On July 24, PDQ hosted an epic customer-only event: PDQ Unplugged. The live webinar featured candid conversations with PDQ’s founders, insights into today’s IT challenges from our CEO and VP of Product, and a detailed walkthrough of what’s next for PDQ Connect. From origin stories to product roadmaps, here’s a recap of the key takeaways for those who missed it or want to revisit the highlights.
Back to the beginning with Shawn & Shane
PDQ was built for sysadmins, by sysadmins, which still drives everything we do. Founders Shawn Anderson and Shane Corellian kicked things off by revisiting the early days of PDQ back when it was just a few friends trying to solve a problem they kept seeing in the field: Most IT tools were bloated, complex, and way too expensive for the needs of small and midsized businesses.
“We were ... consulting for large, large companies ... and we realized there's a smaller to medium market that wasn't being served because they were having to use the same products, but those products are really kludgy — they're hard to use. It takes a team of highly paid consultants.” — Shawn Anderson, cofounder
Their solution? A product that could help IT pros deploy software and updates quickly without an enterprise budget or a team of consultants. That product became PDQ Deploy, and it quickly evolved to include PDQ Inventory. The goal was simple: Help sysadmins get a win fast — ideally in the time it takes to eat a sandwich (5 minutes, give or take).
In true PDQ fashion, the founders shared stories that were equal parts informative and hilarious. They walked through several iterations of the company name (including the now-infamous "Brisworks" and years as “Admin Arsenal”) before finally landing on PDQ. They also reflected on their decision to step away from day-to-day leadership and bring in CEO Dan Cook — a move they say helped the company grow without losing its original DNA.
State of IT today with Dan & Mark
CEO Dan Cook and VP of Product Mark Littlefield picked up from there, sharing what they’re hearing from sysadmins today. While the core job of IT hasn’t changed, the environment has: hybrid work, remote endpoints, ransomware threats, and rising tool costs have all made the job harder. Three common challenges kept coming up in customer conversations:
Tool fatigue: There are too many products, interfaces, and vendors to manage.
Toggle tax: Constantly switching between tools eats up time and introduces risk.
Rising costs: IT budgets aren’t keeping pace with the complexity of modern environments.
To better support today’s sysadmins, PDQ has expanded its product suite over the past few years. In addition to PDQ Deploy and Inventory, the lineup now includes:
SmartDeploy: For imaging and provisioning devices
SimpleMDM: For managing macOS and iOS endpoints
PDQ Detect: For identifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities
Together, these products support the full device lifecycle from configuration to deployment. But the centerpiece of PDQ’s future is PDQ Connect.
A deeper look at PDQ Connect
Mark Littlefield provided an in-depth overview of PDQ Connect, the company’s remote device management solution for modern IT teams. Connect represents a strategic shift that addresses the realities of remote work, cloud infrastructure, and evolving security threats.
“We see tool consolidation becoming a bigger thing, speed becoming a bigger focus, being able to do more in one experience. That is what PDQ Connect offers.” — Mark Littlefield, VP of Product
Unlike Deploy and Inventory, which operate on-prem, Connect was designed from the ground up for remote management of internet-connected Windows devices. As more sysadmins face pressure to do more with less, Connect aims to streamline the most time-consuming parts of endpoint management without sacrificing speed, visibility, or control. And true to PDQ’s roots, it keeps the user experience simple, intuitive, and fast.
Some of the most notable current features include:
Real-time device inventory and status
Custom package creation and recurring deployments
Built-in remote desktop access
Real-time vulnerability detection and remediation
Connect is already earning praise for its speed — a point of pride given the founders’ original "5-minute sandwich" rule. Several customers have even noted that Connect is faster than Deploy in some use cases, especially when managing remote endpoints.
A look ahead — the PDQ Connect roadmap
The Connect roadmap focuses on expanding flexibility and functionality while maintaining PDQ’s trademark simplicity. It also reflects PDQ’s customer-first approach: The roadmap is heavily influenced by customer feedback collected through Discord, support tickets, and interviews.
“We really rely on each of you. It was a community-built company, truly ... And so please share that feedback with us.” — Dan Cook, CEO
Upcoming improvements include:
Multi-OS support: Mac support is already in alpha, with Linux under consideration based on customer demand.
Multitenancy: Currently in beta, this feature will allow MSPs and larger organizations to manage multiple environments from a single account.
AI automation: PDQ is building AI directly into Connect, not as a generic GPT wrapper but infused with our own device management approach. Controls and restrictions will ensure organizations can safely use only what fits their policies.
The team emphasized that Connect is not a replacement for Deploy and Inventory. All three tools will continue to be supported, each serving different use cases. On-prem environments aren’t going anywhere, and PDQ remains committed to supporting them.
PDQ Unplugged was more than a community hangout. It was a snapshot of where the company has been, where it’s headed, and how it plans to continue making sysadmins' lives easier. The event ended with a live AMA and a raffle, where three lucky attendees walked away with $1,000 Amazon gift cards. But the real win? Knowing that PDQ is still doing what it set out to do: build smart, useful tools that give sysadmins a much-needed edge — and a well-earned break.
Bookmark our events hub to make sure you never miss a webinar again, or sign up for a free trial and try PDQ Connect yourself.
