How VEKA Scaled Global IT Without Losing Control or User Trust

I still remember the call that changed everything. A colleague couldn’t connect to Wi-Fi, and in the old days, this meant a 30-minute troubleshooting session of “Can you go to Settings? Now tell me what you see…” You know the drill. But this time, I pulled up the device in Workspace ONE, grabbed the information our network team needed, and had the problem solved in three minutes. That’s when I knew we’d made the right choice.

I’m Kai Schmidthals, and I manage mobile devices for VEKA AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of PVC window profiles. We have about 6,000 employees across 40 sites on four continents. And like many global companies, our mobile device landscape was growing faster than our ability to manage it effectively.

The Challenge Nobody Talks About

Here’s what people don’t tell you about mobile device management at scale: it’s not just about the devices you know about. It’s about the ones hiding in subsidiaries that nobody’s managing. When I started this role, we thought we had about 500 devices. The reality? Closer to 1,000, scattered across the globe, many completely unmanaged.

We were using SAP Afaria, which was being discontinued. That forced our hand, but honestly, it was a blessing. Enrollments didn’t work reliably. App deployment was clunky. And we had zero visibility into what was actually happening across our device ecosystem. When you’re supporting manufacturing facilities in Germany, sales offices in Asia, and warehouses running specialized scanners, you need something that just works.

The bigger problem? Growth. This year alone, we added over 70 new iPads. Not because IT mandated it, but because colleagues saw other colleagues being productive with devices and said, “I want that too.” That’s the kind of organic growth you love and fear simultaneously.

When users are asking for technology instead of resisting it, you know you’re onto something. But you’d better have the infrastructure to support it.

Finding the Right Solution

We ran proof of concepts with several vendors. I’m not going to pretend we just went with VMware because we’d been working with them since 2004 on virtualization. This solution had to stand on its own merit. Workspace ONE needed to solve real problems, not just check boxes.

What sold me? I had the initial setup done in half an hour and enrolled my first device. Half an hour. Our goal was simple: replicate everything we’d built in Afaria, but make it actually work. The decision became obvious very quickly.

But it wasn’t just about ease of setup. VMware’s roadmap showed they were serious about staying current. When Apple releases a new iOS version, VMware delivers support during beta phase. That matters when you’re managing devices globally and can’t afford to be caught flat-footed by an OS update.

We brought in comdivision to help with the initial configuration. We wanted a clean start, no misconfigurations that would haunt us later. Two appointments, two weeks, and we were enrolling devices. Having that expertise available meant we didn’t waste months figuring out best practices the hard way.

The best technology decisions aren’t about features. They’re about finding partners who understand your business and won’t let you fail.

What Actually Changed

Today, we manage iOS, macOS, tvOS, Android devices, and specialized warehouse equipment through a single platform. But the real transformation isn’t in the variety of platforms we support. It’s in what that capability enables.

That three-minute support call I mentioned? That’s not a one-off. That’s the new normal. Instead of interrogating users about their device settings, I look it up. Instead of asking our network team to wait while I gather information, I provide it immediately. The efficiency gain isn’t just measured in minutes saved. It’s measured in user satisfaction.

And here’s something nobody warned me about: when you make device management transparent, users actually appreciate it. They can see what data we collect. They understand what we’re providing-Wi-Fi configurations, security settings, productivity apps. There’s no mystery, no suspicion. That transparency has eliminated so many potential conflicts, especially with devices that employees use both for work and personally.

The time I’ve saved on basic troubleshooting? I’m investing it in showing users what their devices can actually do. I’m exploring new features and capabilities. I’m going deeper into functions I want to deploy instead of constantly firefighting basic issues.

Efficiency isn’t just about doing things faster. It’s about having time to do things better.

Our next challenge is getting our subsidiaries fully onboard. Not every location is at the same maturity level with device management, and that’s okay. We’re focused on bringing them the same advantages we’re experiencing at headquarters. We’re also looking at new capabilities-I’ll admit my shopping basket got pretty full at VMworld this year. VMware keeps delivering features that make me think, “Yes, we need that.”

What drives me is seeing our company move forward with tools that actually help people work better. I want my colleagues to get the most out of their devices. When I get up in the morning, I’m genuinely motivated because I get to work with products I believe in. And when problems occur-because they always do-I have a platform that’s helped me solve them every single time.

If I had to describe VMware in one word? Amazing. The community, the support, the products, the direction-it all reinforces that we made the right choice. Managing 1,000 devices across 40 global sites isn’t easy, but it’s a lot more manageable when you have the right platform and the right partners. And honestly? It’s actually fun.