Splashtop Research Finds Endpoint Maintenance Consumes Half of IT Capacity

Organizations report rising maintenance burden, after-hours work, and patching challenges as endpoint environments grow more complex.

CUPERTINO, Calif., June 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Splashtop Inc., a global provider of solutions that power and secure distributed work, today released new research examining the growing operational burden facing IT teams and managed service providers (MSPs), finding that endpoint maintenance now consumes more than half of available IT team capacity. Based on a survey of 250 IT and MSP professionals, the report reveals how fragmented systems, inconsistent automation, and limited visibility are preventing many teams from moving beyond reactive endpoint operations.

The report, Stuck in the Middle: Why Most IT Teams Can’t Get Past Reactive Endpoint Management, found that while most teams have already invested in automation and endpoint management tools, many remain in partially modernized environments where reactive work and disconnected systems continue driving rising costs, after-hours workload, and business risk.

Key Findings

• Most IT teams remain stuck between reactive operations and full automation, with 72% reporting that fragmented tools, partial automation, and limited visibility are preventing them from realizing expected operational gains.
• Endpoint maintenance now consumes the majority of IT team capacity, averaging 53% of team time and rising to 61% in environments with more than 1,000 endpoints.
• Reactive endpoint operations create a six-figure financial burden, with teams spending an average of $133,000 annually on maintenance labor alone.
• Delayed patching is driving measurable risk, with 57% of respondents reporting a security incident tied to patching delays and more than half reporting cyber insurance impacts.
• Fragmented workflows are strongly associated with operational inefficiency, with teams using three or more tools per endpoint issue more than 60% likely to experience frequent rework.

The findings point to a widening gap between teams operating across fragmented, reactive environments and those adopting more unified approaches to endpoint management. As environments scale, many teams report spending substantial time on emergency patching, troubleshooting across disconnected systems, and managing operational inefficiencies that limit the impact of automation investments.

“As automation and AI agents become more common across IT operations, many teams are discovering that isolated automation can only go so far when the underlying operational model remains fragmented,” said Mark Lee, CEO and Co-founder of Splashtop. “This is driving the need for more unified operational models and shaping how we think about simplifying endpoint operations.”

Splashtop’s Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) platform is designed to address the operational model described in the research. 

Learn more about Splashtop AEM or start a free trial: www.splashtop.com/autonomous-endpoint-management.

Download the full report: Stuck in the Middle: Why Most IT Teams Can’t Get Past Reactive Endpoint Management

About the Research

The research is based on a survey of 250 U.S.-based IT professionals and MSPs conducted in February and March 2026. Findings reflect operational trends related to endpoint maintenance, automation, patching, and workflow management across organizations managing distributed endpoint environments.

About Splashtop

Splashtop is the top-rated global provider of remote work, support, and management solutions that simplify security and performance in the work-from-anywhere world. With customer success as the #1 priority, Splashtop’s technology is easy to deploy, use, and manage for small and midsize businesses and enterprises, offering advanced security features, high-throughput, broad device support, and 24/5 customer support. The approachable solution selected by more than 30 million users, Splashtop is a partner enabling users to grow and scale on their own terms with highly flexible plans. Splashtop is a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), aligning with Microsoft in their efforts to help customers address the evolving challenges of today’s IT landscape. Visit www.splashtop.com and follow us on LinkedIn to learn more.

CONTACT: Adrienne Hisoler
Splashtop Inc.
pr@splashtop.com