ControlUp reimagines Digital Employee Experience (DEX) management with true real-time visibility, enabling 20x faster issue resolution on any desktop, any application, anywhere. Pulse 2.0 spoke with the company’s new CEO, Jed Ayres, to learn about its groundbreaking capabilities.
Joining A Visionary Team As ControlUp’s New CEO
After asking Ayres about what drew him to join ControlUp, he said:
“I wanted to work with co-founder Asaf Ganot to capitalize on a huge growth opportunity in the DEX market. His vision has made ControlUp essential for IT teams to resolve tickets faster, boost confidence, and reduce endpoint computing costs. Asaf has an extremely talented global team ready to take the company to the next level. With Asaf, our team, and support from iconic investors JVP and K1, we have the resources and expertise to execute an aggressive expansion strategy.”
DEX Market Trends
What’s shaping the DEX landscape? Ayres points to seismic shifts:
“The hybrid and remote-first workplace is driving innovation in DEX and endpoint computing. Delivering a great work-from-anywhere experience is a top priority for IT. It’s a tremendous growth opportunity for ControlUp and our partners.”
“Employee happiness and engagement are now front and center for businesses seeking competitive advantage. People need a sense of engagement and connection, whether they’re working in a corporate office, from home, or in a hybrid environment. Supplying the applications and tools that support an improved DEX environment for workers present major growth potential for businesses.”
“Additionally, companies face increasing pressure to control budgets and do more with less. ControlUp directly addresses these challenges by saving IT time and lowering per-employee costs.”
The ControlUp Difference
We asked what differentiates ControlUp in the market. Ayres’ answer came easy:
“ControlUp delivers a superior digital employee experience with true real-time visibility, actionable AI-driven insights, and automated remediation. We enable 20X faster issue resolution on any desktop, any application, anywhere. We empower IT to focus on elevation, not escalation, by equipping them with the tools to drive productivity.”
“We also set the standard for helping IT do more with less while delivering the best digital employee experiences. Customers praise our incredibly fast time-to-value. With ControlUp, IT is up and running in minutes and can rapidly improve the employee experience and lower endpoint computing costs. We’ll keep differentiating ourselves by setting the benchmark for innovation.”
Big Things Ahead
What’s next for ControlUp? Ayres outlines bold priorities:
“We’re building our global sales presence in EMEA, APAC, and North America. We’re making significant investments in our channel partnerships and, for starters, expect to double that business. We’ll also integrate more deeply with our key alliance partners to expand our reach. The combination of a channel-first strategy and elevated partner relationships will lead to accelerated market adoption.”
“We’re intensifying our customer focus, as well, making sure their needs are heard and reflected in our product innovation. Expect to see new AI, security, and SaaS app monitoring capabilities integrated into the ControlUp platform.”
Teeing Up Channel Success
What factors will influence success in the channel? Ayres responded:
“Channel partners’ success depends on helping customers be resilient and adapt quickly to technological changes. AI and GenAI are the latest examples. Companies need support from the channel to determine strategy and implementation. Partners also need to demonstrate expertise in helping customers adapt to innovation in cloud-delivered workspaces, edge computing, and IoT. Those who do will develop deeper, more valued customer relationships.”
“The channel is a big part of the growth opportunity in DEX applications, and we’ll be a valued partner by delivering the deep visibility organizations need to compete and win.”
On Leadership
How will you lead the company to achieve your goals? Ayres responded with a philosophy that is refreshingly unique:
“You can achieve anything with a committed, talented group of people working in alignment. If you believe together, with passion, and leverage visualization, you’ll make every goal a reality.”
“I believe in taking a ‘servant’s heart’ approach to leadership. It’s my role to serve and empower employees with the environment and resources to be amazing. It goes beyond leadership, seeking to become a true cultural catalyst. When we believe in a bigger goal, and selflessly look out for each other, we create powerful outcomes.”
Advice for CEOs
What advice do you have for new CEOs? Ayres shares some parting wisdom:
“Stay humble and remember that people determine a company’s success. Keep the ‘servant’s heart’ approach close and practice it daily. I think that as a new CEO, it’s important to listen first to gain perspective before making changes. Then act based on context and empathy. Great ideas fail if you don’t have the hearts of people in your company.”
“Empower and listen to your employees. If you listen to them with intent, then changes will have the support to succeed.”
