On this episode of The Smart IT Podcast, I welcomed Christopher Reed, Field CTO for the Americas at Omnissa, to the show. We explored the evolving landscape of remote work in 2025 and beyond. We delved into the challenges and opportunities of “Anywhere, Anytime” computing, where IT must secure and support productivity across diverse environments. We discussed the critical need for flexible, secure, and AI-driven IT architectures that accommodate remote work, improve digital experience, and manage third-party access, all while reducing user friction and scaling governance. The episode blended visionary thinking with practical advice for IT leaders navigating the complex demands of modern end-user computing.

The Future of Remote Work Isn’t Remote Anymore. It’s Everywhere! We unpacked what it really takes to support a workforce that works from anywhere, anytime, on any device. Hint: It’s not just about VPNs and Zoom calls anymore. Remote work is here to stay, with a large percentage of employment roles offering remote flexibility.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Strategic Role of IT: CIOs must tie remote work, digital experience, and scalable AI architecture into the business strategy. This is not a niche function but core to competitive advantage.
• From Help Desk to Experience Desk: Support must evolve into proactive, AI-enabled digital experience management that anticipates and resolves issues like poor Wi-Fi or app slowdowns before users complain.
• Composable IT: Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and contextual app delivery allow IT to offer tailored user experiences based on location, device, and task.
• Governance at Scale: Managing access for contractors and third parties requires clear “start of authority,” identity federation, and API governance. IT must define and enforce secure pathways into systems.
• User Friction and Productivity: IT should strive to reduce unnecessary user friction while increasing security, ideally using biometric, passwordless, or certificate-based methods.
• Context-Aware Delivery: Applications should be delivered based on contextual signals (who, where, what device, bandwidth, etc.) rather than user decision-making.
• Next-Gen Interfaces & Autonomy: Wearables, spatial computing, and voice interfaces will expand the ways users interact with IT systems. The future is autonomous, context-aware, and scalable.
• Architecting for Scale: The real Achilles heel for IT is data architecture. Traditional systems can’t scale to support billions of signals from millions of endpoints. IT needs to address this challenge.
• Security in a Remote World: IT must secure unmanaged devices and unsecured networks (e.g., home, coffee shop), shifting from legacy conditional access. Get ready for continuous authentication and agentic AI.

Link to this episode: https://youtu.be/bvErLcXPHOQ

Production: @Brilliant Beam Media @Syya Yasotornrat

Show notes:

• Link to this episode: https://youtu.be/bvErLcXPHOQ
• Christopher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherreed2/
• Omnissa: https://www.omnissa.com/