This year’s EUC Tech Conference in Billund, Denmark, proved to be one of the most promising End-User Computing (EUC) events in Europe — and it’s only growing in relevance. With 240 attendees from over 10 countries, the event offered a unique opportunity to connect with EUC professionals, architects, and vendors from across the continent.
Topics covered spanned the most of the EUC spectrum, including:
- Citrix
- Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop
- Cloud and DaaS strategies
- Security and endpoint management
- ...and of course, AI woven throughout nearly every session.
Venue & Experience
Hosted at the Lego Hotel & Conference Center in Billund, the event was both well-organized and highly accessible, with the venue conveniently located near the airport. The setting fostered great hallway conversations and strong interaction with the many sponsors present — all adding to the quality of the event experience.
My Session Track
Here’s a quick summary of the sessions I attended:
- Opening Keynote – The Future of Windows in the Age of Cloud and AI
- Revolutionizing the Workspace – The Future State of End-User Computing
- Modern AVD/Windows 365 Cloud Deployment with Citrix – Integrating Citrix into Microsoft’s Cloud EUC Stack
- Two Minds, One Mission – EUC Innovation, Cloud PC Metrics, and Secure Apps
- The EUC Evolution: Adapt or Become Extinct – A Reality Check on EUC Operations
- Protecting Your Windows 365 Environment – Cloud Security Best Practices
- Closing Keynote – The Future of Work in an AI-Native World
Opening Keynote - The future of Windows in the age of Cloud and AI
The opening keynote was delivered by Microsoft’s Christiaan Brinkhoff and Tristan Scott. Their session was centered on a bold and strategic vision: the future of Windows is Windows 365 and AI (Copilot), delivered entirely from the cloud.
From Desktop OS to Cloud OS
After a brief retrospective on the evolution of Windows, the speakers laid out what many have anticipated: Microsoft is doubling down on Windows 365 as the primary operating system experience, combined with AI capabilities through Copilot. This transition clearly reflects a broader shift away from traditional, local OS models toward subscription-based, cloud-native endpoints.
Gartner has recognized Microsoft’s vision in this space, highlighting the significance of cloud-first, OS-agnostic access models. Microsoft envisions a future where new devices connect directly to Windows 365, bypassing the need for a local personal OS altogether. This implies a clear move toward a pay-per-month or yearly OS subscription model — echoing trends already seen in productivity software.
Cloud Simplifies the OS – But Not Everything
While cloud delivery simplifies many aspects of OS deployment and management, it doesn’t eliminate all complexity. Applications and data still require thoughtful management:
- MAM (Mobile Application Management) with Microsoft Intune is emphasized for app-level control.
- However, data management — especially databases, backend servers, or legacy apps that haven’t been cloud-migrated — remains a challenge. The keynote didn’t deeply address this, leaving open questions for hybrid and on-prem workloads.
Disaster Recovery & Windows 365
One of the most compelling angles discussed was the built-in disaster recovery potential with Windows 365. While not a new concept in cloud computing, Microsoft’s implementation offers a strong use case for EUC professionals — from rapid provisioning to seamless restore capabilities.
AI at Every Layer
Microsoft's Copilot AI is being woven into every layer of the Windows ecosystem — from user assistance to automated workflows and system management. The message was clear: AI is no longer optional, it's foundational.
Azure Virtual Desktop vs Windows 365
Although Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is still very much alive — and even critical for complex, hybrid deployments — the time allocation during the session said a lot: 7 minutes on AVD vs nearly an hour on Windows 365. The takeaway? AVD is becoming a niche solution for enterprises with specific hybrid needs, while Windows 365 is the mainstream future.
Microsoft also emphasized Intune as the core platform for managing the modern endpoint landscape. Whether for Windows 365 or traditional devices, Intune is being positioned as the central control plane for device, app, and compliance management.
My thoughs : Microsoft’s vision is clear: the endpoint of the future lives in the cloud, powered by AI, and centrally managed through Intune. While this simplifies many aspects of endpoint management, real-world implementations — especially in hybrid enterprises — will need to bridge gaps around data, apps, and legacy systems.
The keynote was not just a product pitch — it was a roadmap. And for those of us working in EUC, it’s a strong signal to start planning for a Windows-as-a-Service era, where agility, automation, and AI will define the next generation of user experiences.
Key Sessions from EUC Tech Conference 2025 – Evolving Workspaces in the Cloud Era
Beyond the opening keynote, I attended several sessions that explored the changing landscape of End-User Computing (EUC), the growing role of cloud-native architectures, and the impact of AI and automation. Here are the highlights:
Revolutionizing the Workspace: The Future State of End-User Computing
Speaker: Marius Sandbu
Marius delivered an insightful overview of the current and future state of EUC, examining how leading vendors are reshaping workspace delivery. It was a solid session for those seeking to align EUC design with what's coming next.
Modern AVD/Windows 365 Cloud Deployment with Citrix
Speaker: Javier Lopez Santacruz
Javier focused on integrating Citrix with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop to enhance control, user experience, and scalability. He covered real-world scenarios where layering Citrix on top of Microsoft's EUC stack offers tangible benefits — such as advanced protocol optimizations, richer policy controls, and support for complex enterprise environments. A valuable session for hybrid architecture practitioners.
Two Minds, One Mission: The Future of EUC
Speakers: Benny Tritsch & Ruben Spruijt
This dynamic duo tackled a wide scope of EUC topics in a fast-paced and thought-provoking talk. Key points included:
- The emergence of Cloud PCs in the enterprise and how to objectively measure their performance
- Windows App vs Progressive Web App — pros, cons, and the future of app delivery
- The growing role of secure enterprise browsers
- The strategic need for multi-cloud flexibility in EUC design
Interestingly, the impact of AI in EUC was intentionally skipped in this session — saved as a thematic link to the conference’s closing keynote. A clever move that left the audience curious for more.
The EUC Evolution: Adapt or Become Extinct
Speakers: Simon Townsend & Douglas Brown (ControlUp)
With a bold title, this session cut through the noise with a reality check on the current state of EUC in the enterprise. Rather than being sensational, it was refreshingly pragmatic. Simon and Douglas presented real-world challenges, grounded them in data, and showcased how ControlUp’s tools can address them.
Protecting Your Windows 365 Environment
Speaker: Morten Pedholt
Morten, a seasoned Cloud Architect, delivered a compact but impactful session packed with actionable tips for securing Windows 365 environments. From identity hardening to endpoint isolation and policy-driven governance, this session was a practical checklist for securing cloud-first desktops. A good mix of architecture and hands-on insights.
Closing Keynote – The Future of Work in an AI-Native World
The final session of the EUC Tech Conference was delivered by Brian Madden, who explored the evolving role of Agent-based AI in enterprise environments. His thesis: AI agents will increasingly leverage existing “legacy” enterprise access points — traditionally designed for human users — to perform repetitive task work through conventional UIs.
In essence, this is about using existing Citrix-like infrastructure as an AI proxy layer — allowing organizations to automate workflows without modernizing their entire app stack upfront. Brian subtly highlighted how Citrix is already well-positioned with mature access infrastructure, implying that the transition to AI-powered task execution could be more evolutionary than disruptive for their customers.
AI as a Bridge — Not a Destination
While I agree with the overall direction — Agent AI will absolutely play a role in the enterprise — this particular use case feels transitional rather than foundational. AI using legacy UI interfaces is a workaround; it buys time until apps either die or evolve. The long-term future will require applications to expose dual interfaces: a web-based UI for humans, and an API for AI agents.
This makes Agent AI over legacy UI a short-to-mid-term solution, not a sustainable architecture.
Citrix and the AI Narrative
Citrix is clearly trying to position itself within the AI wave, but whether they can compete with AI-native players is another story. There’s a noticeable mismatch between the innovation pace of emerging AI-first companies and the legacy brand inertia that Citrix still carries. The intent is there — but execution remains uncertain.
If anything, I believe the real AI opportunity within the Citrix ecosystem lies with NetScaler. Given the critical role of NetScaler in enterprise environments, it’s uniquely positioned to:
- Secure AI endpoints
- Load balance AI workloads
- Apply WAF policies to AI-driven services
- Optimize and control traffic flows to and from AI agents
- .....
As enterprises integrate more AI-driven components within their datacenters, NetScaler could become a key enabler in making those environments secure, observable, and reliable.
My final 2 cents
From cloud-native desktops to AI-driven operations, the conference painted a vivid picture of a future already in motion — where agility, security, and automation are no longer ambitions, but the new standard.
Throughout the sessions, one theme resonated clearly: End-User Computing is moving beyond device management into the realm of intelligent, experience-first design. With Windows 365, Intune, and AI woven throughout, the definition of the endpoint is shifting fast. Legacy platforms like Citrix are navigating this transition — and NetScaler, in particular, may prove to be a key enabler in tomorrow’s AI-augmented enterprise datacenter.
For EUC professionals, architects, and strategists, the takeaway is clear: it’s time to evolve. Embrace cloud-first models, fortify security, prepare for hybrid coexistence — because the EUC future won’t wait.
And just as importantly, it was genuinely refreshing to reconnect with friends and familiar faces from across the globe. After years of disruption, these in-person conversations were a welcome reminder of the community that drives this industry forward.
Then again… isn’t that what we’ve always done? Adapt, evolve — and keep building what’s next.
