Expansion of how companies embrace Apple ™ in the workplace is occurring everywhere. It’s critical that employees are provided with the best tools to be the most productive. The simplicity and intuitiveness of Apple makes its products a great fit for business, along with its powerful, secure, and easy-to-deploy nature. Mac™, iPad™, iPhone™, and all Apple products allow for creative problem-solving and frictionless experiences that enhance productivity in the workplace.
With many young adults having grown up with Apple products, there is a strong comfort level and trust in the devices. More often than not, young professionals would choose to work with Apple devices for business if given the opportunity. Simply put, employee choice programs need to be rolled out by businesses to stay competitive and attract new talent. From setup to device management and support, we will outline five principles that showcase the benefits of offering Apple as part of an employee choice program. The cost savings and potential increased engagement/productivity will go a long way in convincing others of the advantages of further adopting Apple and employee choice.
Employees have unique technology requirements and often gravitate toward certain device types, upgrade cycles, size, and color. A corporate-provisioned employee choice program that supports Apple products and implements a choice for both iOS™ and macOS™ empowers everyone to make the decision of what products best suits their needs, while maintaining corporate standards. IT should even consider incorporating users in the process of designing the program from internal launch, to training and help desk operations. Venturing down this road will help ensure the effectiveness of the program from day one and keep stakeholders aligned with the program’s strategic goals.
Apple products are known for their reliability and often will retain high residual values at the end of their life because the hardware and software are designed together. Up-front costs can be minimized thanks in part to newer leasing and financing options, including device-as-a-service. Subsidy models are often deployed where personal contributions and payroll deductions are taken from employees who are tied to lease buyouts at the conclusion of the corporate use of the device. Baseline configurations can be used to achieve fixed costs where employee’s needs are met and they are given the freedom to upgrade what they desire on a cycle they are in charge of.
Zero-touch deployment can help IT configure and manage policies and applications over the air with increased control over all devices. Corporate data is protected without affecting how users want to work thanks to native security tools and software updates. Employees are given the opportunity to unbox their devices, power them up, and customize them as preferred. This heightens their sense of ownership and care for the device over its lifetime.
Apple products are compatible with critical enterprise software due to a new approach to app modernization and testing. Core apps and services including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange and G-Suite can have basic workflows for productivity and collaborations easily enabled for everyone. In addition, you can expect employees to be more productive in a work environment they helped configure when they utilize the self-service tool to install recommended apps or personal productivity apps. Personal and work data have the ability to coexist on a device while remaining separate due to the underlying iOS and macOS security architecture.
Employees have a greater chance of supporting their Apple devices themselves since most everyone is already familiar with them and enjoys using them. Less calls to IT for support are ensured because of the best-in-class hardware and software that Apple deploys. When a support call is needed a refocused help desk can assist employees in learning about their device on a deeper level so they can troubleshoot better the next time an issue arises. Self-support can be leveraged on top of a help desk integrated with AppleCare. This is the optimal way to create a user-centric support program for your organization. Reduced downtime and a lower total footprint for support costs and staff can be achieved through shared support responsibility.
ACP CreativIT is happy to help your employees unlock new potential for themselves and your business with Apple in the workplace through an employee choice program. Contact us to talk to one of our experts today.
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