Computerworld explains why Apple’s ‘consumer’ Macs are enterprise worthy
Not too long ago, ad agencies, design firms and other creative companies were about the only businesses that widely deployed Macintosh computers to their employees. But for a number of reasons, word of the benefits of Apple Inc. hardware — and software — on enterprise desktops is now spreading….
That list of reasons includes:
- Years of spyware, malware and virus headaches that affect Windows XP have pushed IT managers to scramble for new options they might not have considered in the past.
- The learning curve and disparity of Linux distributions is too high for easy general office use.
- Many corporate applications have been ported to W3-compliant Web services that are OS-agnostic.
- The Mac platform has moved to Windows-compatible Intel chips, which are less expensive and more powerful than older PowerPC processors and make virtualization a viable alternative.
- Mac enterprise administration has become more mainstream and interoperable with Active Directory, Microsoft’s user and inventory LDAP database. Active Directory is the backbone of most corporate environments and can be tied to everything IT-related, including IP phones, facilities access and, of course, computer security. Because Macs work with Microsoft’s directory, enterprise administrators can now more easily manage Macs alongside Windows machines.
- Apple’s consumer lineup is falling into the hands of business decision-makers and their families, and scoring well. What works well at home could do well at work.
