New study finds Mac most secure & cost competitive in enterprise workplaces
A new study by Cisco compares Mac and PC usage in enterprise environments, focusing on security, cost, preference, and productivity -- and finds that Mac still holds up surprisingly well.
Mac in the workplace
Cisco recently conducted an extensive study examining the impact of Mac versus PC in hybrid work environments. This study, based on an analysis of internal company data encompassing over 130,000 employees across 99 countries, provides insights into the potential advantages of Mac within enterprise settings.
There are some differences in cyber security between Mac and PC users. According to data from Cisco Secure Endpoint detection, Mac users tend to have lower rates of viruses and other cyber threats. Biometric security is also more commonly used among Mac users, with approximately 89% utilizing this technology compared to 29% of PC users.
Additionally, the upgrade process for macOS Ventura appears to be faster than that of Windows 11, which may make Macs a better choice for those who prioritize staying up-to-date with the latest technology.
Regarding cost, the study challenges the notion that Macs are inherently more expensive. According to Cisco's data, Macs were cost-competitive with PCs over three years, depending on the hardware model.
And, as it has been before, the Mac upfront price can be a deterrent to adopters. However, Cisco assesses that Mac is between $148 and $395 less expensive over three years.
The study also highlights employee choice and efficiency. It reveals that 60% of Cisco's workforce currently uses Mac devices, and when given the choice during device refresh cycles, a significant number of PC users -- 24% -- opt to switch to Mac. This indicates a growing preference for Apple products, providing employees with more platform options.
In terms of productivity and user satisfaction, the study suggests potential benefits associated with Mac use. It reports a reduced need for IT administrators to support staff using Macs and higher satisfaction levels among Mac and iPhone users regarding IT support.
Cisco IT has developed a built Total Cost Ownership (TCO) Calculator used to analyze key components of the program from a cost standpoint. The calculator is now available to all.
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Comments
The Windows love in the IT world is something I just do not understand.
It keeps them employed, in the control loop and able to receive new toys to play with they'd otherwise find unaffordable and have to pay for themselves.
If you setup the environment correctly with an MDM such as jamf, Macs are extremely easy to manage in an enterprise environment. With jamf you can literally take a brand new Mac out of the box and if you have the back end of jamf setup for that Mac it will set itself up as soon as it hits the internet and checks in with Apple upon activation. There is no imaging, there's no manually installing most apps, configuring printers, mapping network shares, setting permissions and config profiles, etc. It's all done for you as part of the MDM setup. There's some initial setup with Apple Business Manager and things like that but once you get it setup it works like a charm.
You don't have this complete package in a Windows enterprise environment. You can get part of the way there if you want to screw around with SCCM and Group Policy but it's so much more of a pain in the ass versus something like jamf.
I think in today's world a good IT Tech or whatever you want to call (IT Engineer) them should be very open and be fluent in both platforms. It will make you very valuable with in a company. I know it saved my IT position during covid. I lost my entire team during covid and I have to think they kept me because I'm very fluent in both platforms and it's not always easy to find a Mac person who can also support Windows PC's and visa versa. It's typically either one or the other.
1. MS Office won the office app war by the early 90s. Windows 3.x won the GUI on top of DOS war before that.
3. IT departments literally required MS Office, IT departments standardized on PCs because they were “cheap”. Thus the purge began.
Microsoft Calls SCCM a 'Legacy' Product, Raising Questions About Its Future -- Redmond Channel Partner (rcpmag.com)
Deployment guide to manage macOS devices in Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn
I also agree with you, and good IT person has to be fluent with all platforms in the market. I work IT for small and medium businesses and have no issues with Windows or macOS. Both are excellent platforms.
HERETIC!!!
Break out the torches and pitchforks!!!
MS failing to make ActiveX part of the Internet standard essentially opened the market to smartphones, Linux, macOS. ActiveX was basically MS's typical EEE plan. Luckily, security issues destroyed that plan.