UEM Trends 2026: Scalefusion Research Insights

If 2025 felt like a turning point for enterprise security, 2026 is the year businesses finally feel the weight of everything happening at once: political uncertainty, AI-powered cybercrime, device sprawl, hybrid work chaos, and regulatory pressure.

In our 2026 Scalefusion Research Review, one thing became clear: UEM is no longer a device management function. It is becoming the strategic backbone of enterprise security and operations.

As our analysts compiled global data across surveys, industry reports, and conversations with IT leaders, a story emerged that shows how endpoint security, workforce behavior, and digital governance are evolving together.

Below is that story.

Security spending surges as threats go beyond the screen

In 2026, organizations are shifting from reactive IT spending to proactive defense. The top driver of budget growth is security itself, with 57 percent of organizations planning to increase technology spending in 2026, up from 48 percent in 2024 and 53 percent in 2025. Political instability and the rapid advancement of cybercriminal tooling are reshaping how enterprises think about risk.

Ransomware continues its upward climb. A new QBE study predicts a 40 percent spike in publicly named ransomware victims by the end of 2026, signaling that attacks are becoming more targeted, more public, and more destructive.

11 UEM trends to look out for in 2026

As security spending rises and threats grow more sophisticated, the role of Unified Endpoint Management is expanding rapidly. UEM is no longer a backend IT function. It is becoming the connective layer between identity, devices, compliance, user experience, and real-time security response.

The following eleven trends outline how organizations are reshaping their endpoint strategy, what pressures are driving change, and where modern UEM platforms must evolve to meet expectations in 2026 and beyond.

Trend 1: Employee device freedom redraws endpoint boundaries

Hybrid work did not just normalize personal devices. It made them central to how employees get work done. As employees use their own smartphones, tablets, and laptops for business tasks, IT teams must manage far more unpredictable device behavior.

According to Bitglass, 69 percent of organizations now allow personal devices. While this brings flexibility, it also introduces new risks. IT leaders cite their biggest concerns as:

• 63 percent worrying about data leakage
• 53 percent concerned about unauthorized access
• 52 percent facing increased malware exposure

Lenovo’s research highlights how intertwined personal and corporate usage has become:

• Half of employees check personal email on work devices
  
  • 32 percent shop online
  • 28 percent use social media
  • 24 percent let family members borrow their work device
  • 7 percent visit illegal streaming sites

These behaviors create real exposure. For example, a child using a work tablet to watch a video can unknowingly click a malicious link, introducing hidden risks.

To manage this blended environment, 2026 UEM strategies emphasize:

• Policy enforcement that follows the user
• Device health checks instead of trust by ownership
• SASE-integrated controls for consistent protection across networks

UEM has effectively become the seatbelt for BYOD, always present, rarely intrusive, and critical when risk arises.

Trend 2: Consolidation accelerates, true UEM finally takes shape

For years, organizations have relied on a mix of MDM, EMM, endpoint security, patching tools, compliance dashboards, and risk platforms. By 2026, the friction caused by this fragmentation is too significant to ignore.

The operational strain is clear:

• 16 percent still manage IT risk in silos
• 42 percent struggle when switching between systems
• 33 percent report collaboration gaps across teams
• 19 percent have too many cybersecurity tools to maintain visibility

These issues often create real-world security gaps. For instance, a patching tool may not communicate with a compliance dashboard, allowing critical vulnerabilities to remain undetected.

Organizations are responding by consolidating into unified platforms. Modern UEM is evolving into an intelligent operations hub that combines:

• AI-driven analytics
• Real-time remediation
• Automated patching
• Firmware integrity monitoring
• Unified policies across operating systems and device types

By 2026, UEM shifts from a device management tool to an enterprise command center that brings visibility and action into one place.

Trend 3: Cloud-first MDM becomes the default

Legacy on-prem MDM systems cannot support the speed and scale required by modern, distributed workforces. Cloud-native platforms have become the standard.

By 2023, 60 percent of MDM deployments had already moved to the cloud. By 2026, most new workloads are expected to be cloud-native. A remote employee who once required days of manual setup can now be onboarded in minutes.

Organizations choose cloud-first MDM for:

• Faster deployment
• Lower upfront cost
• Seamless support for distributed teams
• Instant scalability for growth and seasonal fluctuations

Cloud-first is no longer a preference. It is essential for agility in modern IT environments.

Trend 4: Beyond laptops, UEM expands to IoT, XR, and Edge

Enterprise endpoints now include far more than laptops and smartphones. Organizations rely on a growing range of immersive and connected devices such as:

• AR and VR headsets
• Wearables and smart scanners
• Edge sensors and automation systems
• Conference room displays and digital signage
• Rugged IoT devices in logistics and field operations

With an estimated 30 billion IoT devices coming online by 2026, every additional connected device becomes a potential threat vector. A smart meeting room display running outdated firmware, for instance, can be hijacked as a foothold into internal networks.

Compounding the issue, 70 percent of organizations use multiple UEM platforms, especially when managing rugged or IoT devices separately. This creates operational complexity and visibility gaps.

The need in 2026 is clear: one platform capable of managing every endpoint regardless of form factor or operating system.

Trend 5: Zero trust becomes native to UEM

Zero Trust has evolved from a conceptual framework into an operational requirement. Organizations now require:

• Continuous authentication
• Real-time device posture checks
• Identity-based, context-aware access

The shift is rapid. Only about 30 percent say their IAM systems are fully integrated today, but IAM and UEM integrations grew from 11 percent in 2021 to 47 percent in 2023.

A real-world example illustrates the change. Instead of granting access simply because a password is correct, modern UEM evaluates device health, geolocation, behavior, and risk signals before approving access.

Zero Trust is no longer an add-on. It is now built into the foundation of modern UEM platforms.

Trend 6: Firmware integrity becomes the new security battleground

Attackers are moving below the operating system to target firmware, BIOS, and silicon, where traditional tools have limited visibility.

The threat is rising:

• 69 percent of organizations experienced a hardware or firmware attack in 2023
• That number is expected to exceed 70 percent by 2026
• In 2025, the Volt Typhoon APT exploited router firmware vulnerabilities to gain stealthy access

Firmware attacks allow adversaries to remain hidden for long periods. A compromised BIOS can reinfect the OS even after a full reinstall.

To counter this, modern UEM platforms are introducing:

• Automated firmware patching
• BIOS integrity and boot validation
• Hardware-root-of-trust checks
• Supply-chain provenance tracking

Only a quarter of organizations update firmware regularly, making this a critical frontier in 2026.

Trend 7: Automation fixes patching, the most persistent vulnerability

Unpatched vulnerabilities remain one of the most preventable sources of breaches. The data highlights the challenge:

• 20 percent of breaches stem from known, unpatched vulnerabilities
• 70 percent of IT teams spend more than six hours per week on patching
• 60 percent of breach victims were compromised through a known flaw
• 52 percent still rely on manual patching

A laptop that goes offline for days or remains outside the VPN can miss critical updates, creating exploitable gaps.

Modern UEM platforms address this with:

• Extensive application patch catalogs
• Automated rollout pipelines
• Off-hours scheduling
• Support for remote and hybrid environments

Automation turns patching into a continuous, low-interruption process and significantly reduces risk.

Trend 8: Real-time endpoint intelligence becomes mandatory

Visibility has become a primary pillar of security. Organizations cannot protect what they cannot see.

Our research from the UK shows:

• 67 percent of IT leaders lack full visibility of their device fleet
• More than 50 percent now prioritize real-time visibility
• 88 percent of MDM users report real-time malware monitoring

Modern UEM platforms provide:

• Live endpoint inventories
• Instant configuration checks
• Real-time anomaly detection
• Automatic quarantine of suspicious devices

UEM now delivers continuous endpoint intelligence, enabling organizations to act proactively rather than reactively.

Trend 9: AI and behavioral analytics turn UEM into a predictive system

AI adoption inside enterprises continues to accelerate:

• 78 percent use AI in at least one function
• 54 percent plan to increase generative AI spending
• Adoption has reached 40 percent of organizations overall

Security workloads increasingly rely on AI for MFA, EDR, cloud backup, and threat analytics.

The next evolution is prediction. Modern UEM platforms now:

• Build behavioral baselines
• Assign dynamic risk scores
• Detect anomalies instantly
• Initiate automated remediation

Improving analytics is a top priority for CPOs, and MDM improves data quality by 20 percent. AI-enabled UEM merges identity, device, and context signals into one continuous risk model.

The result is a system that shifts from reactive defense to predictive, self-correcting protection.

Trend 10: Compliance mandates reshape endpoint governance

Compliance is now a strategic priority that influences technology investment and operational design.

Over the past three years:

• 70 percent of compliance teams advanced from basic processes to integrated programs
• Only 7 percent consider themselves leaders
• 38 percent aim to reach leadership tier within three years
• 82 percent plan to increase compliance automation investments

Industries with high regulatory pressure rely on UEM for automated configuration enforcement, audit-ready logs, and continuous monitoring.

UEM is increasingly positioned as a core compliance engine, not just a management tool.

Trend 11: Digital employee experience becomes the north star

Endpoints now define how employees feel about the digital workplace. As hybrid work expands, Digital Employee Experience, or DEX, is becoming central to endpoint strategy.

Key industry signals include:

• 64 percent of mature DEX organizations reduced service desk volume
• 26 percent of ITSM leaders list DEX as a top trend
• By 2026, 50 percent of digital workplace leaders will have formal DEX strategies
• Yet 80 percent of IT-only DEX programs will fail without supporting frontline and mobile workers

Organizations are aligning UEM investments with:

• Frictionless access
• Fewer disruptions
• Better device performance
• Higher employee engagement

DEX is now a differentiator that connects endpoint performance with workforce satisfaction and productivity.

Closing note: 2026 will be the year UEM becomes the nerve center of IT

Our Scalefusion Research Review reveals a clear shift in how organizations now perceive endpoints. They are no longer simple devices. They have become the new perimeter, the new identity checkpoint, and the primary surface for compliance and employee experience. Every major IT decision, from Zero Trust to automation, now starts at the endpoint.

The organizations that stay ahead in 2026 will be the ones that reduce fragmentation and move toward unified, intelligence-driven endpoint governance. Managing security, access, compliance, and user experience across different tools creates delays and visibility gaps. A single operating model is needed, one platform, one policy framework, and one real-time view of every device and identity.

This is the direction the industry is moving, and it is also the foundation of Scalefusion’s roadmap. We are building a One Pane, One Agent platform that brings together:

• MDM and UEM
• Identity and access management
• Endpoint security
• Compliance automation
• Web content filtering
• Patch and update automation

All delivered through a single agent and a unified dashboard.

The goal is simple. Remove tool sprawl, improve visibility, and make endpoint management and security easier for IT teams while improving the digital experience for employees.

As 2026 unfolds, enterprises that adopt a unified endpoint strategy supported by platforms built for consolidation and simplicity will be best prepared for resilience, agility, and long-term security.