SHI’s Research Roundup for November 14, 2025

In this edition, we’re looking at Apple’s rapid climb into mission-critical territory, the widening DEX gap impacting everyday employee experience, and new regulatory frameworks fueling innovation.

And in case you missed it, last week we released a new episode of SHI’s Research Breakdown podcast. We talked to David DellaPelle, CEO of Dune Security, about Dune’s Inside Access report, CISOs on the Emerging Threats Redefining User Cyber Risk, which we covered in the October 17th edition of this newsletter. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, iHeart, or PodBean.

Think (and deploy) Different

CIO Survey: Apple in the Enterprise – MacStadium

A new CIO survey from MacStadium shows just how far Apple has come in the enterprise. Once seen as the “laptop your execs love,” Apple has become a managed, secure, and in many cases mission-critical platform across large organizations. Nine out of ten CIOs say their Apple device usage has increased in the past two years, and 95% expect their Mac investment to continue growing over the next 12–24 months.

The report found tangible business outcomes: 64% cite better dev/test performance, 63% improved employee satisfaction, and 53% stronger security. Meanwhile, nearly all respondents agree that macOS is as easy (or easier) to manage than Windows or Linux, suggesting that Apple’s manageability and integration maturity are finally meeting enterprise standards.

Regardless, many Windows-centric IT teams who aren’t familiar with Apple’s platforms still struggle with Mac management. Hence, a new term has been coined to represent the next phase of operational maturity: MacOps. Just as DevOps revolutionized software delivery, MacOps represents a strategic framework for managing Apple devices, workloads, and infrastructure at scale.

For CIOs balancing performance, cost, and innovation, the data shows that Apple’s platforms are capable of driving real business benefits.

Link: https://shi-intl.com/ujlZf

Submitted by: Scott Smith– Sr. Insights Specialist – SHI

DEX marks the spot…but IT teams are using the wrong map

2025 Digital Employee Experience Report – Ivanti

DEX tools are critical to understanding the employee experience, but according to this report by Ivanti, most organizations are dropping the ball. What should be helpful, integrated solutions that track and manage the employee experience are often seen as a burden on IT teams, causing actionable insights to get lost in the noise. That’s not surprising, since over 1/3 of organizations are using spreadsheets to track IT assets rather than a more comprehensive solution.

Only half of organizations say that DEX is a priority in 2025. For organizations that are tracking DEX, not even a quarter say that their DEX tactics are advanced. Adding to this problem is the decrease in efforts to integrate DEX solutions with the rest of the IT stack. Only 24% of organizations claim their DEX solutions are highly integrated, which is fewer than last year.

This article is a worthwhile read for IT teams struggling with DEX solutions. Many organizations are looking to improve helpdesk experiences in an effort to improve DEX, and 40% of IT teams are hoping to use DEX to fix user issues before they are reported. But with less than half of organizations tracking DEX scores and even fewer tracking device performance, money may be left on the table with unnecessary device refreshes.

Link: https://shi-intl.com/ujlZg

Submitted by: Thomas Olivo MBA– Associate Product Marketing Manager – SHI

Retailization, tokenization – The regulation transformation

Evolving Asset Management Regulation 2025 Report – KPMG

This report stands out as a comprehensive and forward-looking analysis of global regulatory trends in asset management, examining developments across 30 jurisdictions and distilling them into clear, actionable themes.

Regulation is now being used as a lever for growth and innovation rather than just risk mitigation. The discussion around the “retailization” of private assets and increased regulatory support for digital innovation (especially AI and tokenization) felt particularly relevant given the rapid pace of technological change we’re experiencing. The sections on ESG and sustainable finance, including the nuanced look at fund naming and disclosure requirements, also struck me as especially timely for anyone involved in product development or compliance.

Asset management executives, compliance professionals, product strategists, and anyone responsible for regulatory change or risk management will find important information here. The report is equally useful for policymakers and service providers who want to understand where the industry is heading. It goes beyond the “what” of regulatory change and gets into the “so what,” helping readers understand not just the risks but also the opportunities emerging from new policies.

Link: https://shi-intl.com/ujlZj

Submitted by: Michael Brown– Manager, Product Marketing – SHI