Why You’re Finding More and More Mac Devices in Companies

There are many reasons why Mac® devices are proliferating in organizations. Many say this is due to the fact that users practiced bring your own device (BYOD), bringing their private MacBook® computers into the office. Additionally, some think that employees asked for Apple® devices because it was in-line with their private preference or fitted in with the profiles of some special departments.

Following the stereotype, out-of-the-ordinary departments like marketing are the ones that prefer to rely on Mac rather than Windows clients. IT rebels, if you will. That is still true. Many departments purchase hardware and mobile devices using their own cost centers rather than relying on the IT purchase department. Reasons for this include specific software requirements and external appearance, or similar motives.

But for a long time now, this hasn’t been the main reason that the bitten apple has become part of the everyday life in companies. Increasingly, enterprises such as IBM are the ones officially rolling out Mac clients at employees’ choice—more than 100,000 in the case of IBM. 73% of IBM’s employees opt for a Mac. Other prominent examples include:

General Electric, optionally supplying all of its 330,000 employees with Mac devices
The Oath media group with 15,000 clients
SAP, currently using 14,000 Mac devices in its organization

More Expensive but Cheaper

Why is this? If even strictly cost-aware IT service providers such as IBM rely on Mac, they will have good reasons to do so—not least economic ones. Total cost of ownership (TCO) is the classic criterion here. As a rule, TCO is lower with Mac computers than with PC clients, the former’s higher purchase cost notwithstanding. Fletcher Previn, IBM’s IT Vice President, said that corporate PC users called the help desk eight times more, and that only one admin per 5,400 Mac clients was needed. Lower support cost, less depreciation, and longer useful lives make up for the higher upfront costs.

Increasingly, companies large and small are actively offering their staff members a choice of Windows notebook or MacBook. This has often grown to be just a question of personal preference rather than a strict requirement made by IT in charge of the composition of endpoint devices within the organization. When hiring personnel, it can be a great advantage if new employees are allowed to choose their hardware for themselves. All in all, demands for Mac clients are closing in on IT from different sides. The thing is to be prepared and develop a strategy for Mac integration.

For more information on how to manage Mac devices with Microsoft SCCM, click here.