10ZiG Technology is transforming how organizations enable secure, high-performance virtual desktop and cloud workspace experiences. As a specialist in Thin and Zero Clients, 10ZiG provides hardware, software, and management solutions designed exclusively for VDI, DaaS, and web application environments. Its flexible OS options, dedicated support, and free centralized management console empower IT teams to deliver consistent, optimized, and cost-effective digital experiences across endpoints and industries.
In this executive Q&A, Stuart Pladgeman, Vice President of Sales, shares his 20-year journey with 10ZiG, from launching the company’s UK operations to helping lead its global success. He discusses how hands-on leadership, customer-driven innovation, and a culture of agility have shaped 10ZiG’s growth and how the company continues to advance endpoint computing for a hybrid, secure future.
1. Career Journey: Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career, especially one that shaped your leadership approach at your current company?
I started in the UK as essentially employee number one for our business there. We were literally operating out of a house, with one bedroom as production, another as the IT room, and the garage as storage. I wore every hat: sales one day, support or accounting the next, and even product delivery when needed. That “do what it takes” foundation shaped my leadership style. It taught me to see the company through every stakeholder’s eyes, from end users and partners to accounting and logistics, and to lead by rolling up my sleeves. I later moved to the U.S. in 2007 to climb the sales ladder, and this year marks year 20 with the company. That early, hands-on start still guides how help lead the business today.
2. Career Path: What initially brought you to this specific career path, and how did it lead to your role in this company?
Two things drove me: impact and opportunity. I wanted to move to the U.S. and work where I could be more than an employee number. A smaller, fast-evolving tech company offered the chance to make a direct difference. Before 10ZiG, I completed a management fast-track program that rotated me through every department, so “wearing all the hats” felt natural. That background, plus an appetite for growth, led me from UK generalist to U.S. sales and, over time, into a broader operational leadership role.
3. Company Differentiation: What makes your company stand out from competitors in the market? Can you share an example that highlights this?
Focus and follow-through. 10ZiG lives and breathes thin and zero clients, with all of our attention on endpoint hardware, OS options, and management for VDI, DaaS, and web apps. Particular differentiators of our solutions include:
- Ecosystem breadth: We support the leading brokers, including Omnissa, Citrix, and AVD. Our fully loaded thin client OS also covers AWS, Apporto, Inuvika, Parallels RAS, and Leostream, plus Chrome and Firefox. For customers who want maximum flexibility and peripheral support, we offer Windows based on Microsoft’s LTSC.
- Repurpose at scale: Our Linux-based repurposing OS standardizes the user experience across PCs, laptops, or non-10ZiG thin clients.
- Management without a tax: Our 10ZiG Manager is a single-pane-of-glass console that is free of charge.
- Service as a differentiator: We adapt our products to customers, not the other way around. A favorite example is a large call-center prospect that relied on a specific headset. They dropped one at our Phoenix HQ, our R&D added the driver, and we delivered new firmware within 24 hours. That responsiveness, combined with staying current on critical features like Teams and Zoom optimization, often keeps us months ahead of larger competitors.
4. Product Innovation: Are you working on any exciting new products or projects? How will this innovation positively impact customers?
We are advancing our 10ZiG Manager platform. The next major evolution, V6, focuses on faster fleet operations, more granular policy control, stronger security, and richer reporting, while remaining simple and lightweight for admins. We have also continued to refine V5 with practical upgrades such as smoother remote control, streamlined firmware orchestration, and quality-of-life improvements that reduce ticket noise. The goal is consistent: make large, diverse endpoint fleets easy to secure, manage, and keep current without adding license costs or complexity.
5. Success Insight: What was the tipping point for your company’s recent success? Was there a change in strategy or approach that others might learn from?
Two catalysts stand out.
- Federal focus: Since about 2015, we have leaned hard into federal government requirements. After a pivotal on-site with a DoD customer who gave us a frank wish list, we invested in hardening the OS, expanding logging, and elevating management controls. That clarity and execution grew our federal business by an order of magnitude and built a strong reference flywheel.
- The COVID shift: Work-from-home exposed the limits of legacy zero and thin clients, especially for unified communications apps, webcams, and headsets. We fast-tracked firmware and client optimizations and, critically, we stayed deliverable. While some competitors quoted 16-week lead times during port congestion and chip shortages, we used air freight, tightened forecasting, and kept lead times reasonable. That reliability won customers when they needed help most.
6. Challenges and Lessons: Can you share a significant challenge your company faced and how you overcame it? What key lesson did that experience provide?
The pandemic was the biggest test by far, bringing a combination of operational and product challenges. Port congestion stretched typical five-week ocean shipments to as long as 15 weeks, while chip and CPU shortages added additional pressure. At the same time, in-person events came to a complete halt. Work-from-home requirements created new product pressures as well, driving the need for rapid UC optimization and expanded peripheral support, which led to an accelerated R&D and QA sprint. In response, we increased inventory, sped up development and testing, moved offices, shifted marketing efforts from events to digital channels, and reallocated budgets to focus on what worked. The lesson was clear: be prepared and be nimble. Forecast carefully, diversify logistics, communicate often with customers, and invest where the market is actually moving.
7. Leadership Impact: In a few words, what differentiates your leadership role from others in the company? What impact does this have on culture or product success?
I am a doer. My title says sales, but my remit is broader across operations, costs, and execution. I am naturally competitive and hands-on, and I do not mind getting my hands dirty. Those values come straight from my early “wear all the hats” years. That mindset defines our culture at 10ZiG. We are family-like, long-tenured, and willing to work outside the lane when customers need it. We celebrate wins, move fast on feedback, and measure ourselves by outcomes, not optics. That is how we have kept growing year after year while staying close to our customers.
To learn more about Stuart Pladgeman and 10ZiG’s vision and innovations, visit the website here.
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