How do you choose which software solution is most secure to run on your VDI/Cloud endpoints? Sure, demos, white papers, collateral, and customer success stories give you some idea as to the strengths and weaknesses of a potential solution. But it’s hard to do a direct, side by side comparison of the current Thin Client endpoint software options out there. 

That was the challenge industry expert Patrick Coble, Founder of VDISEC, sought to tackle when he began to write his independent report that provides an in-depth security comparison between five leading EUC endpoint vendors: Dell, HP, IGEL, Stratodesk and Unicon. 

Patrick is a veteran security and VDI consultant and Citrix User Group Community leader who’s been awarded the Citrix CTP and VMware EUC vExpert designations based on his decades of experience and community support, speaking with audiences worldwide on Security and VDI topics.

“Security is the primary component enterprises are considering when choosing which EUC endpoint vendor they will go with” says Patrick Coble. “This report focuses on the key security features and software components that matter the most to business leaders, and compares them side by side. In regards to a report like this that really compares the nuts and bolts of the different leading solutions, there’s not been a lot available. By getting this report out there, we hope to make the decision process easier for IT leaders around the world.”

Security Continues to be Growing Concern for Enterprises

In 2021, cyberattacks are on the rise. This is due not only to the increasing availability of data and profitability of cybercrime, but also thanks to the massive workplace shift that occurred in 2020 and continues to be a major stumbling block for businesses today. Workers shifting from in office to remote work has created an influx in opportunity for cyber criminals to target businesses. 

Studies have found that there has been an upwards of 50% increase in cyberattacks on organizations since the pandemic. 

As if that weren’t bad enough, INTERPOOL reports that in one four-month period, 907,000 spam messages, 737 incidents related to malware and 48,000 malicious URLs – all related to COVID-19 – were detected by one of their private sector partners.

“The numbers are concerning,” says Coble. “This is why our clients and VDI customers are taking deeper than ever dives into the security specific details of their endpoint solution. They need to know that it will help them in their battle to keep their digital perimeter secure in an increasingly mobile world.”

Technology Can Help Defend Against Cyber Threats

In order to defend against these threats, many businesses have doubled down on their digital strategy. Many have increased their investment in Virtual Desktops, while others have sought to combine VDI and VPN technologies to ensure security without compromising on productivity. 

The Report from VDISEC Demystifies the Pros and Cons of Specific EUC Software Solutions

For whatever reason, traditionally there has been a struggle to find current, relevant information on existing endpoint solutions. Unlike the hardware side of the equation– where discerning the competitive differentiators between say a thin client and a new laptop is relatively straightforward – deciding between EUC endpoint operating systems has been more difficult. 

This is partly due to the immense amount of information needed to articulately make this decision. 

Coble’s report makes the decision process much easier thanks to his side-by-side comparison of the security features and benefits each major endpoint operating system has to offer. 

Scoring Methodology and the Verdict

For Coble’s scoring, judging was broken up between how the leaders stacked up across each of the primary areas of importance in regards to VDI endpoint security. The best vendor in each category received a one, and then each other vendor was ranked with higher scores from two to five. The vendor with the lowest total score represents the leader in VDI Endpoint Software Security.

Coble scored each category across the security features that are most important to the majority of enterprises looking for a secure endpoint solution for their VDI/Cloud deployment

After a comprehensive analysis of:

• VDI Client Version
• Endpoint Ports
• Server Ports 
• Firmware Version
• Client Management Version
• Management Server Options
• Management Server Platform
• Management Server Components
• Management Server Database
• Multi-factor Authentication Capabilities 
• USB Policy Control
• Component Management
• Update Method
• Release Notes

Once all of the sections were tallied, Stratodesk came out as a clear winner. In fact, Stratodesk was ranked number one in almost every single category.

Thanks to this report, more system administrators around the world can join the countless satisfied Stratodesk customers, ensuring that their solution can ensure the highest level of security, flexibility and reliability directly out of the box with the least amount of hassle from IT management.