In the Netherlands, more and more Mac devices are appearing in the workplace. Belgium is at the beginning of a growth phase. Is a Mac a good idea and how do you use it? MadMacX helps us get started.

The tone for our conversation with MadMacX was quickly set when Teams didn’t want to get started right away. “Windows safe?” laughs Michael Brosens. They sit down at the virtual table together with Daniel Mies. Mies and Brosens are managing partners at MadMacX, part of the De Cronos Group.

We immediately realized that it would be difficult for us to get a ready answer to the question in the title. Brosens grew up with Mac and Mies has been a convert for ten years. “Once you go to Mac, you never go back.” Both men were afraid to talk to me in their turtlenecks.

Every company is switching to Mac? Your answer is a resounding yes. The question of whether Apple belongs in the workplace is outdated. This is simply a reality in most companies.

Jetsons and Flintstones

Brosens begins with a quote from Fletcher Previn when he was CIO of IBM in 2018 (he now holds that position for Cisco, editor’s note): “We are the Jetsons (Apple) at home, but the Flintstones (Windows ) at work.” This quote still applies today, even if that will soon change.” Brosens refers to Generation Z, who is finding their way into the world of work.

“They don’t accept it anymore. Gen X defers to the boss, Gen Z does not. A company that wants to bring Generation Z on board has to adapt.” If someone grew up with a Mac during their studies or Apple devices were the reference, then they want to continue this line. Apple has focused its product development on the user experience from the beginning. For the new generation of professionals, ease of use is often the norm.

According to Brosens, organizations that have a Windows environment and do not want to accept the Mac as an alternative are losing the war for talent. “MadMacX represents the idea that an Apple launch can be done without compromise. And it even turns out to be more efficient and cheaper. It’s not difficult, but the IT team is often the bottleneck.”

Latent situation

“Apple devices in companies represent a latent situation. They already exist and the need is sometimes greater than recognized.” Mies points to the extensive range of Mac devices and their performance today. “Where a small music studio used to have to invest thousands of euros in a top-of-the-line device, today a MacBook Air is sufficient.” Hardware has developed incredibly quickly since Apple started producing its own chips. With the rapid development of AI, companies are also looking for more powerful workstations. With its M-series chips, Apple clearly recognizes this increase in performance.”

But the devices are not cheap. Is price a relevant argument for ignoring the Mac for a while? “No, on the contrary,” argues Mies. “A Mac requires less support, there is less downtime, the devices run more efficiently and in the end the devices have a higher residual value.” The total cost of ownership (TCO) after three years is even significantly lower than with Windows devices with comparable features.”

Brosens emphasizes that the Mac story should not be exclusive. “Organizations that go 100 percent Mac are still rare. IBM, Cisco and SAP are good examples. We see Apple making inroads into many more customer-facing departments. Not just with the classics like marketing or graphic design.”

Need for reporting

Mies hopes that we can also break through the traditional wall of creative professionals in Belgium. This segment wants a Mac and often gets it, but sometimes they don’t look beyond that. Apple doesn’t reveal specific numbers about its market share, but Brosens gives us some insight.

“In Belgium, Apple’s share in the corporate environment is quite low. We often hear figures around six to ten percent. If we look at the Netherlands, we are already heading for forty percent.”

He sees that Apple has found its place in the enterprise segment and is growing. It is the medium to large companies that neglect Apple. “However, something has to change. CSRD, NIS2, ISO27001, such standards require more reporting. You cannot continue to ignore the reporting requirements of these Mac devices. And don’t forget that these guidelines arise from the demand for greater digital data security and privacy.”

Jamf as an engine

According to Mies, the most important step within companies is the management of Apple devices, better known as Mobile Device Management or MDM. “Many people don’t know this, but Apple worked on this much earlier than Microsoft. At Apple, for example, for ten years or more you could send an employee a closed box and automatically leave it behind enroll.”

MadMacX primarily uses Jamf as an MDM platform, which they claim is the reference for Mac device management. We think this should be the case because too many companies still don’t include a Mac like a Windows PC. “That carries risks. Many managers work on Macs and are increasingly falling victim to phishing attacks. Apple is also vulnerable to malware today.”

Jamf is the reference for Mies, but you can also connect a Mac to another MDM. Even Microsoft Intune supports Mac today. And that says a lot about Apple’s business growth.

“For us, this can happen in two ways: either together with an IT team or we take over the entire administration ourselves.” The latter is often chosen, especially in smaller companies. Complemented by rental or leasing formulas, you design a clear approach to the equipment lifecycle. MadMacX makes the entire customization process easier.”

Mac-like foolproof Solution

Gen Z is knocking on the table, MDM, relative cost price, you can see the sparkle in the eyes of Mies and Brosens as they tell their story. “Don’t forget that you need a much smaller IT team to manage a fleet of Apple devices. Apple’s introductions to SAP and Cisco have been carefully measured. This shows that you can manage up to 200,000 Macs with 7 engineers. For the same number of Windows devices, you can quickly reach 20 engineers. Mac is more foolproof for the user and “easier to manage” for the IT team..”

Managing a fleet of Apple devices requires a much smaller IT team.

Michael Brosens and Daniel Mies, managing partners at MadMacX, part of the De Cronos Group

With a standard lead time of three years, you continue to have the latest technology in-house, which is important with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and new features within macOS. Because of the high residual value in this short period of time, it costs companies less than they think.

“Our MadMacX mission is to convince IT managers of both the possibilities and the benefits. You mainly work with Windows and are not sufficiently familiar with Mac. But they may also see the need to expand their job offerings. IBM, SAP and Cisco have shown that it is possible and works.”

This is an editorial contribution in collaboration with MadMacX. You can find more information about Apple in the business segment here.