“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
– Steve Jobs
Steve’s remark reflects the positioning of Apple Mac in business IT over the past decade. It also highlights how perceptions of using Mac for work have changed. Traditionally, Apple’s sleek design and ‘wow’ feel factor meant that it was limited for use in creative industries such as design, marketing and media. Nowadays, the technology is making significant inroads into all industry sectors with CEOs and CIOs seeing that the Mac is more than quality design; it means work and productivity.
IBM, for example, now has 100,000 Macs in use since it partnered with Apple in 2014. An additional 10,000 Macs are deployed each month. The total number of Apple devices used by IBM, including iPads and iPhones is 217,000 yet the company only employs 50 IT support staff worldwide to provide assistance to users. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has confirmed that IBM saves around £220 in support costs for every Apple Mac it takes on board. IBM is not alone. Of the tech giants, Macs are the top choice for Google and Facebook. Here are a few good reasons why …
Besides being well-designed and sturdily built, Macs are much safer from viruses and malware than their PC counterparts. File sharing and collaboration is easy, plus it’s simple to operate Macs and PCs on the same network. Macs are also low maintenance; ideal for small businesses having a tight budget for IT support. To compound this, know that only 5% of Mac users at IBM call the IT Help Desk as opposed to 42% of PC users. So what are you waiting for?
You might be waiting for the price to go down. That’ll be the day. However, take comfort in the words of Fletcher Previn, VP of IT at IBM:
“Every Mac that we buy is making and saving IBM money. Over the long run, the incremental purchase price of a Mac pays for itself several times over the life of the device.”
So you decide to move to Mac. What’s the first port of call? Find a local Managed Service Provider (MSP) to consult with and give you invaluable guidance on the project. The MSP will examine your existing IT infrastructure and make recommendations for your seamless transition to Mac. They can help with procurements, network reconfigurations and on-the-spot troubleshooting.
Migration to Mac doesn’t need to happen in one go. You can replace old PCs with Macs when the time is right. Making PCs and Macs talk to each other on the same network is a cinch, your network won’t know whether you’re connecting a Mac or a PC, wired or wirelessly. To make things run smoothly, you’ll probably need to bring along your MSP who will lend IT support by setting up shared drives and resources.
The days of painful file sharing and transferring between Mac and PC are long gone. Most Mac applications can open files created on a PC and vice versa. Your MSP ensures that file transfer between systems is trouble-free and advises on the best hybrid cloud solution whereby files in whatever format can be accessed and collaborated on. Also, you can use Apple’s Boot Camp software to help run Windows on your Macs. If you are unable to find a Mac equivalent of your Windows application, again the MSP will come to the rescue.
Even with a fully-fledged Mac network, you still need ongoing IT support. The MSP will apply 24×7 proactive management and monitoring of your IT infrastructure using the latest Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software. You also have direct access to an experienced Mac engineer through the 24×7 Help Desk. Beyond this, outsourcing to an MSP means that your Apple technology is easily scalable and affordably managed.
If Facebook, Google and IBM have moved on from PCs, then scepticism over Mac doesn’t come into play. Apple Mac is more than feel and design. It is technology designed for your IT operational needs and future expansion. With Mac, you can make your IT secure, fit in and stand out, and conduct business with style and efficiency. Mac has the potential to put your enterprise into permanent and positive overdrive.
