In 2021, amidst a pandemic that forced employees across industries to work remotely — some for the first time — mobility seems like a given. But in 2011, the trend was in its early stages. Apple and Android were establishing dominance in mobile internet, though Amazon jumped into the fray that year with the Kindle Fire, a new tablet to compete with Apple’s iPad. These tools presented the opportunity to work from anywhere, at any time.
Recognizing the importance of this trend on the horizon, Phil Poje founded Tech Orchard to help businesses manage employees’ mobile devices. Now, in April 2021, Tech Orchard celebrates its 10th anniversary with a look back at its evolution over the past decade.
“Since the beginning of Tech Orchard, we have been evangelizing how technology can enable us all to do more in our careers and lives. Mobile devices have evolved so much in the last decade, especially in business, and created a new generation of our workforce expecting to have the world at our fingertips and blurring the lines of work and play,” Poje says. “It’s still crazy to realize we have more power, speed and connectivity in the palm of our hand than NASA used to put us on the moon in 1969.”
Focus on mobility and security
At the outset, Tech Orchard’s team provided procurement and training services for mobile devices, particularly tablets. By helping companies acquire and use the most modern technology, Tech Orchard showed businesses how these tools could increase productivity and employee engagement — both of which remain important goals of mobility management today.
Though many devices were company-managed in Tech Orchard’s earliest days, it wasn’t long before Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) became a possibility — and a concern for IT teams. Poje and his team recognized early on that security would become a top priority for businesses who needed to protect their data and networks from employees who could access them on any mobile devices.
“We have learned the value of privacy, along with the vulnerabilities and consequences that can come with using a mobile device for storing and sharing data in our personal and professional lives,” Poje says.
Tech Orchard worked with vendors who were on the cutting edge, leading the mobility management charge: AirWatch, Mobile Iron and MaaS360. At first, providing platform-agnostic services allowed Tech Orchard to tailor recommendations to the needs of a variety of clients. By 2014, Tech Orchard recognized that not all platforms were keeping up with the ever-advancing needs of an increasingly mobile workforce. Research firm Gartner estimated that more than 2 billion mobile devices would be put into commission in 2014, many of which would be utilized by employees for work or on company networks. (In 2021, it’s estimated 15 billion mobile devices are in use!)
Growing with VMware
Soon thereafter, Tech Orchard decided to work exclusively with AirWatch, which was acquired by VMware in 2014. From Tech Orchard’s perspective, VMware AirWatch offered clients the best tools to manage, secure and monitor mobile devices in the enterprise with the most flexibility and affordable pricing. Tech Orchard made the right choice: In 2020, VMware was named as a leader on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for the fourth year in a row.
Specializing with VMware products accelerated Tech Orchard’s business by introducing partnership opportunities and elevated the company’s status in the VMware space as a highly knowledgeable service provider. As the only exclusive Workspace ONE partner in the U.S., Tech Orchard’s digital workspace proficiency runs deep.
“With over 300 Workspace ONE environments deployed and over 500,000 devices managed, I’d say we are getting pretty good at this,” says Michael Troelstrup, Tech Orchard UEM Solutions Architect.
Tech Orchard recognized that many service providers didn’t have the in-house skills to support consumer demand. To provide the highest quality service, Tech Orchard focused on hiring top talent. The team embraces continuing education, which has earned them many specialty certifications. VMware has taken notice of the company’s approach, which has allowed it to partner successfully with other VMware solution partners to deliver projects.
“We couldn’t have asked for a more committed team. Their passion for customer service and willingness to go above and beyond by adding relevant certifications is exceptional,” says Kyle McKee, Tech Orchard vice president. “It’s been an incredible journey and an honor to be part of the Tech Orchard family.”
Certifications and services
As Poje predicted a decade ago, the mobile workforce has grown exponentially, touching nearly all industries. Tech Orchard has served clients nationwide, helping them implement VMware’s modern management solutions. It has worked with companies of all sizes, with special expertise in large enterprises.
Recently, Tech Orchard expanded its footprint in the MDM space. In January, the firm achieved the Master Services Competency (MSC) for the Digital Workspace from VMware. MSCs are VMware designations recognizing services-capable partners with delivery expertise and experience within a VMware solution area. Its extensive bench of EUC-certified subject matter experts enables Tech Orchard to deliver professional services with exceptional customer experience.
“It’s amazing to see what Phil and the Tech Orchard team have been able to accomplish over the past 10 years in the MDM and now UEM space,” says Paul Sitz, director of EUC partner sales for VMware. “They’re an elite partner within the VMware community, as is evident by their recent Master Service Competency and the hundreds of customers they’ve worked with over the years. We look forward to their continued partnership in helping us deliver the Digital Workspace to their customers.”
To enhance its digital workspace services, Tech Orchard has added VMware Horizon capabilities to its white glove service and support. Horizon is a modern platform for secure delivery of virtual desktops and apps across the hybrid cloud. By leveraging unique integration with trusted VMware technology, Horizon helps IT teams efficiently deploy and scale virtual desktops and apps from a single control plane with rapid provisioning, automation and simplified management to extend the best digital workspace experience to end users. This expansion of capabilities allows Tech Orchard to more effectively assist small businesses to enterprise organizations in enabling a future-ready workforce.
Leveraging its depth of knowledge, Tech Orchard now offers a growing Managed Service Provider (MSP) practice for customers interested in a full-service offering.
“It’s fantastic to see the fruit of what Tech Orchard and VMware have created together in delivering over 300 successful deployments,” says Robert Ruelas, VMware vice president and head of the Worldwide EUC team. “I’m excited to see what we can do in the next 10 years as we expand our capabilities together with Workspace ONE and VMware’s Anywhere Workspace platforms.”
Future ready
As technology continues to evolve, device management and security needs will only continue to increase. Trends already show significant changes to end-user computing with the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT). Clients can rely on Tech Orchard to continue delivering future-ready solutions that can improve end-user experiences and solve the next big workforce engagement and security challenges.
“The management and security of mobile devices and laptops continues to play a key role for IT departments around the world. By focusing in this one area for 10 years, we have been able to deliver the best services and most expertise to our customers,” Poje says. “The services we provide allow people in every area to do their work even better. We are excited about the advancement of technology, and how it can be a force for good. Make no mistake, in 10 years, we will be surprised and fascinated by the changes that have transpired!”
