In a digital era defined by workplace transformation and hybrid ecosystems, the lines between IT operations, security, and employee experience are rapidly blurring. For more than a decade, Hexnode has been a name synonymous with Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)—a brand that believed in simplifying enterprise device management when mobility was still emerging as the new frontier.
Today, Hexnode stands at a crossroads of innovation, shaping the convergence of IT and security disciplines with its latest offering — Hexnode XDR, a bold step that integrates extended detection and response with its flagship UEM solution. This marks not only an expansion of technological scope but also a redefinition of the endpoint management narrative, setting the stage for what Apu Pavithran calls the “new era of digital employee experience.”
In this exclusive conversation with CXQuest.com, Apu Pavithran, CEO and Founder, Hexnode, shares a candid look into his evolution from UEM pioneer to Endpoint Security strategist, unpacking how Hexnode is reimagining enterprise mobility, automation, and experience management for the connected workplace of tomorrow. Through this discussion, he reflects on the company’s milestones, its response to the industry-wide call for convergence, and his forward-looking vision for 2026 and beyond.
Deep Focus on Unified Endpoint
Q1. Apu, great to have you on CXQuest! Let’s start from the beginning. How did the vision for Hexnode take shape, and what inspired you to focus so deeply on unified endpoint management at a time when the concept was still relatively new?
AP: When we founded Hexnode in 2013, we began as a mobile device management (MDM) solution. Mobile phones and PCs were managed separately. And not much later, the whole landscape started to change. IT teams were struggling with disjointed tools to manage desktops, smartphones, laptops, and an increasingly diverse array of IoT devices. We knew that managing these in isolation wasn’t sustainable. Our evolution from MDM to unified endpoint management (UEM) was driven by the vision to bring order to that chaos and to build a single source of truth where IT admins could manage their entire digital estate—not as scattered silos, but as one cohesive system.
Today, we are taking that vision even further, by integrating the endpoint management with security. This ensures that we are not just managing business endpoints but protecting within the same unified ecosystem.
A Recognized Leader in the UEM Space
Q2. Over the years, Hexnode has built a strong global footprint. How has the journey evolved from being a challenger brand to becoming a recognized leader in the UEM space?
AP: A defining part of our evolution has been a relentless focus on solving critical operational challenges. We listened when customers demanded simpler workflows for complex compliance needs, and we adapted swiftly as the market shifted to UEM. By treating every customer request as a potential roadmap opportunity rather than a support ticket, we built a community that truly trusts us. That trust has been the catalyst for our global expansion and has earned us validation from major industry analysts like Gartner, IDC, and Forrester, who have consistently recognized us as leaders in the space.
Extended Detection and Response
Q3. The recent announcement of Hexnode XDR has sparked a lot of conversation. What motivated this strategic step into extended detection and response, and how does it fit into the broader UEM vision?
AP: For years, enterprise IT has grappled with the divide between IT and security operations. Launching Hexnode XDR at our annual user conference this year, HexCon25, was our way of closing that gap. Hexnode XDR is a dedicated security solution built to detect and neutralize threats in real-time. And when integrated with Hexnode UEM, it fulfills our broader vision by ensuring that device management and security are treated as two sides of the same coin.
For IT admins, this means they no longer need to piece together data from siloed systems—they now have a clearer picture of a device’s health and security status in one workflow. This cohesion reduces investigative and handoff delays when a threat emerges, leading to a faster mean time to remediation.
Fusion of XDR with UEM
Q4. Integrating XDR directly with UEM is a bold move. Could you elaborate on how this fusion impacts the way enterprises manage and secure endpoints in real time?
AP: With both security and management on the same layer, we create a full circle of protection that bridges reactive and proactive defense. In a traditional setup, XDR neutralizes the threat. However, if the security gap that invited the attack isn’t resolved, the risk remains. By connecting Hexnode XDR with UEM, we close this loop. XDR handles the immediate remediation—such as isolating a compromised device—while feeding those insights directly back into the UEM. This enables IT teams to proactively tighten policies and patch vulnerabilities across the fleet using the UEM, preventing future attacks.
While UEM stands as the foundational pillar of security every organization requires, XDR acts as an added layer of active protection. And it does so with minimal configuration, leveraging the existing UEM environment without the extra deployment overhaul. Critical endpoint data flows seamlessly between them—XDR alerts inform the UEM dashboard, allowing admins to modify endpoint policies immediately. Ultimately, this ensures that security isn’t just about stopping an attack but about immunizing the entire fleet against it happening again within the same workflow.
Terrain of Cybersecurity and SecOps
Q5. Hexnode has often emphasized a “simplicity-first” approach. How do you maintain that philosophy while expanding into the more complex terrain of cybersecurity and SecOps?
AP: When we expanded into SecOps with Hexnode XDR, we maintained the same design philosophy that defines our UEM: making the complex feel intuitive to ensure easier adoption. We prioritized familiar workflows so that admins can get right on with performing critical security operations without a steep learning curve.
Beyond simplicity in the dashboard, we also prioritized deployment velocity. Devices already enrolled in the Hexnode UEM ecosystem can be onboarded into XDR with minimal actions, eliminating the deployment fatigue typically associated with new security tools.
Automation of AI-driven Workflows
Q6. The Hexnode Genie automation engine has seen exciting updates recently. How do automation and AI-driven workflows enhance the lives of IT admins today compared to just a few years ago?
AP: Until recently, IT teams were bogged down by the complexity of manual scripts and reactive fixes, carrying a heavy cognitive burden just to keep systems running smoothly. Today, automation is dismantling these barriers. Instead of manual work, the system now automatically calculates and executes the technical ‘how’ based solely on the admin’s ‘what’. Technicians can get the AI agent to perform tasks that typically take hours—like scripting and debugging errors—in just moments.
This is the core capability we are driving with Hexnode Genie. Leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP), it allows admins to instantly generate complex scripts without writing a single line of code.
But it goes beyond simple automation; it acts as an intelligent layer for troubleshooting and remediation. It doesn’t just identify an error; it provides the actionable fix. This evolution transforms IT teams from reactive firefighters into strategic architects, drastically lowering error rates while freeing them to focus on high-value initiatives.
Convergence of ITOps and SecOps
Q7. From your perspective, how does this convergence of ITOps and SecOps influence the larger goals of digital employee experience?
AP: When the priorities of IT and SecOps teams are pursued in isolation, the employee experience is usually the first to be compromised. This lack of coordination creates constant friction—the user is often caught in the middle, dealing with slow devices, intrusive security agents, and blocked applications. Convergence resolves this.
When security is embedded into the management framework, controls become fluid. Tools communicate with each other much more effectively, ultimately allowing teams to operate without clashing over incompatible toolsets. And when both teams move in lockstep, the divide between ‘usable’ and ‘secure’ diminishes, creating an environment where the user is no longer caught in the middle of conflicting team goals.
Q8. The term “Digital Employee Experience” (DEX) is gaining serious traction. What does DEX mean at Hexnode, and how are you envisioning its shape by 2026?
AP: At Hexnode, we view Digital Employee Experience as the collective impact of every digital touchpoint an employee interacts with throughout their workday. Looking ahead to 2026, we see DEX evolving from a reactive model to predictive one. It will move beyond simply fixing broken devices to anticipating and eliminating friction before employees are even aware of it. We’re working toward an ecosystem where devices, applications, and security operate in seamless harmony. The goal is to create an IT experience so intuitive and unobtrusive that technology effectively disappears, allowing employees to stay fully focused on their work and outcomes.
Balancing Vision with Discipline
Q9. As a leader featured in major publications like Tech Crunch and Computer World, how do you balance visionary thinking with the operational discipline needed to scale securely?
AP: Vision without execution doesn’t scale, and execution without vision doesn’t inspire. While building Hexnode, the focus has always been on aligning teams around long-term objectives while ensuring every decision remains grounded in customer outcomes.
That ambition in grounded in integrity and transparency. These values shape how we operate and scale, ensuring that innovation never comes at the expense of trust or reliability. As a result, every step forward is built on a stable foundation, allowing us to scale securely while delivering on the promises we make to our customers.
Trends Shaping Enterprise Endpoint Management and Security
Q10. Looking ahead, what key trends do you foresee shaping enterprise endpoint management and security in the next 3–5 years — especially in terms of user experience, AI adoption, and compliance readiness?
AP: The industry is witnessing a fundamental shift where manual management is slowly transitioning into intelligent systems. We are heading toward a future of Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM), where AI actively manages the diversity of modern endpoints with minimal human intervention.
Simultaneously, the benchmark for IT effectiveness is shifting toward Digital Employee Experience. We are evolving beyond the baseline of “uptime” toward a higher standard of “usability,” where the primary metric is the quality of the employee’s interaction with technology to ensure productivity.
At the same time, this enhanced experience must operate within increasingly strict regulatory boundaries. Data residency and sovereignty requirements are becoming central to compliance strategies worldwide, turning privacy from a box-checking exercise into a core trust differentiator. The organizations that succeed will be those that can guarantee localized data control to meet regional mandates, while still delivering a unified, seamless experience for a globally distributed workforce.
Fast-evolving Digital-experience Landscape
Q11. Finally, what message would you like to share with enterprise leaders and CX innovators navigating this fast-evolving digital-experience landscape?
AP: Leaders must start viewing IT and Security not as isolated cost centers, but as the dual drivers of a strong digital experience. Delivering exceptional customer experience on top of a fragmented internal infrastructure is simply not sustainable. When IT and security operate in silos, that disconnect creates friction for employees, and ultimately impacts the customer. The path forward lies in investing in integrated platforms that dismantle these silos and unify teams. This alignment makes it easier to deliver a secure, consistent, and scalable experience.
Innovation is a Continuum of Purposeful Evolution
As enterprises pivot toward experience-driven technology ecosystems, leaders like Apu Pavithran remind us that innovation is never a singular act — it’s a continuum of purposeful evolution. Hexnode’s journey from mobile device management pioneer to endpoint experience guardian captures a larger story about enterprise resilience in an age defined by complexity and convergence.
With Hexnode XDR, the company isn’t just strengthening its security posture — it’s setting a precedent for how IT and security can collaborate to enhance employee enablement. In a landscape where every device, identity, and workflow contributes to employee experience, Hexnode’s integrated approach offers secure, and intelligent enterprise operations.
As 2026 approaches, the conversation around digital employee experience has only intensify. And if Apu’s vision is any indicator, Hexnode is already not just participating in that future — it’s defining it.
