Macs are not ready for the enterprise. Apple refuses to commit to support anything but their most recent hardware and software. As soon as the new version comes out, there is no way to support the older stuff.
I have some older XServes which I can't replace the harddrives for. Nor could I get a rack mounting kit. Mac OS X is a fine OS. But don't have your home folders located on the Windows server. There are problems with the many preference files in the User's ~/Library folder (think Windows user Profile folder) when it's located on a SMB share. 10.5 and 10.6 have some poorly documented folder redirection options, but you need a 10.5 or 10.6 server to set it up. Apple Remote Desktop is excellent. Think VNC with the ability to run Psexec commands in the background. A task server can be setup to do commands on schedules. Anything that is packaged correctly (which is most everything) can be installed remotely and silently... But Windows and a well packaged .MSI can do the same thing. Decent reporting as well. All for an unlimited license per administrator. Too bad it's for Macs only. Lastly, price. What does that $1099 get you? You can get a better machine for less money, every time. If you're like us and buy refurbished, you can get 2 PCs for the price of 1 mac. Apple has done a great job getting into the home user's domain. And they are focused on being a real competitor there. But beyond the home office, they are still way behind in the enterprise. --Matt Ross Ephrata School District ----- Original Message ----- From: Glen Johnson [mailto:[email protected]] To: NT System Admin Issues [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:24:29 -0700 Subject: Ammo for apple mac sales pitch > Our boss wants my assistant and me to meet with a rep who wants us to > put in some macs. > > We are a %100 windows shop, no mac experience and with only two of us, > we really don't want any more added to our overloaded plates. > > Other than the cost to train one or both of us, cost for some > centralized patching, centralized management, what other reasons can > yall recommend we use to prevent this from happening. > > I don't want to be dishonest with him, but I would hate to see this > dumped on us without us presenting all the valid reasons we can come up > with. > > We have a windows 2008 domain and I think you have to turn on some less > secure authentication in the domain to allow them to login. Anyone know > if that is correct? > > What about centralized password policies, screen savers, and such? > > Thanks for any ammo anyone cares to provide. > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
