By Darren Nyberg, Senior Consultant
If you’re a stickler for quality the way I am, there’s no substitute for an Apple. Just look at the new generation of Macs: they have the highest screen resolution of any available, the trackpad is large and responsive, and the keyboard is so wonderfully tactile that just resting your hands on it is comfortable and inviting. Even the power adapter — an afterthought for most other manufacturers — is designed to look good, work well, store conveniently, and even protect the laptop from damage if you trip over the cord. That’s what I call attention to detail.
Macs won me over as soon as I used one for the first time at school. I wanted one at home, and eventually at work, too. Unfortunately, using my Mac at work hasn’t been as easy as I’d have liked. Over the last few years, as I’ve tried to integrate it into the traditional Windows-based environment in which I work, I’ve run into all these challenges:
| • | Accessing files and documents is difficult to set up and keep operational. |
| • | I had to maintain multiple logins and passwords. For example, I have one login for the laptop itself and another one to access email. |
| • | I had to install a local, third-party backup tool because backups of local files are not centralized. |
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I had to carry multiple dongles in order to connect my laptop to my network, monitors, keyboard, and mouse. |
| • | My company had to install a third-party management tool to inventory and monitor the Macs (including my own) on our network. |
| • | Fixing any hardware problems required at least three business days and a trip to the Apple Store, often when I had no time to spare. |
In spite of these annoyances, I still preferred my Mac enough to keep bringing it to work. That motivated me to work with my team to develop Xantrion’s more painless solution to integrating Macs into a primarily PC-based network – Desktop-as-a-Service. Yes, the additional server, software, and network integration require more time, money, and effort than simply implementing a no-Macs rule — but if you love Macs as much as I love mine, I think you’ll find that the effort is worthwhile.
