While a uniform virtual environment was sufficient for years, today’s hybrid reality presents daily challenges for admins. Employees log in from home, the office, or on the road, often using devices of their own choosing and with varying application needs. For IT departments, this means a delicate balance between control, flexibility, and security. According to Andreas van Wingerden, Pre-Sales Consultant Northern Europe at Liquidware, many organizations are still caught between the past and the future. We spoke with him about the inevitable transition to modern, hybrid workplaces.
Disclaimer: This interview was conducted shortly before Van Wingerden’s recent passing. We appreciate him as a person, his dedication to the IT industry, and the valuable insights he has shared with the media over the years. With the approval of Liquidware and his family, it was decided to publish this interview after all.
For decades, a “one size fits all” approach prevailed: every employee was given exactly the same digital workplace. It made management straightforward, but limited the user. The coronavirus pandemic shook that model to its foundations. Suddenly, working from home had to be facilitated on a massive scale, and flexibility proved not only feasible but often even more productive. Today, IT departments know that no two employees are alike. A graphic designer with heavy GPU loads needs different facilities than an office worker who mainly works in the office. Managing the modern workplace is therefore no longer about uniformity, but about customization. The infrastructure must adapt to the user, rather than the other way around.
At the same time, new generations of employees demand more autonomy. They no longer allow themselves to be pinned down to a single standard device or fixed workplace. IT departments that do not support this risk losing employee productivity and job satisfaction. A hybrid approach that combines multiple devices, platforms, and working patterns is an absolute requirement.
The reality behind modernization
Anyone who thinks that modernization is synonymous with a smooth transition to the cloud is often disappointed. The reality is more complicated. Many organizations still run critical systems on-premises, while at the same time wanting to use cloud applications. As a result, traditional management with domains and Group Policy Objects (GPOs) is slowly disappearing. Microsoft Intune offers an alternative, but in practice, it is less streamlined. “What you used to manage centrally with GPOs now has to be set up in different places in Intune,” explains Van Wingerden. “For many admins, that feels like a step backward in terms of flexibility.”
Moreover, cloud usage does not always deliver the promised cost savings. Hidden items related to data egress, additional licenses, and more complex services often tip the balance. At the same time, the role of IT staff is shifting from less executive to more managerial. “The move from the internal IT department being purely operational to taking on a more managerial role creates new functions rather than direct savings,” says Van Wingerden. It forces organizations to take a more critical look at which workloads really benefit from the cloud and which are better off running on-premises.
Costs, compliance, and complexity
A hybrid model inevitably involves more complex budgeting. Costs for virtual machines, storage, or licenses only become apparent over time, which means financial surprises are lurking. Technical factors also play a role. Some applications perform better locally due to latency or regulations, while others benefit from cloud scalability. The result? Hybrid is not only a choice, but often the only realistic option.
In addition, there is growing attention for data sovereignty. The public sector, in particular, is struggling with the question of whether sensitive data should be stored in American clouds, given geopolitical tensions and strict regulations such as the GDPR and NIS2. For certain workloads, this is leading to a striking trend in the form of a ‘back to office motion’, whereby employees are deliberately logging in from the office because crucial data is only accessible there.
Context as a weapon
The traditional closed workplace no longer suffices in this new landscape. Zero Trust is becoming the starting point, with dynamic verification per user and context. “We can say: based on the user’s context, we make things possible or impossible within that Windows workplace,” says Van Wingerden. Think of applications that run locally at the office but are available as remote apps when working from home. This creates a balance between ease of use and security.
This context-sensitive approach is sorely needed. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting endpoints and user accounts, where traditional perimeters fall short. By dynamically linking access rights to role, location, and device, security remains robust without disrupting daily operations.
New approach to application management
Software rollout is also becoming more dynamic. In the past, software was installed permanently and, in some cases, in isolation. Modern platforms now deliver apps on demand, only to those who are entitled to them. “It’s not virtualization, but you do disconnect it,” says Van Wingerden. “It’s a real Windows application, only delivered dynamically when we, as an organization, decide you can have it.” This reduces both the management burden and the attack surface.
External pressure
Organizations are also receiving an external incentive to modernize: the announced end of Ivanti Workspace Control (IWC, formerly RES) at the end of 2026. For those who still rely heavily on IWC, this means a race against time. “The phone is ringing off the hook here. We’re getting a lot of questions about alternatives,” says Van Wingerden.
The transition from IWC to modern management solutions requires more than just technical migration. Organizations need to reassess their compliance, governance, and policy frameworks. Functionalities that were once included in GPOs need to be reconfigured in new ways. Adoption is often slower than suppliers predict. “The average organization is two years behind in terms of adoption compared to what ISVs initially launch,” notes Van Wingerden. Suppliers, therefore, play a crucial role in knowledge transfer and guidance.
The way forward
The essence of modern workplace management is context. Not every employee needs the same rights, applications, or security levels. By focusing on that context, a single management environment can still facilitate completely different workplaces. This does require close collaboration between IT and the business.
Those who carefully navigate this hybrid journey gain more than technical flexibility. It ensures satisfied employees, better security, and a more robust IT strategy. Or as Van Wingerden sums it up: “It’s not about blindly following a trend, but about making conscious choices that suit your organization.”
Read also: To what extent do you still need to manage Windows workplaces and profiles?