Software

JNUC 2022: 5 Ways to Embrace MacOS in the Workplace

For administrators hesitant about adopting Apple products or operating systems, experts share tips and best practices for transitioning to Mac.

Rebecca Torchia

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Rebecca Torchia is a web editor for EdTech: Focus on K–12. Previously, she has produced podcasts and written for several publications in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and her hometown of Pittsburgh.

The workplace of today demands flexibility, and that means providing employees with the devices they want to use. Simon Binder, digital workplace architect at Telia Cygate, emphasized this point in his Tuesday session, “Changing the Minds of Admins and Embracing macOS in the Organization,” at Jamf Nation User Conference 2022.

Binder noted that many IT and business administrators resist introducing Macs into the workplace. However, he noted, employees are happier when choosing their own devices. They also expect a high level of service from the companies they work for. Organizations should provide experience-level agreements (XLAs), which put customer experience at the center, compared with traditional service-level agreements (SLAs).

To embrace MacOS in the workplace and achieve the XLAs today’s employees and customers are looking for, administrators must keep five considerations in mind.

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1. Don’t Do Away with Windows Devices and Operating Systems

Organizations shouldn’t sacrifice Windows to adopt Mac. Employees should choose their own devices, and in some instances that means they will choose to work on Windows devices and operating systems.

“Don’t become the person you have argued with,” said Binder. “There are a lot of people that feel the same way about Windows as many of you do for MacOS.”

2. Embrace MacOS Equally to Give Employees Free Choice

Workplace device options must be equal for employees to freely choose how they are working.

“This is possibly the most important takeaway,” Binder said. “If you embrace MacOS within your organization, you need to do it on equal terms.”

If MacOS isn’t given equal treatment and consideration, employees may choose Windows because they feel that they will otherwise be left in the dark.

3. Don’t Manage Mac and Windows Devices the Same Way

Organizations should have different policies for managing MacOS and Windows, since they are different operating systems. Binder said users sometimes choose one operating system over another because their previous OSes were managed poorly.

Each system should be managed with software and features that make sense for that OS.

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4. Embrace the Entire MacOS Ecosystem

Embracing MacOS in the workplace means embracing its entire ecosystem, including iCloud, Jamf software, applications and more. It’s especially important to avoid giving employees Macs, yet forcing them to work on a Windows virtual machine.

“Having Mac in the organization is much bigger than the hardware and the operating systems,” Binder said.

Simon Binder urges admins to embrace the entire Mac ecosystem.

5. Show Your Organization the Data

Speak with the entire organization about the importance of embracing Mac in the workplace and the data supporting MacOS. Don’t target only the IT department; conversely, don’t leave IT out of these conversations.

“Research from Apple, Jamf and others might be seen as biased, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” Binder said.

To follow BizTech’s coverage of this event, follow us on Twitter @BizTechMagazine and use the conference hashtag, #JNUC2022.

How Can First-Time Admins Prepare for Jamf Software?

In another JNUC session, “First Time Jamf Admin,” Tony DiGennaro shared tips for new IT administrators. DiGennaro, who now works as the Mac workstation administrator for Nemours Children’s Health in Florida, said he went from a Windows user to a Mac enthusiast 10 years ago. Knowing only Windows software, he was asked to roll iPads out to 400 students in a Pittsburgh school.

Nearly a decade later, his primary responsibility at his current job is overseeing Mac devices.

Whether they’re just starting out in their careers or learning their way around MacOS, new administrators should ask questions, study on their own time and take the Jamf 100 Course, DiGennaro said.

Asking questions of their own admins and others in the organization will help new administrators find their footing more quickly. Ask about upcoming updates, plans for the future and why certain choices are made, he said.

Studying on their own time will also help beginners gain a deeper understanding of the technologies they’re working with. “There’s a lot of material out there. All the previous JNUCs are out there on YouTube, and there are plenty of resources you can reach out to for more information,” DiGennaro said.

Finally, the free Jamf 100 Course can teach new admins about security and management software specifically. DiGennaro said he took the practice test after a year as an admin and passed it easily, even not having taken the course. He also noted that, while the course itself is free, the certification comes at a cost.

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