Small offices on Macs taught me to stop treating them as exceptions

A while back, a 20-person company got in touch with us. All Mac users. They had been to a few other IT companies before coming to us. One even told them straight up, they didn't want to work with Macs.

I get it, but I don't think it was a good decision. I have been working in the IT sector for small to medium-sized businesses in northern Germany since 2004. I have learned more about device management from Mac offices than from most of our Windows clients.

Why they say no

I think most IT companies use software, scripts, etc., that are tailored to Windows. We also did. We only have a limited amount of hardware/software that we use because that is how you give good answers when you have a small team.

Managing a Mac for a business can require additional setup. There are some things you have to change and different ways to update, etc. Someone has to know where these things are. I think for an IT company that only has a few Macs in their customer base, it is easier to say no.

These companies are most likely not even making an IT decision. These are probably agencies or companies that enjoy using Macs. You wouldn't want them to change their work style just because your IT company doesn't want to learn.

What an office full of unmanaged Macs looks like

We had an advertising agency that came to us. 14 people all using Macs. They stored their files on a Linux server, which was in a small server room that in the summer was 38 degrees Celsius. Around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. They used mobile air conditioners to keep it cool. Only one man knew how to manage the server, and he was 76 and almost retired. He stored backups on Blu-rays that he believed would last 100 years. The managing director said he just wanted to be able to go on vacation and not worry about the server breaking.

The Macs were not a big issue. They were all set up manually and treated as personal computers. Nobody knew what was managed on what machine or what would happen if a Mac was stolen.

We took their files and put them on Microsoft 365/SharePoint. Managed their Macs through Apple's business enrollment platform and Microsoft Intune. That server room is now a storage room.

Managing a Mac

Much like Windows, you have your company device that is stored in a central database. Then you have a program that can manage that device.

Apple Business holds the enrollment records for company Macs. Microsoft Intune can then manage those devices. If you purchase your Mac through Apple or an authorized reseller and have it assigned to your company in Apple Business, it can automatically enroll in your mobile device management (MDM) and receive its settings when first turned on. Microsoft has a great article on how to set up your Mac with Intune. Intune can also be configured to require FileVault encryption during setup on supported Macs.

This means your user can unbox a laptop. Sign into their work account and have email and programs ready to go. Your company can manage that device if it gets lost.

When we created kjello, we wanted to support Macs as a normal device. Just like a user can choose a Windows laptop, they can choose a Mac. Both will set up when first turned on.

When I will say no

There are some situations where I will tell my customers that Macs are not the best choice for them.

There is some software that only works on Windows. Accounting programs and some machine controls come to mind. If you need to run these programs on a Mac, you are going to have to find a workaround. Every workaround you add is another thing that can fail. I would not switch a company over to Macs just for IT.

You will need someone on your team that knows both systems, which for an IT company means more knowledge. I think it's worth it, but I can see why some may not want to take on that extra knowledge. Just don't turn away your customers that use Macs.

The last thing I will say is when purchasing your Macs, if you buy a Mac from a store one Saturday, it may not be automatically added to Apple Business. You can add it later, but it's more work. I have found that if you don't do it when you buy the laptop, it may never get added. Always tell your customers to purchase through a vendor that will add the device to your company.