HexCon25 Highlights – Spotlight Moments and Insights

HexCon25 stirred a whirlwind of excitement and inspiration, truly bringing the Hexnode community together at the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta on September 17-18. Over two packed days, attendees experienced more than 20 sessions and 15+ hours of insightful keynotes, engaging panel discussions, intriguing product sessions, helpful customer stories, and in-depth training.

HexCon25 created an intellectually stimulating and welcoming space that combined innovation, learning and networking opportunities making it valuable for both IT professionals and technology enthusiasts alike. 

Opening keynote

Apu Pavithran giving the Opening Keynote at HexCon25

The opening keynote at HexCon25 set the perfect tone for an electrifying conference. Delivered by Apu Pavithran (Founder and CEO, Hexnode), the keynote was an inspiring look at the latest innovations shaping the future of Unified Endpoint Management.

Apu shared exciting milestones Hexnode has achieved recently and unveiled a clear roadmap of what’s next, giving everyone a front-row seat to the future of the platform and enterprise device management as a whole.

UEM trends and challenges

During HexCon25, Michele Pelino from Forrester brought some real talk to the stage with her session on unlocking the future of unified and automated endpoint management.

Michele took the audience on a journey through the maze of endpoint solutions, from mobile device management to remote asset control and beyond while highlighting the unifying themes that connect them all. She showed how today’s platforms are all about putting IT teams in control, managing every device, app, and user from a single, unified console.

Michele made it clear that the endpoint management story is about so much more than just keeping tabs on devices. She walked the crowd through:

• How a unified, automated approach transforms security, makes operations easy, and levels up the digital employee experience (DEX).
• The six big functions of modern endpoint management – everything from automation, security, and compliance to advanced analytics and content management.
• Why managing everything such as laptops, mobiles, IoT, from one platform is the ticket to happy, productive employees.
• The role of AI and automation in catching problems before they start, handling patches, enforcing policies, and delivering self-healing.
• Top priorities for IT: improving reliability, security, speed, and linking tech investments to business goals.

Michele’s session left everyone thinking – unified endpoint management isn’t just the future; it’s happening now. It’s all about smarter IT, happier employees, and a simpler, more secure digital workplace.

Michele Pelino on UEM Trends and Challenges

Enterprise mobility – a panel discussion

Day two kicked off with industry heavyweights Apu Pavithran (Founder and CEO, Hexnode), Bradley Chambers (Author, 9 to 5 Mac), and Phil Hochmuth (Program Vice President, Endpoint Management & Enterprise Mobility at IDC) trading the solo keynote for a lively UEM Convergence Panel. They dove into endpoint management, zero-trust security, and seamless UX integration—fielding live audience questions on AI-driven threat detection and hybrid-work challenges. The buzz in the room set the tone for an action-packed day of breakout sessions and hands-on demos.

Apu Pavithran, Bradley Chambers and Phil Hochmuth in a Panel Discussion on Enterprise Mobility

A deep dive into what’s new and updated

Let’s take a look at all the new updates, exciting features, and big takeaways that made HexCon25 a standout the year.

Unified Device Management and hassle-free migration

The session was led by Sandra (Product Consultant, Hexnode) who kicked things off by addressing one of IT’s biggest headaches—fragmented tools and scattered solutions. She walked us through the challenges businesses face today and how Hexnode is reshaping the future with a truly unified platform.

When we talk about device management today, the first thing that comes to mind is complexity. Multiple tools, multiple enrollments, multiple workflows—it’s a nightmare for IT teams. But imagine this: one platform, one enrollment, one solution. That’s what Hexnode brings to the table. A truly hassle-free migration that eliminates silos and unifies device management.

The key takeaways from the sessions are:

• The problem with too many tools: Organizations juggle dozens of tools, from Bitdefender to Microsoft Purview, leading to separate enrollments, steep learning curves, duplicate features, and soaring licensing costs.
• The Promise of a unified platform: When you bring all your endpoint management needs under one roof, everything just works more smoothly. You only have to sign devices up once, so there’s no wasted time on repeated enrollments, and your team spends less time learning different tools.
• Bridging into XDR: Hexnode brings device management and security together in one console, continuously monitoring laptops, mobiles, and IoT for anomalies like odd process launches, suspicious network activity, and unauthorized privilege escalations.

Unified Security—Bridging UEM and XDR

The session, led by Saikrishnan R, dived into the escalating threats and how Hexnode was solving the security gap by unifying endpoint management and XDR.

The key takeaways from this session are:

• The High Cost of Fragmentation: The issue was simple—threats kept getting smarter, but SMEs didn’t have the resources to match up. Relying on manual security workflows only made things worse, leaving them more exposed. And when a cyberattack hit, it wasn’t cheap—on average, it cost anywhere between $250K and $255K. Clearly, the old “reactive” way of handling security just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
• XDR Became Essential for Oversight: That’s where XDR came in. Instead of juggling multiple tools, XDR gave a complete defense setup. It kept an eye on endpoints, networks, and cloud assets—all from one dashboard. It didn’t just spot threats, it could also contain them in real-time. This meant stronger, proactive security and an easier way to stay compliant with regulations.
• Hexnode Solved XDR’s Complexity: Traditional XDRs had one big catch—you needed expensive SOC analysts to run the show. Hexnode flipped that problem on its head. With its UEM-driven approach, everything got streamlined into a single, super-simple dashboard. Threats were detected automatically, prioritized smartly, and came with ready-to-use responses like isolation and quarantine. No need for deep security expertise—Hexnode made it accessible for everyone.

Managing compliance & Hexnode Genie in action

Mark Martin on AI’s impact on Endpoint Management

Mark Martin, Senior Solutions Engineer, led an energetic deep dive into AI’s impact on endpoint management, showing how Hexnode is tackling compliance challenges and everyday IT tasks with its AI assistant, Hexnode Genie.

The key takeaways from this session would be:

• Shift from reactive to proactive: Endpoint management is moving from firefighting to orchestration driven by automation and intelligence.
• AI lowers barriers: Natural-language prompts remove coding requirements, letting admins perform complex tasks like “disable USB on Windows” instantly.
• Faster execution: Tasks that once took hours are completed in seconds, reducing mean time to remediation.
• Contextual assistance: The assistant provides suggestions, troubleshooting guidance, and direct command execution via a Launch Terminal option.
• Automated validation and compliance: Policies are proactively validated, and compliance checks produce exportable reports for audits.
• Self-healing and quarantine: Automated quarantine workflows and self-healing capabilities contain threats and remediate issues without manual intervention.
• Action-history root-cause insights: Analysis of past actions surfaces root causes and reduces repeat incidents.
• Transforms IT workflow: The platform converts endpoint management into a conversational, adaptive engine that keeps teams ahead of threats.

Tips and tricks for Hexnode Endpoint Management

Saikrishnan on Best Practices for Endpoint Management

Saikrishnan R (Product Expert, Hexnode) led a practical session full of tips, tricks, and best practices for endpoint management—covering device onboarding, security hardening, automation workflows, and kiosk setups, with actionable takeaways that every IT admin can use immediately.

The session broke down the difference between the two approaches:

• Supervised devices offer deeper restrictions and are perfect for corporate setups.
• Unsupervised devices are more lightweight and ideal for personal/BYOD scenarios.

With supervision, IT can enable features like Lost Mode, kiosk setups, delayed OS updates, and stricter controls—making it the go-to for company-owned hardware.

Migration also got its spotlight with Hexnode Gateway, a best practice for moving Windows and macOS devices. It’s 60% faster, requires no device wipe, and keeps encryption keys safe—all while running quietly in the background.

Security management was a major focus, with Hexnode offering encryption policies, advanced restrictions, network controls, and app-level security. For Windows, admins can push BitLocker policies at enrollment, while on macOS, FileVault needs a restart to kick in. The tip here? Use Hexnode Automate to streamline these steps and ensure compliance with minimal effort.

The most exciting part was Hexnode’s AI and automation duo:

• Hexnode Automate for no-code workflows triggered by real-time device events.
• Hexnode Genie, the AI assistant, that turns natural language prompts into working scripts, helps troubleshoot failed actions, and even runs commands directly from the portal.

Together, they make IT smarter, faster, and proactive.

Finally, the session explored how Hexnode’s kiosk mode can lock down devices into single or multi-app setups, perfect for retail, education, or self-service environments. Additionally, remote management lets admins troubleshoot and push fixes from anywhere, eliminating the need for physical access.

Endpoint security for printers and Linux devices

In this session led by Saikrishnan R, we had dived into how Hexnode helps IT teams secure often-overlooked endpoints like Linux devices and printers in this session. From patch management to kiosk lockdowns, the session highlighted strategies to reduce risk and streamline operations across diverse systems.

Beyond servers and desktops, Hexnode streamlines Linux management across IoT devices and kiosks. You can schedule OS and application updates—automated or manual—to close vulnerabilities fast. Linux kiosk lockdown restricts devices to approved apps under centralized enforcement, and real-time monitoring lets IT teams track compliance at a glance.

Hexnode also manages Zebra Link‑OS printers too, allowing remote enrollment, profile pushes, and centralized font and template setup so printers stay secured and compliant like other endpoints.

Making Hexnode work for MSPs

Kevin Taylor (Manager for Channel Sales, Hexnode) led a rapt session all about making Hexnode work for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The session unpacked the challenges MSPs face, from handling multiple client portals and complex IT infrastructures to maintaining top-notch service levels and satisfaction. Hexnode’s MSP-focused platform clears these hurdles by offering a unified, easy-to-use dashboard and universal login that lets MSPs manage all client environments.

The key outcome from the session:

• MSPs often have complications with visibility, complex infrastructures, and disjointed operations across multiple client accounts, resulting in service delays and customer dissatisfaction.
• Hexnode MSP offers a scalable, cloud-based multi-tenant architecture that supports managing multiple clients and locations all under one roof.
• A universal login feature means MSPs can access all authorized UEM portals with a single sign-on, eliminating password headaches.
• Role-based access controls let MSPs assign specific permissions to users and technicians, ensuring proper security and workflow.
• Invoicing is integrated for streamlined billing and payment tracking across clients.
• Policy import/export and reusable licensing save time and reduce costs by minimizing repetitive configuration and license wastage.
• Hexnode MSP Partner Program supports MSP business growth with training, marketing support, and tiered pricing.

This session showcased how Hexnode equips MSPs to gain control, boost efficiency, and elevate client satisfaction, all from a centralized platform. It was a session full of practical insights that left everyone excited about the future of MSP management with Hexnode.

Autonomous Patch Management

On day one of HexCon, Akshay Kiran (Lead, Product Management & Tech Partnerships, Hexnode), took the stage to lead a thoughtful session on autonomous patch management, an absolute game-changer for enterprise endpoint protection.

The session shed light on the essentials of patch management: from identifying and testing patches to deploying them at ease across the entire device fleet. Akshay highlighted why staying on top of patches is crucial, not just for fixing security vulnerabilities and avoiding ransomware attacks but also for improving system performance and keeping compliance with industry standards like HIPAA and PCI-DSS. He went into detail on how Hexnode makes patch management effortless by centralizing updates, automating deployments, scheduling patches to minimize disruption, and monitoring compliance in real time. The session also covered patching across all major platforms such as Windows, macOS, Android, ChromeOS and third-party apps, all from one console.

By the end, one fact was clear: Hexnode’s patch management is about defending your organization proactively while keeping IT hassles to a minimum.

Same time, next year!

Apu Pavithran Closing Keynote

The conference wrapped up with closing keynote from the presenter and the Hexnode team, who shared the key takeaways and thanked everyone for being part of the event. Things ended on a positive note, with the team encouraging attendees to put their learnings into practice and stay connected through our community and support channels.

An unbeatable experience packed with learning, hands-on sessions, and genuine community building is what Hexcon25 proved to be.

The best part? Gaining deep insights into the latest trends and innovations in enterprise device management along with building connections with peers, experts, and partners who share the same passion for IT’s future.