IBM shares its thoughts about upgrading a 370,000 strong workforce with Apple Macs
Two full years into one of the biggest deals in tech, IBM seems to be very happy with how things are going with Apple, as we prognosticated last summer. So far, IBM has successfully upgraded 15% of its employees to Mac computers, with a goal of 200,000 Macs powering a sizable share of IBM’s bullpens.
One particularly happy tune is being whistled by IBM’s VP of Workplace as a Service, Fletcher Previn. Previn’s responsibility within IBM is to ensure that employees are able to work efficiently, and resize the volume of support tickets, which, for any large corporation, can become a considerable drain on the budget.
As of late, Previn has one more reason to cheer about IBM’s deal with Apple, because it appears that introducing Macs to IBM employees has made Previn’s job a lot easier, due to the fact that, at least at IBM, Macs seems to require one third of the maintenance needed by a Windows PC.
According to Previn, 40% of support tickets opened for various issues, are represented by Windows PC users, while only 5% are represented by employees working with Apple Macs.
At present, Previn’s responsibilities cover as many as 604,000 computers across his organization, 442,000 of which are Windows PCs, 72,000 are Linux PCs, and 90,000 represent Mac computers, including MacBooks.
WIth the above said, there are a few things to consider that may apply to a corporate employee, and may not apply to the average consumer. Previn was quoted mentioning that Macs are typically between $117 and $454 more expensive to purchase than Windows PCs, but in the long run, the cost of maintaining these machines is one-third less than what it costs to maintain Windows PCs.
The cost of maintaining multiple computer systems within a corporate environment may include custom security solutions developed according to the organization’s needs, as well as specialized applications designed for specific tasks. All these features, and more, have a cost, which takes into account preventative security, as well as damage control.
The simplicity of Macs is a big reason why employees seem to have less problems with Macs than with PCs, but this is only one side of the story. Windows PCs have vastly improved in recent years, more so with the inception of Windows 10, whose security features have improved radically, and make it the most secure Windows operating system available, and when it comes to the average user, scenarios can vary radically from the typical workday of an IBM employee, while setting aside the fact that corporate-grade cyber-security is not something the average user will buy, or have a particular need for.
Most Windows PC users tend to retain their Windows systems long after they have been discontinued, with some systems still working after a decade of use, with hardly any need for paid maintenance.
It’s also important to note that most IBM employees use Apple iPhones and iPads, which is another motivator for them to use a Mac. With that said, IBM is still in the process of adding an average of 1500 Macs per week, which could provide new statistics later on.
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