The enterprise landscape was initially dominated by Windows desktops, while macOS devices were mainly confined to personal use. It was probably because businesses were apprehensive about investing in premium prices. Over the years, Mac devices have successfully made inroads into the business landscape as enterprises realize that the features and feel they offer, make them a worthwhile investment. These devices are capable of much more than business owners can imagine.
Mac devices have a sleek design, clean interface, robust security, and seamless inter-Apple connectivity, which make them ideal for enterprise use. However, getting the best from these devices depends on optimizing their operations in the enterprise environment. IT teams need to make sure that they are set up to enhance performance, security, and ease of use for the employees. Fortunately, managing Mac for enterprises isn’t rocket science, and only taking some measures would be enough to derive the best that the OS has to offer. Here are the ones you can implement to optimize Mac operations for enterprises.
Supervision and enrollment
As Mac devices become a part of the enterprise ecosystem, there is a need for a proper process to enroll and supervise them. It is all the more important for big companies where new users join every day, and the numbers grow at a rapid pace. The enterprise must have an enrollment program that lets the IT admins supervise the devices used for work. Further, they should be allowed to create a comprehensive policy configuration for new users. Apart from the policy settings, admins must facilitate email and exchange settings on enterprise devices.
Network settings
When it comes to Macs for enterprise setups, network settings are crucial. Remote working was already popular before the pandemic, but things have gone a step further now, as work-from-home is a norm. Empowering the employees to work remotely is all about allowing them to plug and work from anywhere. Enabling devices with secure WiFi network configurations should be the prime concern for any organization that wants to optimize their operations right now. Employees should be able to connect to a reliable WiFi network approved for stability and security by the enterprise IT. The objective is to ensure employee productivity without opening up the confidential corporate data to any threats from unidentified networks.
Restricting system preferences
Another aspect of operational optimization of enterprise Macs is restrictions on system preferences. Any company would want to make sure that the employees use corporate devices for business purposes only. It is vital from both productivity and security perspectives. Enterprise IT has to manage the system preferences extensively to ensure restricted preferences that only the company decides. Your employees, on the other hand, will see only the system preference items that are enabled by the admins.
Restrict media and sharing
Apart from restricting system processes, you need to limit media and sharing as a part of the enterprise Mac management strategy. File sharing controls are critical in corporate settings because you cannot allow the employees to share confidential data with unauthorized people within and outside the organization. As a part of the Mac operations optimization plan, the IT admins can restrict file sharing via Mail, Messages, iTunes, Airdrop and social media. Further, they can block access for external storage devices such as DVDs, CDs and external HDDs. The objective is to fortify the security of confidential business data on Mac devices.
Memory management
When you use Mac devices for business, you would want to keep track of memory and storage. The machines that get too loaded can suffer on the performance front, so memory management needs to be a top priority for any business, no matter how many devices you have in the enterprise ecosystem. You can click here to know more about defragmenting the systems to ensure that the devices are uncluttered without the risk of losing important files and documents. Proper backups are also vital to managing memory in the long haul.
Content filtering
Not having content filters on enterprise Mac can expose your business to dual threats. The main risk relates to attacks from malicious websites, which can lead to a security compromise. The less dangerous one is that of employee distraction, though it can also spell big trouble in the long run as it reduces the productivity and efficiency of employees. Therefore, it makes sense to include content filtering into the Mac optimization strategy for your business. IT admins can select only the websites that are critical for the enterprise and whitelist them, so employees can access only the ones that are trustworthy and useful.
Security and privacy
As a brand, Apple is revered for the robust built-in security and privacy settings it integrates into its devices. However, enterprises need to go the extra mile with the security and privacy of devices and networks. Measures such as enforcing passwords, setting the password expiry period, and blocking touchID to access can go a long way in enhancing the security at device levels. They can enable firewall settings to stronghold privacy even further. It is also possible to protect user privacy across shared devices by blocking auto-fills of forms on the Safari browser.
Personalization and maintenance
The enterprise macOS devices also need to be optimized from the branding perspective. Admins can configure device wallpapers to replicate the company branding. They can also personalize the user experience for the employees by allowing or blocking core Apple features such as iCloud Drive, reminders, notes, bookmarks, and calendars. Further, usage curfews can be set up to enforce a scheduled downtime for the employees. The IT team can schedule updates on devices to make sure that they always run the latest version of the OS.
Moving to enterprise Macs is perhaps the best decision that any business can make because it opens you up to a world of opportunities. But there is another side of the picture as well. Unless you make sure that your Mac operations are optimized for performance, memory, and security, it will not be possible to get the advantages that it has to offer. Luckily, your IT team can carry on the task easily, provided that they take the right approach. These measures will have them covered, so invest in them right away.
