IBM's 200,000 Macs have made a happier, more productive workforce

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited November 2019
IBM has published its latest study focusing on the benefits of Apple products in enterprise, and has found that a fleet of over 200,000 Macs leads to far lower support costs, smaller numbers of support staff, and happier employees versus a Windows deployment.

Mac@IBM kicked off in 2015
Mac@IBM kicked off in 2015


In the study presented on Tuesday, IBM says that employees that used Mac machines were 22 percent more likely to exceed expectations in performance reviews compared to Windows users. Mac-using employees generating sales deals have 16% larger proceeds as well.

"The state of IT is a daily reflection of what IBM thinks and feels about its employees," said Fletcher Previn, CIO, IBM. "I've said it before - when did it become OK to live like the Jetsons at home but the Flintstones at work? We aim to create a productive environment for IBMers and continuously improve their work experience, and that's why we introduced our employee-choice program to IBM employees in 2015."

Turning to employee satisfaction, the first-of-its-kind study shows that Mac users were 17 percent less likely to leave IBM compared to their Windows counterparts. Mac users also were happier with the software available, with 5 percent asking for additional software compared to 11 percent of Windows users.




Previn touched on the cost to support the Macs in the workplace. A team of seven engineers is needed to maintain 200,000 Macs whereas a team of 20 is needed for that number of Windows PCs.

During setup, the migration process was simple for 98 percent of Mac users versus only 86 percent of those moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Windows users were also five times as likely to need on-site support.

Earlier this year Jamf released a study that showed reliability was the number one reason users preferred to work on a Mac rather than a PC.

IBM has made a number of announcements at JNUC in the past. Last year at JNUC 2018, Previn announced the computing behemoth was open-sourcing its Mac@IBM provisioning code as well as the huge returns it saw with its Mac deployment.

The Mac@IBM program kicked off in 2015 where IBM was deploying 1,900 Mac devices per week supported by only 24 help desk staff members.
applesnoranges
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 46
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,851member
    As we all already could have predicted but nice to see in print.
    StrangeDayswilliamlondonravnorodomapplesnorangeswatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 2 of 46
    h2ph2p Posts: 335member
    Whoa. Windows@IBM users were about 500% more likely to need migration assistance just within Windows. That stat blows me away. This in a workforce of 381,100 is a feather in Apple’s cap. Goodonya folks. (https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/IBM/ibm/number-of-employees)
    minicoffeelostkiwidysamoriawatto_cobrasteveaujony0
  • Reply 3 of 46
    RhythmagicRhythmagic Posts: 63unconfirmed, member
    ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
    cornchipwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 4 of 46
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    ...
    employees that used Mac machines were 22 percent more likely to exceed expectations in performance reviews compared to Windows users. Employees generating sales deals has 16% larger proceeds from Mac users as well.
    ...

    I guess having read enumerable medical studies proving that black is white and the sun rises in the west, and having started as an accountant fully cognizant of the truth behind the saying that:  "Figures lie and liars figure", I have become quite cynical of statistics -- particularly those that fail the smell test.

    In the case of medical studies it has become generally accepted in the medical community that the primary determinant of the outcome of a study is who funded the study.   And, we all know about accountants and lawyers...

    This one fails the smell test.  It reeks of using statistics to prove a point.
    Are Macs better in the business environment?   Very likely -- particularly if you it's a favorable environment.   But, these stats sound highly suspicious to me.
    muthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondon
  • Reply 5 of 46
    ...
    employees that used Mac machines were 22 percent more likely to exceed expectations in performance reviews compared to Windows users. Employees generating sales deals has 16% larger proceeds from Mac users as well.
    ...

    I guess having read enumerable medical studies proving that black is white and the sun rises in the west, and having started as an accountant fully cognizant of the truth behind the saying that:  "Figures lie and liars figure", I have become quite cynical of statistics -- particularly those that fail the smell test.

    In the case of medical studies it has become generally accepted in the medical community that the primary determinant of the outcome of a study is who funded the study.   And, we all know about accountants and lawyers...

    This one fails the smell test.  It reeks of using statistics to prove a point.
    Are Macs better in the business environment?   Very likely -- particularly if you it's a favorable environment.   But, these stats sound highly suspicious to me.
    This isn't new news and has been quantified before. IBM has done their own studies and thus are not funded like drug manufacturers do for their studies:

    https://www.cio.com/article/3133945/ibm-says-macs-save-up-to-543-per-user.html

    https://www.businessinsider.com/an-ibm-it-guy-macs-are-300-cheaper-to-own-than-windows-2016-10
    williamlondondysamoriaapplesnorangescornchipwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 6 of 46
    ...
    employees that used Mac machines were 22 percent more likely to exceed expectations in performance reviews compared to Windows users. Employees generating sales deals has 16% larger proceeds from Mac users as well.
    ...

    I guess having read enumerable medical studies proving that black is white and the sun rises in the west, and having started as an accountant fully cognizant of the truth behind the saying that:  "Figures lie and liars figure", I have become quite cynical of statistics -- particularly those that fail the smell test.

    In the case of medical studies it has become generally accepted in the medical community that the primary determinant of the outcome of a study is who funded the study.   And, we all know about accountants and lawyers...

    This one fails the smell test.  It reeks of using statistics to prove a point.
    Are Macs better in the business environment?   Very likely -- particularly if you it's a favorable environment.   But, these stats sound highly suspicious to me.
    I don’t follow, isn’t this a study performed by IBM about IBM? Who is IBM trying to pump up?
    StrangeDayswilliamlondonqwerty52dysamoriawatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 7 of 46
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,311member
    Duh! Every user of Apple products knows this. 
    williamlondonwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 8 of 46
    Can you imagine that!
    cornchipwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 9 of 46
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    MacPro said:
    As we all already could have predicted but nice to see in print.
    Not surprised at all!    I work in a MS only workplace and see what the support people go through and frankly I suspect even Linux would be dramatically less trouble.    The biggest problem with Apple in the corporate world, especially manufacturing, is suitable hardware.   The Mac Mini is not a universal solution and all in ones are completely unacceptable.  I still don’t think Apple gets it but then again neither do many corporate IT managers. 
    ElCapitandysamoriacornchipsteveau
  • Reply 10 of 46
    rob53 said:
    Duh! Every user of Apple products knows this. 
    That's a bit facile, in the enterprise context, where things are a lot more complicated.

    This is exactly the kind of news and analysis that enterprises need to hear more of: I will be passing this article on to the head of IT in my organization, for sure.

    (Was there  a link to the IBM study in the article?)
    edited November 2019 cy_starkmandysamoriawatto_cobrasteveau
  • Reply 11 of 46
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,928administrator
    rob53 said:
    Duh! Every user of Apple products knows this. 
    That's a bit facile, in the enterprise context, where things are a lot more complicated.

    This is exactly the kind of news and analysis that enterprises need to hear more of: I will be passing this article on to the head of IT in my organization, for sure.

    (Was there  a link to the IBM study in the article?)
    Not yet. When they publish the entire piece, we'll link to it. We're on the ground at the Jamf conference.
    williamlondonanantksundaramdysamoriaapplesnorangescornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 46
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    ...
    employees that used Mac machines were 22 percent more likely to exceed expectations in performance reviews compared to Windows users. Employees generating sales deals has 16% larger proceeds from Mac users as well.
    ...

    I guess having read enumerable medical studies proving that black is white and the sun rises in the west, and having started as an accountant fully cognizant of the truth behind the saying that:  "Figures lie and liars figure", I have become quite cynical of statistics -- particularly those that fail the smell test.

    In the case of medical studies it has become generally accepted in the medical community that the primary determinant of the outcome of a study is who funded the study.   And, we all know about accountants and lawyers...

    This one fails the smell test.  It reeks of using statistics to prove a point.
    Are Macs better in the business environment?   Very likely -- particularly if you it's a favorable environment.   But, these stats sound highly suspicious to me.
    Honestly I believe just about the entire article.    Why?    I’ve seen first hand just how bad MS based solutions are and the support structure to keep them running.  
    mknelsonwilliamlondonqwerty52dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 46
    wizard69 said:
    MacPro said:
    As we all already could have predicted but nice to see in print.
    Not surprised at all!    I work in a MS only workplace and see what the support people go through and frankly I suspect even Linux would be dramatically less trouble.    The biggest problem with Apple in the corporate world, especially manufacturing, is suitable hardware.   The Mac Mini is not a universal solution and all in ones are completely unacceptable.  I still don’t think Apple gets it but then again neither do many corporate IT managers
    There’s nothing unacceptable about AIOs at any of the Fortune 100 and 500 enterprise orgs I’ve worked for over the years. In fact most issue laptops, which are....AIOs. This hasn’t been a problem whatsoever. We use cloud and network data stores, and if a machine breaks down it is replaced readily.

    And for my own personal business I have no issue with my new iMac AIO and it’s kickass 5K display, it’s incredible sharp and less expensive than buying a stand-alone plus 4+ K monitor. 
    edited November 2019 macplusplusRayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 46
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    wizard69 said:

     I’ve seen first hand just how bad MS based solutions are and the support structure to keep them running.  
    We use Macs for everything except our accounting software which has been running on Windows for more than 20 years. Just for the sake of legacy compatibility we still use Windows in that department. I have no issues with Windows 10. It works fine in my opinion, but for our programming, publishing and design projects we are all Mac. I haven't upgraded anything to Catalina yet due to various issues that have been reported.
  • Reply 15 of 46
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,750member
    I’m equally comfortable with both macOS and Windows but I completely agree that macOS is more reliable and easier to maintain than Windows 10. The difference is not huge, but when you’re talking thousands of users small differences in reliability have a large impact on availability, which is where the rubber meets the road for most end users. End users are very intolerant of any downtime caused by computer system glitches and failures. Downtime leads to frustration, loss of productivity, and decreased moral. More recently I’ve even seen new employee hires that have a contractual commitment from their new employer that allows them to use a Mac inside what is traditionally a Windows-only shop. Is this kowtowing to hipsters? No, it’s allowing employees to perform at their best and not setting them up for failure or frustration by creating needless barriers to the employee's and company’s success. I know, this sounds too hard to take for conformists and government workers, but some companies (around 30% I’d guess) actually understand the value of having happy and engaged employees. Sounds like IBM gets it and good for them. 
    applesnorangeswatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 46
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,312member
    wizard69 said:
    MacPro said:
    As we all already could have predicted but nice to see in print.
    The biggest problem with Apple in the corporate world, especially manufacturing, is suitable hardware.
    I have worked in a mixed environment, at a print shop. All the design was done on Macs, but the presses ran Windows software that was customized for our shop, ages before I worked there. I helped support an NT environment, which had its issues, mostly with sales people’s laptops not connecting to the network and the like, but the Mac side ran smoothly nearly 100% of the time. I think the only time I serviced a Mac was when an OS 9 System Folder became “un-blessed” , and wouldn’t boot. Luckily, I remembered the trick to fix that (drag Finder out and then back in). The design staff were very pleased with me that day!
    edited November 2019 philboogiewatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 46
    wizard69 said:
    MacPro said:
    As we all already could have predicted but nice to see in print.
    Not surprised at all!    I work in a MS only workplace and see what the support people go through and frankly I suspect even Linux would be dramatically less trouble.    The biggest problem with Apple in the corporate world, especially manufacturing, is suitable hardware.   The Mac Mini is not a universal solution and all in ones are completely unacceptable.  I still don’t think Apple gets it but then again neither do many corporate IT managers. 
    What? Where are you living? We see a lot of iMacs on reception desks, hospitals and many crowded business places every day...
    edited November 2019 StrangeDayslostkiwiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 46
    DRBDRB Posts: 34member
    ...
    employees that used Mac machines were 22 percent more likely to exceed expectations in performance reviews compared to Windows users. Employees generating sales deals has 16% larger proceeds from Mac users as well.
    ...

    I guess having read enumerable medical studies proving that black is white and the sun rises in the west, and having started as an accountant fully cognizant of the truth behind the saying that:  "Figures lie and liars figure", I have become quite cynical of statistics -- particularly those that fail the smell test.

    In the case of medical studies it has become generally accepted in the medical community that the primary determinant of the outcome of a study is who funded the study.   And, we all know about accountants and lawyers...

    This one fails the smell test.  It reeks of using statistics to prove a point.
    Are Macs better in the business environment?   Very likely -- particularly if you it's a favorable environment.   But, these stats sound highly suspicious to me.
    Why would it fail the smell test. IBM was never a Mac user because they were Apple's biggest competitor. For most people, it's hard to go public and tell the world that what you used to sell and support is garbage. It's like the CEO of Ford telling the world that now, 40% of his workforce drives GM cars and they are more productive, happier, etc. IBM still has a vested interest in Lenovo, which is one of the biggest PC mfg. and that's the brand IBM uses. So why would IBM go around basically telling the world that PCs (Lenovo) suck in comparison to Macs? And that doesn't pass the smell test?
    StrangeDayswilliamlondonapplesnorangescornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 46
    DRBDRB Posts: 34member
    ...
    employees that used Mac machines were 22 percent more likely to exceed expectations in performance reviews compared to Windows users. Employees generating sales deals has 16% larger proceeds from Mac users as well.
    ...

    I guess having read enumerable medical studies proving that black is white and the sun rises in the west, and having started as an accountant fully cognizant of the truth behind the saying that:  "Figures lie and liars figure", I have become quite cynical of statistics -- particularly those that fail the smell test.

    In the case of medical studies it has become generally accepted in the medical community that the primary determinant of the outcome of a study is who funded the study.   And, we all know about accountants and lawyers...

    This one fails the smell test.  It reeks of using statistics to prove a point.
    Are Macs better in the business environment?   Very likely -- particularly if you it's a favorable environment.   But, these stats sound highly suspicious to me.
    IBM is just reporting their findings. IBM sells and supports Windows and Macs to their customers, but their internal use of each platform is what THEY are researching because it helps them make better decisions moving forward in how to deal with their internal IT issues with employees. IBM used force their employees to use Windows, but they don't anymore and now they are looking at various metrics and reporting just to let people know what happens when you change to their new and different method of dealing with IT and their employees.
    qwerty52applesnorangescornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 46
    even with today’s purported keyboards on the macbook pros. imagine that... /s
    cornchip
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