Partnering with Advisory for Comprehensive Mac Support: A Guide for PC-Based MSPs

In today’s diverse IT environments, many PC-focused MSPs encounter challenges when supporting clients who incorporate Mac devices into their operations. At Advisory, we specialize in Mac support and have established partnerships with Jamf, the Apple Consultant Network, Microsoft, Okta and many more. We want to share how we can complement your services by managing the Mac environments for your clients, ensuring seamless integration and comprehensive IT support.
Below, we outline scenarios where partnering with us has proven invaluable for PC-based service providers.
1. Managing Personal Devices (BYOD)
Scenario: Your client’s employees use personal devices, like iPhones or personal Apple devices, for work purposes.
Current Challenge: Too often, we see companies try to shoehorn PC/Windows based security tools and policies into Mac environments with little effect. Securing Apple devices becomes a checkmark rather than a properly thought out strategic component of a larger IT strategy.
Solution:. Utilizing best-in-class MDMs like Jamf, we can help ensure these devices have OS appropriate security measures to protect company data, even on personal iPhones. This approach enhances security without disrupting the user experience, maintaining productivity while safeguarding sensitive information. We can even then further integrate this into the existing Windows MDMs like Intune.
2. Streamlining Device Enrollment with Apple Business Manager
Scenario: Ensuring devices are enrolled into the MDM system via zero-touch deployment can be challenging.
Current Challenge: Procurement for Apple devices are done ad-hoc and do not take advantage of zero-touch capabilities. This means that devices exist outside of the security of corporate ownership structure and are vulnerable to theft along with any data they may contain.
Solution: We make sure that all of our clients are properly set up with an Apple Business account that binds the Apple device purchases to Apple Business Manager. This process allowing for seamless zero-touch deployment and organizational device ownership. This also ensures that every Mac device is automatically enrolled into the MDM system, significantly reducing setup time and administrative overhead.
3. Supporting BYOD Mac Users
Scenario: Employees who use PCs at work prefer using personal Macs at home.
Current Challenge: Without viable subject matter experts, rollouts of “Mac as a choice” is only partially implemented, leading to issues with security and strategy parity with the Microsoft infrastructure.
Solution: We can ensure these Macs have the necessary security configurations to protect company data. By managing these BYOD Macs through an MDM solution like Jamf, we maintain the security and compliance standards required for corporate data protection.
4. Navigating Acquisitions
Scenario: A PC-based company acquires an organization with a presence of Macs resulting in a mixed device environment. Policies, strategies, software, and solutions need to be properly aligned to ensure adherence to the organization’s IT security posture.
Current Challenge: Without a dedicated team of macOS subject matter experts, the migration of devices to a suitable MDM, analysis of the fleet, deep understanding of security, and recognition of some of the solutions that need to be implemented will leave the Mac users isolated leading to culture and security issues.
Solution: We step in to build a Jamf instance that aligns to the organizational security priorities while ensuring that the software implemented aligns to the best practices of the devices it is meant to support. This approach ensures consistent policies across the board and creates parity whether a user is on a Mac or Windows device. This harmonization of device management simplifies IT operations and provides a cohesive user experience for all employees.
5. Meeting Compliance Requirements
Scenario: Clients with a predominantly PC environment often neglect to manage the few Macs they have.
Current Challenge: Without a Mac-appropriate solution or an understanding of which security benchmarks align to the organization’s needs, the Mac users become siloed and never fully integrated meaning that they become a larger burden on the service desk.
Solution: By leveraging our deep understanding of Microsoft and Apple environments, alongside our adherence to modern day compliance frameworks, we help ensure that all devices, including Macs, are securely managed and adhere to any requirements to create a truly agnostic organizational IT framework.
6. Managing Mac-Specific Applications
Scenario: Your client’s Mac users rely on Mac-specific software that requires unique management and updates.
Current Challenge: PC oriented tools are implemented on the Mac and tend to create operational challenges. We see this often with tools like endpoint security or PAM tools (ie Forcepoint or CyberArk). This leads to user frustration and increases strain on the service desk.
Solution: Our unique experience working with organizations of many sizes means that we have had to successfully harmonize the interests of the InfoSec team, the capacity of the service desk team, the budgetary requirements of Finance, and the end user satisfaction. Understanding the roles of each of these facets is what has made us successful in partnering with internal IT teams and Windows-focused MSPs.
7. Optimizing User Experience for Mac Users
Scenario: Mac users in a PC-dominated organization often face friction due to lack of tailored support.
Current Challenge: macOS users tend to face long wait times for resolution. This can also lead to problems being underreported and potentially expose security gaps.
Solution: We provide user-centric support that caters to the specific needs of Mac users, ensuring they receive the same high level of service as their PC-using counterparts. This leads to higher user satisfaction and productivity.
Does any of this resonate or sound familiar?
Partnering with Advisory allows you to expand your service offerings to include comprehensive Mac support, enhancing your value proposition to clients with diverse IT environments. By leveraging our expertise, you can provide seamless, secure, and compliant solutions for all devices, ensuring client satisfaction and operational efficiency.
We’re excited to discuss how we can collaborate to support your clients’ Mac environments. Let’s schedule a time to connect and explore this opportunity further.