But the TCO of employee connectivity is not merely "the device"
It's everything else that goes into it
Want a standard developer environment? Create an appropriate VDI instance
Want a standard CAD environment? Create an appropriate VDI instance
Want a standard xyz environment? Create an appropriate VDI instance
Then, based on the user role (at the moment of login), spin-up and connect to the proper image
This also allows someone who does two jobs to connect to multiple VDIs based off work needs, and do the 'proper' work on each one
Sure some of this is about data governance ... but most is about enabling end users to be as productive as possible
Updates? Done offline in offhours just to the master image(s)
New version of $OS$ needs to be deployed/trialed? Build/update one image at a time, verify, then push out as the new Golden Master
That CAD program that needs 16 threads for someone to be productive? But if the cluster is oversubscribed you'll get maybe 30% of the performance you need.
First phase of a tech rollout gives overly generous hardware, because the end user needs to be won over. Then comes right-sizing because it makes economic sense, and we know things are too generous. Then end users get decoupled from bean counters and the provisioning gets done by a third party corporation, so feedback cycles are broken. At that point, the race to the bottom starts.
I've seen people declare: We provision to the satisfaction of the customer. Which means: If you don't do the effort to complain, all is well. The results is the best people leave, as they won't deal with that. The middlings complain, bothering their managers, so they get labelled troublemakers and are oushed out. The yes men stay and praise the situation. The 9to5ers stay and get paid no matter what, so who cares if msword's text appear multiple seconds after you typed it.