loaded on employee devices, the lack of visibility into how effectively it works poses an additional threat.

To be clear, a secure DEX solution does not replace an organization’s network, operations, or data security function, or installed anti-virus software. Its mission is to be the first-mover defense against threats, living at the desktop and application level, where ransomware often begins through phishing, social engineering, and human error. DEX that has been security-enabled can manage patching updates, identify misconfigurations, perform vulnerability remediation, enhance endpoint security, and monitor security controls already in place.

Visibility and fixing problems before they escalate benefit IT staff and employees. It results in fewer support calls, less employee troubleshooting, and more consistent application performance. Employees thereby have a better digital experience with secure desktops, more confidence in the work tools they are using, and greater productivity.

Regarding compliance, DEX solutions optimized with security in mind can protect employees’ personal data on their devices and flag and fix vulnerabilities that can lead to a data breach.

Putting a Secure DEX Solution to Work

Recognizing the importance of DEX, it is evident that employees seek seamless workflows without added navigational layers. Thus, security measures must stay in the background, avoiding disruptions to productivity. This is achievable with autonomous detection, smart remediation of vulnerabilities, and weak security configurations.

True Real-time detection is the key here. It determines whether devices, operating systems, or applications are compromised and whether they are running with incorrect or insecure settings. Finding these vulnerabilities and outdated patches is essential to preventing a cyber threat from gaining access and to conducting remediation before employees are disrupted.

Detection should also include evaluating the condition and performance of antivirus and anti-malware software and learning which devices meet industry regulations for security and compliance.

Along with risk detection, continuous remediation is a must. Vulnerabilities never stop, and neither can fix a misconfigured OS or application. Automation will save IT time and further ensure that when a security fix is ready or a security policy is updated, it can be quickly deployed across all devices. CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) remediation is also efficiently handled through automation, a significant benefit due to the never-ending streams of CVEs that are issued.

Desktop and desktop security admins are often overwhelmed with information overload when trying to understand the risks associated with vulnerabilities and weak security configurations on desktop systems. The solution lies in smart prioritization and remediation efforts, focusing on the threats posing higher risks to users, devices, and applications. This can be done with a risk-scoring system that analyzes trends and assesses compliance levels. evaluate patching status, and identify areas where misconfiguration poses a risk.

When You Think DEX, Think Security

Now that hybrid work is firmly entrenched as an accepted way of working, the need for a positive, secure digital employee experience must be a fundamental element in any organization’s strategic operations. What good is a custom-tailored AI analysis if the data has been compromised because a CVE wasn’t patched appropriately? When employees and devices are all over the globe, security-centric DEX is the digital glue that holds together a team and influences whether it can be productive or, in the worst case, be prevented from meeting deadlines because of a data breach.

Research indicates that more and more IT organizations will have a DEX strategy in place by 2025. It’s a great time for businesses forming their DEX strategy or those with some DEX deployment already to consider security when considering DEX.