Introducing the next generation of Windows management with Workspace ONE UEM

The first Workspace ONE UEM release of the year has arrived, and it’s packed with enhancements. We’ve added over 25 new Windows-focused features and capabilities to help you drive greater efficiency, security, and employee experience. This release is especially exciting because it lays the foundation for next-generation Windows management with Workspace ONE UEM, a modern approach that gives you greater flexibility and stronger control. We’re helping you reap the benefits of modern management and retire legacy tools at your pace.

Next-gen Windows management starts with flexible management options for your Windows deployments. In addition to Hub Registered and Fully Managed (Full MDM) modes, we’ve added the new Intelligent Hub managed mode, which enables full Windows management through Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub. This agent-based approach decouples Windows management from the OMA-DM channel without sacrificing the rich set of management, security, experience, and automation capabilities of Workspace ONE UEM.

With Intelligent Hub managed mode bypassing OMA-DM dependencies, admins now have the ability to manage and migrate Windows endpoints as they please. A single Windows device can be managed by both an incumbent management tool and Workspace ONE UEM, simultaneously. This gives admins the freedom to migrate individual workloads and limit disruptions to the business. Whereas in the past, adopting a modern management solution could be a daunting undertaking. OMA-DM limits support to one management service per device, so every workload on a device must be moved at the same time, risking potential disruptions and impacts to productivity.

In addition to easing migration from legacy to modern Windows management, Intelligent Hub managed mode can help new and existing Workspace ONE UEM customers across a variety of use cases:

• Pre‑provisioning and shelf-ready devices: Enables admins to apply device-scoped profiles, compliance policies, and configurations to establish a baseline security posture before device assignment. Mergers and acquisitions: Admins can bring previously managed or externally managed Windows devices under Workspace ONE UEM co-management without full reprovisioning or user-driven enrollment, allowing IT to accelerate integration timelines and maintain consistent compliance across diverse fleets.
• Streamlined onboarding: Deliver apps and policies ahead of time to ensure new and refreshed devices arrive already secured and ready for use, reducing first-login delays and lowering helpdesk volume.
• Virtual desktops: Enroll and configure virtual Windows desktops with endpoint-based policies and apps across gold image or pooled virtual desktop scenarios.

Select services, such as Autopilot and Entra Conditional Access, still require OMA-DM. Not to worry, Workspace ONE UEM continues to support OMA-DM as it always has through Full MDM mode. The intention with next-gen Windows management is to offer choice so customers can decide the management option that works best for their needs. And regardless of management mode, the admin experience is centralized in the UEM console with an adaptive user interface that displays relevant tabs and actions based on a device’s enrollment type.

We’re also adding simplified options to move devices from one management mode to another without end user re-enrollment. Automated step-up enrollment from Hub Registered to Intelligent Hub managed mode is available now and step-up enrollment from Intelligent Hub managed to Full MDM is coming soon.

Additional enhancements related to onboarding 

• Drop-ship provisioning enhancements, including bulk online registration API and improved device reporting, for an improved admin experience
• Option to keep Hub installed through unenrollment for virtual desktop workflows
• Hub auto-upgrade now uses Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) for improved download resiliency and higher upgrade success rates

To learn more about these and other features, check out this Omnissa Community blog.

Administrative Template (ADMX) profiles now generally available

Workspace ONE UEM now supports ADMX profiles, providing a unified and scalable way to manage Windows policies across the device fleet. With our new Data Driven UI, we’re making it much simpler for admins to manage and apply settings across their systems. With ADMX profiles, we enabled hundreds of policies in a modernized GPO-like interface, providing a familiar admin experience—so it feels like an easy, natural extension of the tools you know. This helps IT set up more consistent policies, faster and with less effort.

If you’re looking for quick and simple configuration options, preloaded templates are available in Workspace ONE UEM for common applications including Microsoft Office, Google Chrome, Adobe Acrobat, and Mozilla Firefox.

From an architectural standpoint, ADMX profiles are handled by Intelligent Hub. This supports Intelligent Hub managed mode for desktops and helps unlock Windows Server OS management. Windows Server management with Workspace ONE UEM is currently in limited availability with general availability coming soon.

Additional enhancements related to configuration

• Device-level baseline application with no active user login requirements
• Day-zero support for new Microsoft and CIS benchmarks with baseline template automation
• Improved Intel chip-to-cloud client observability and troubleshooting
• Support for new signer of Dell Trusted Device for BIOS verification

To learn more about these and other features, check out this Omnissa Community blog.

Enterprise Application Repository (EAR) v2 and third-party app patching

The Enterprise Application Repository makes Windows app deployments faster and easier with Workspace ONE UEM. Prepackaged and preconfigured apps are available for instant deployment to end-users via the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub app catalog. With the updated EARv2, we’ve expanded the library to support over 8,500 Windows apps and counting. IT teams can save even more time and overhead on app packaging and testing.

What about updates? Sure, the ability to update apps using EAR has existed, but it wasn’t the simplest experience due to manual effort involved. But that’s in the past because admins can now enable automatic updates when adding an app from EARv2. If you already deployed apps with EARv1 or custom uploads, auto updates can be enabled for those apps, too. And with flexible scheduling options, you can limit disruptions to your users by configuring updates to take place outside work hours.

Additional enhancements related to app management

• Unified app sampling provides an enhanced application inventory for consistent and accurate application reporting across platforms
• Ability to leave apps on device after un-assignment and enterprise wipe
• Ability to view and launch App Volumes apps within the unified Intelligent Hub app catalog
• Support for app upload via link ensuring app binaries can be stored on-prem without any connection to UEM
• App catalog now supports list views for improved visibility and navigation of environments with large application portfolios

Additional enhancements related to analytics and support

• Sensors added to Fastlane enables rapid deployment of observability and compliance signals for faster operational insights
• UEM dashboard provides at-a-glance visibility into Intelligent Hub and SFD version adoption and upgrade progress
• Real-time status of script/workflow on Hub UI allows end users to see real-time execution status of on-demand scripts and workflows when triggered from Hub UI
• For You tab now available as a native experience improving performance and extensibility
• Support for P0 notifications and surveys allowing IT to instantly reach users during critical events and high-impact incidents
• App deployment logs are now viewable directly in the Workspace ONE UEM console
• Simplified Hub logs for support and co-relation IDs added

To learn more about these and other features, check out this Omnissa Community blog.

What’s next

With so many great Windows enhancements, there’s a lot to check out. If you want to learn more about any specific feature, head over to Omnissa Docs for Workspace ONE documentation and release notes. Also be sure to check out Tech Zone and the Omnissa Community for additional blogs, how-tos, webinars, and conversations with customers, partners, and product experts. Stay tuned for more enhancements as we continue to drive next-gen Windows management.