Apple@Work brings you Addigy, the ONLY real-time Apple device management platform that combines MDM with live agent capabilities to manage and secure your Apple ecosystem—regardless of your Mac skill level. Visit addigy.com/9to5Mac for a free 14-day trial to see how Addigy helps you manage your Apple devices in real time.
Macs at work have gained traction over the past few years. that many of us “old-timers” are still amazed. As remote and hybrid work has become an integral part of our work community, it's worth looking back at what brought Apple to where it is at the top of the IT end-to-end food chain.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed the corporate IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, MDM, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will talk about how Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, create networks to support them, educate users , speak from the trenches of IT management and ways Apple can improve its products for IT departments.
In the past few years, IT teams have gone through a lot of changes. Employees are demanding more flexibility and moving away from the traditional “office” environment, customers want to outsource and use IT services in-house, and new technologies provide better access to information. Result? More remote workers who need technology that can adapt and evolve with them.
I consider 2007 to be a watershed year when IT teams were forced to embrace Apple, but over the past 15 years, Apple has done a lot to make that happen. make your products easy to deploy, manage, secure and decommission with Zero-Touch technology. Once the iPhone was in the hands of every CEO, it was only a matter of time before the Mac arrived. Once they got the Apple user experience, there was no going back.
What else has fueled Apple's corporate growth during the pandemic? Let's look at four factors:
Tim Cook's Apple Supply Chain Perfection
Apple's supply chain operations have been critical to business Mac availability during the COVID-19 pandemic for several reasons. First, the sudden shift to remote and hybrid work has sparked a surge in demand for laptops and other devices that support remote work. Apple's supply chain has allowed the company to quickly ramp up production and meet increased demand. Second, Apple's supply chain includes a global network of suppliers and manufacturers, which has allowed the company to continue manufacturing and distributing its products even as the pandemic disrupted supply chains and travel. Finally, Apple's supply chain operations are known for their efficiency and reliability, which has helped ensure that businesses get the Macs they need in a timely and cost-effective manner. When I looked at verified PC shipments from 2020 to early this year, I tended to find slower delivery options (months rather than days).
Investment in management technology
Apple's IT management technology (Apple Business Manager, Apple School Manager and its Device Management API) allows IT administrators to remotely set up, manage, and secure devices, as well as manage users and their access to applications and services. Apple's investment in its management technologies over the past decade has continued to improve the efficiency of how Apple's IT administrators manage their fleet of devices. With Apple technology for IT administrators, deploying an entire fleet of Macs is as easy as one. Everything happens automatically from the first unboxing to the final decommissioning.
Commitment to a great user experience for each user
There are two ways to design endpoints: the way it works best for the user, or the way it works best for the IT department. Apple has ALWAYS focused on creating a user-friendly experience by providing the best tools for IT administrators. Apple's commitment to the user experience is important to people who use Macs at work for several reasons. Because computers are the primary way many people get work done, Apple remains committed to creating a great experience while protecting privacy. If you look at the three pillars: security, performance, and privacy, Apple has balanced all three very well. simple and clear
Having reliable hardware is important to IT professionals when choosing computers for several reasons. IT professionals are responsible for supporting the technologies used in their organizations, including the hardware that runs software and applications. If the hardware is unreliable or prone to failure, it can lead to failures and downtime that can impact an organization's productivity and ability to function, as well as the costs associated with repairs.
Beyond the Butterfly Keyboard debacle, Apple continues to make incredible equipment for business. I would say that the MacBook Air M1 is the best absolute value for a business computer. Apple Silicon has, in my opinion, completely revamped the Mac for a new generation.
Summing up
Apple is well positioned for further growth in the enterprise in the coming years. It has handled supply chain challenges better than anyone, Mac is in a very healthy position, and Apple has built the tools needed for IT to succeed. What a time to be an Apple customer.
Apple@Work brings you Addigy, the ONLY real-time Apple device management platform that combines MDM with live agent capabilities to manage and secure your Apple ecosystem—regardless of your Mac- specialist. Visit addigy.com/9to5Mac for a free 14-day trial to see how Addigy helps you manage your Apple devices in real time.
